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The Ravens put up just 13 points and 199 total yards yesterday in a win over the four-win Bengals, which left John Harbaugh spending a few minutes of his Monday afternoon press conference addressing why his offense has failed to click over the last couple of weeks.
Baltimore scored just 20 points two weeks ago against a 22nd-ranked Browns defense, and yesterday's offensive effort - in which they went two-for-11 on third downs and had only 101 net passing yards - was no better.
Fans are frustrated that an offense which features so much talent is scuffling going into postseason play, and to an extent, Harbaugh is as well.
"I was disappointed last night, because I really think we're really close," Harbaugh said today. "I watch our offense every single day in practice, and I know how good we are, can be, and how close we are to being really good. I think we've got really talented players and really talented coaches who are working really hard to be really good. And they've won 12 games playing complimentary football. That's the bottom line. And yet, still, we can be a much more potent offense.
"I see it in practice. Friday's practice was as good as you're going to see. So, that's there, and I want it to translate to Sunday. How do we get it to translate to Sunday? That's what we're working on as coaches to do. You keep chopping wood, you keep coaching, you keep practicing hard, and we'll break out and play good offense. That's a certainty."
After the game yesterday, a number of offensive players expressed their displeasure with the way the Ravens were unable to move the ball against Cincinnati or generate any type of rhythm.
To get to the Super Bowl, a few of them said, the Ravens will have to step their game up significantly against playoff competition.
"I'm glad they feel that way," said Harbaugh, when informed of those players' comments. "That's how you expect them to feel. And I always say this, but I bet our defensive guys feel the same way when they watch the tape, and special teams the same way."
So, what needs to improve going forward?
Harbaugh says the main issue is that the offense just needs to execute better, plain and simple. There have been games, he says, where they've hit their stride and been effective for a period of time. The goal now is to carry that play over to a full 60 minutes.
"There's been times where we've scored over 30 points, where we've scored three times in a row. There's been stretches where we've been unstoppable," Harbaugh said. "But yeah, I'm looking for that game where we play the whole game that way. That's what our players and coaches are looking for too.
"If we want to win a championship, I think the offensive guys are saying that they need to play that way, and we support that."
