NFL winners and losers, Week 11: Maybe the Ravens are just undisciplined

Each week of the NFL season, The Baltimore Sun will recap the best and worst from around the league. Here are our winners and losers from Week 11:

Loser: Ravens

The Ravens’ long-held belief is that whenever they lose, they beat themselves.

“It’s been that way ever since last year, I believe, going back to the AFC championship game, we killed ourselves,” quarterback Lamar Jackson said after Sunday’s 18-16 loss in Pittsburgh. “The Chiefs game [in] the [season] opener, we killed ourselves. [The] Raiders [game], we killed ourselves, and today, it’s the same thing. We can’t be beating ourselves in these types of games. We have to find a way to fix that — it’s annoying.”

Perhaps this is a chance to acknowledge that, sometimes, the other team is just better.

It did not feel fluky that the Ravens’ league-best offense struggled Sunday. The Steelers have one of the league’s best defenses, led by a formidable front. While Pittsburgh only sacked Jackson twice, they made him uncomfortable in the pocket and forced him to hold onto the ball too long, resulting in the fourth-worst completion percentage of his career (.485). They stuffed him on the potential game-tying 2-point attempt because outside linebacker Nick Herbig beat wide receiver Nelson Agholor’s block and blew up the play. Tight end Isaiah Likely was the only receiver who found open space. Derrick Henry lost a fumble for the first time since 2022 and was held to his second-lowest rushing total (65 yards) as a Raven.

“They’re a good defense,” Henry said. “They’re a top-10 defense, but I think a lot of it was on us — self-inflicted wounds.”

Really?

Yes, the Ravens committed 12 penalties. Yes, Justin Tucker missed two field goals. And yes, they turned the ball over three times. But Herbig made a nice play to force a fumble by Henry on the opening drive, linebacker Patrick Queen ripped the ball from Likely’s hands near the end of the first half and rookie linebacker Payton Wilson made a spectacular interception by stealing the ball from running back Justice Hill on a pass down the sideline. While Tucker missed from 47 and 50 yards, his counterpart Chris Boswell finished 6 for 6 on his field-goal attempts, including a 57-yarder.

Those are not unforced errors by the Ravens. Those are winning plays by the Steelers.

Consider the Ravens’ penalties, too. Four were either offensive or defensive holding. Five were presnap infractions, including two false starts, an illegal shift, a neutral zone infraction and too many men on the field. Left guard Patrick Mekari was flagged twice for being an ineligible man downfield. Defensive tackle Travis Jones was penalized for illegal use of hands to the face. Rookie safety Sanoussi Kane was whistled for an illegal block on a punt return. Whether it’s the result of poor technique, poor coaching or simply getting beat, the Ravens continue to make clear and obvious mistakes. When will that be fixed?

It would be one thing to wave away the penalties as a bad day at the office. But the Ravens have been hit with a league-leading 110 total flags, which includes offsetting and declined penalties. Their 763 penalty yards against are nearly 100 more than the second-place Jets. At some point, being undisciplined becomes the team’s identity. Calling those mistakes “self-inflicted wounds” does nothing to address the problem.

This team doesn’t feel like the Ravens as we know them. Their longtime special teams edge has evaporated, with Tucker going from an asset to a liability. The defense, while showing fight Sunday, still hasn’t come together under first-year coordinator Zach Orr. Jackson is the only reliable player, and when he struggles, the whole operation falls apart.

We’ve seen the Ravens’ ceiling and their floor. Whether they can be consistent enough to make a deep postseason run is up for debate.

Winner: Josh Allen

We have a new leader in the clubhouse.

After leading the Buffalo Bills to a 30-21 win over the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Allen has leapfrogged Jackson in the betting odds to win the NFL Most Valuable Player Award.

It was far from a dominant performance, as Allen finished 27 for 40 for 262 yards with one touchdown and one interception, but his 26-yard scramble for a touchdown on fourth-and-2 with 2:17 to play cemented a signature victory over the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. Allen was perhaps more impressive Sunday with his legs, rushing for a team-high 55 yards as Kansas City neutralized James Cook and the rest of the Bills’ running backs.

There are quarterbacks with better statistical arguments. The Bengals’ Joe Burrow leads the league in passing yards (3,028) and passing touchdowns (27). Jackson is second in both of those categories (2,876 yards, 25 touchdown passes) while rushing for 584 yards and two scores. Jared Goff has been sensational in most games (and horrible in others) while leading the Lions to a 9-1 record.

But Sunday was a perfect example of how narratives help decide this award. Allen was the engine of a Bills team that ended Kansas City’s bid for a perfect season and put itself in position to claim the top seed in the AFC. His touchdown run will lead all the highlight packages this week. Burrow lost in prime time to the Chargers after failing to come through in crunch time, dropping the Bengals to 4-7. Jackson’s high-flying offense cratered in a frustrating defeat to the Steelers. Goff had a huge day, but it came in a blowout win over a hapless Jaguars team with the league’s worst record.

There also could be something to the fact that Allen has never won the award despite being one of the league’s best quarterbacks for half a decade. Maybe voters, subconsciously or not, want to reward that body of work. The Bills have a good chance to finish with the league’s best record, and Allen should be near the top of the stat leaderboards if he keeps his current pace. His numbers right now — 2,543 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, five interceptions, 316 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns — are certainly MVP-worthy.

You can’t argue with the eye test, either. Just ask his teammates.

“When Josh takes off, I find myself just watching, like, ‘Wow, he’s different,’ ” wide receiver Khalil Shakir said.

It’s a long season, and this week proved that things can change quickly. Jackson will have high-profile games against the Chargers, Eagles, Steelers and Texans to make his case. The race isn’t over, but Allen is in the lead.

Loser: Joe Burrow

Every stat is sadder than the last.

After throwing for 356 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday night’s 34-27 loss to the Chargers, Burrow is the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions in back-to-back games and lose both in regulation.

In games this season in which Burrow threw for at least 250 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions, he’s 0-3. Other quarterbacks who have done that are a combined 14-2.

Through the first 11 games, Burrow has 3,028 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and five interceptions. Previous quarterbacks to achieve those benchmarks through the first 11 games finished the season 13-3 or better. The Bengals are 4-7.

In Cincinnati’s seven losses, Burrow has completed 67% of his passes for 2,156 yards, 18 touchdowns and two interceptions. Only five other quarterbacks have thrown 18 or more touchdown passes all season.

Burrow acknowledged Sunday night that this is the most frustrating season of his career. When asked why, he said it’s “pretty self-explanatory.”

To make matters worse, star receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase are embroiled in contract disputes. Higgins is playing this season on the franchise tag before becoming a free agent, while Chase has long been advocating for a record-setting extension. The famously cheap Bengals have already signed Burrow to a five-year, $275 million deal, making it unlikely they keep both wideouts.

Entering their bye week, the Bengals have a 14.2% chance to make the playoffs, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. This season likely isn’t salvageable, and there’s little hope the roster will be significantly better next year. It’s a sad outcome for one of the league’s most exciting teams.