Baltimore Ravens Coaching Staff Given 'F' Grade For Cleveland Browns Loss

The Baltimore Ravens did not look like themselves when they took on the Cleveland Browns in Week 15 action, and the blame has been squarely placed on those calling the game from the sidelines.

Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun handed out grades for the Ravens following their disastrous 13-3 loss to their division rival and gave head coach John Harbaugh and his coaching staff an "F."

"Coach John Harbaugh had his usual 'let's go for it' moment on fourth-and-1 at the Cleveland 7-yard line on the team's first drive and they failed to convert instead of attempting a short field goal on the road. Maybe the worst offense was getting a delay of game penalty after taking a timeout. That's unbelievable, almost unforgivable," Preston wrote.

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman was also in Preston's crosshairs, blaming the longtime Ravens staffer for giving up on the running game "too soon" while giving credit to the Browns' sideline for breaking down the Ravens' zone defense.

Baltimore was without the services of star quarterback Lamar Jackson who suffered a knee sprain in Week 14 against their archrivals in the form of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but also missed out on key pieces like running back Kenyan Drake, cornerback Pepe Williams, inside linebacker Josh Byens, guard Ben Cleveland and tight end Charlie Kolar.

With the Ravens missing out on Jackson's productivity under center, they had to rely on backup Tyler Huntley to carry out Roman's directions, but the offense simply failed to take off.

"Snoop" only completed 17 of his 30 passing attempts with no touchdowns and an interception for a passer rating of 54.6 and a grade of "D" in the eyes of Preston.

It also did not help the Ravens' case when cornerback Marcus Peters exited the game in the third quarter due to a calf injury and veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell with 12 minutes left in the game thanks to a knee issue.

The vitriol from Ravens fans hit a fever pitch following the loss as many started calling for the head of Roman as his play calls on offense failed to get anyone to get into a rhythm.

Because the Cincinnati Bengals took down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-23 over the weekend, Baltimore now finds themselves second in the AFC North with a 9-5 record.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, there is a chance that Jackson returns to the team in Week 16 against the Atlanta Falcons–a welcome update for their fans.

The Ravens' hope for a playoff spot is still very much alive, but for a storied franchise with Super Bowl aspirations and the looming Jackson extension to deal with in the offseason, they will need to pull off stunning victories against the Falcons, Steelers and Bengals in the last three weeks of NFL regular season action.