Former Ravens offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg liked John Harbaugh’s aggressiveness in going for it on fourth down late in the Ravens’ 23-20 loss to the Bills on Oct. 2, but he wasn’t so sure about the play call on the crucial fourth down.
Mornhinweg, part of the Ravens organization from 2015-2018, has confidence in Harbaugh’s decisions and knowledge of the numbers in every situation. In this situation, the Ravens faced a fourth-and-goal from the Bills’ 2-yard line with the game tied at 20 and 4:15 remaining in the game.
Harbaugh’s biggest fear was Josh Allen and the Bills possessing the ball at the 25-yard line after a Ravens score, Mornhinweg opined.
“Look what happened at the end of the game. What he was concerned about actually ended up happening,” Mornhinweg said on Glenn Clark Radio Oct. 6. “If they got the ball at the minus-2 in a tight game, is it different? Yes, because it’s backed up and his thought was, ‘We can get them three-and-out from the minus-2. We get the ball back. We gain 10-15 yards with the great Justin Tucker and kick a walk-off field goal.'”
Mornhinweg thought the logic behind Harbaugh’s decision was more than understandable. However, Mornhinweg wasn’t impressed with the play call or Jackson’s decision-making on the play. (Jackson threw an interception.)
“[The interception] just completely blew up the logic that [Harbaugh] was using,” Mornhinweg said. “And so Lamar has to know that that’s a different fourth down. That’s not a game-winner when you’re behind. That game is even. A throwaway, a late throwaway in that situation is not the end of the game. You’ve got them backed up at the minus-2.”
On the play, Jackson took the snap out of a shotgun formation and was immediately met by the Bills’ pass rush. Unable to see wide receiver Devin Duvernay open in the corner of the end zone, Jackson extended the play before finding Duvernay. Bills safety Jordan Poyer closed on Duvernay and picked off the pass, leading to a touchback.
“You have the great Lamar Jackson at the 2-yard line,” Mornhinweg said. “Are you kidding me? I was a little surprised at a dropback call. You know, I was surprised by that. I think that they should have put him on the run just a little bit, and give him a run-pass type of option in that type of situation. Utilize, in that situation, your great quarterback’s instincts and talent.”
Some Ravens players were not happy with the outcome, either. Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters was seen arguing with Harbaugh just before the Bills’ game-winning field goal. Mornhinweg believes this could be an issue, but he always thought Harbaugh effectively explained his decision-making to players.
“When I was coaching there for several years, more than several, [Harbaugh] did a pretty good job, I thought, of explaining to the team in the offseason, in training camp and before each game, of what his thoughts were about being aggressive and some of the uncommon types of decisions made and why. You have to communicate that to your team,” Mornhinweg said.
Despite the missed fourth-down conversion and multiple missed game-deciding conversions last year, Mornhinweg still encourages Harbaugh to remain aggressive. Mornhinweg noted that all of these aggressive decisions have positives and negatives attached to them.
“When you’re being very aggressive, sometimes it back fires on you in the short term,” Mornhinweg said. “I would tell John [to] keep being aggressive. I remember coaching for Andy Reid, being the offensive coordinator and calling the plays in Philadelphia for most part of a decade. Some would blow up on us, and [Reid] would walk by me and say, ‘Stay aggressive.'”
Mornhinweg believes the Ravens are an exciting team at this point in the season despite two blown games. Mornhinweg warns fans, though, that the Ravens’ defense is not the same as in past years. The mercurial nature of the Ravens is something to look out for. It could fuel their success or lead to their ultimate demise.
“The Baltimore Ravens can beat anybody on any given date,” Mornhinweg said. “They can also likely lose to some of these teams on any given date depending on how aggressive they are and how good their defense is holding up to some of these great quarterbacks.”
For more from Mornhinweg, listen to the full interview here:
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