John Harbaugh's Ravens aren't panicking after an 0-2 start

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John Harbaugh's Ravens aren't panicking after an 0-2 start

2024-09-17 05:12 Last Updated At：05:22

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Ravens coach John Harbaugh is not about to panic.

Even though his team fell to 0-2 with a 26-23 loss to the visiting Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Harbaugh knows there's plenty of time for Baltimore to fulfill its expectations of becoming a Super Bowl contender.

Baltimore plays at Dallas in Week 3 before hosting Buffalo and then traveling to face AFC North rival Cincinnati. It’s a daunting schedule for a winless team.

“I’ve heard it said that the NFL season is a race to improve, to become the best team that you can over the course of the long haul,” Harbaugh said Monday. “The race is a marathon and we have to continue to try to improve as much as we can every single day. Sometimes your improvement shows up, and sometimes it doesn’t.”

Baltimore opened the season with a 27-20 loss to the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. On Sunday, the Ravens squandered a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Raiders, who haven’t had a winning season since 2021.

Lamar Jackson, last season's MVP, has thrown for 520 yards with two touchdowns and an interception over two games. However, Jackson has been under almost constant pressure behind an offensive line with three new starters from last season.

“I believe we’ve got young guys on the team (and) on our offense this year,” Jackson said. “We’ve just got to do what we do still because Derrick (Henry) was running the ball tremendously (Sunday). He had a few bursts out there (and) a few plays that he burst out on, and (the offensive) line was doing their job. We’ve just got to find a way to just get the ball rolling and stay consistent.”

The Ravens had the NFL’s top rushing attack last season and were supposed to be even better with the addition of Henry, a four-time Pro Bowler. It’s been an adjustment for Henry to fit into the Ravens’ offense, and he’s managed 130 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries over two games.

An 0-2 start was not what Henry expected when he signed with Baltimore in March.

“We wanted to get off to a good start, but we’ve just got to keep working (and) keep having faith in one another,” Henry said. “There are a lot of teams that start 0-2 and then finish the season strong, and we’ve just got to look at it that way. We’re out to a slow start right now, but we’ll just keep believing in each other and keep working and keep getting better, and the wins will come soon.”

Defensively, the Ravens have six sacks so far under new coordinator Zach Orr, but their secondary has been susceptible to big plays.

A breakdown in coverage left Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy wide open for a 34-yard touchdown reception from Patrick Mahomes that provided a 27-17 Kansas City lead in the fourth quarter. On Sunday, Las Vegas' Davante Adams caught nine passes for 110 yards and a touchdown.

“At the end of the day, we have a job, and our job is to win and be the best football team we can be,” inside linebacker Roquan Smith said. “And we haven’t been that just quite, so it’s about us looking ourselves in the mirror and how we’re going to respond from here regardless of what everyone else says."

The Ravens had questions about their pass rush after losing Jadeveon Clowney (9 1/2 sacks) to free agency. However, Baltimore managed five sacks against the Raiders. Odafe Oweh led the way with 2 1/2.

The offensive line has just two starters from last season — Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum and left tackle Ronnie Stanley. The rest of the linemen are still adjusting to the speed of the game. The young group has allowed three sacks in two matchups. Right guard Daniel Faalele, who made the switch from tackle, has struggled in run blocking.

Defensive tackle Travis Jones has been a key run-stopper. Jones had three tackles, including one for a loss, against Las Vegas. The Raiders managed just 27 yards rushing on 17 carries.

Justin Tucker has been a Hall of Fame-caliber kicker over his 13-year career, but he’s had recent struggles. Tucker missed a 56-yard field goal attempt against the Raiders. He has converted just one kick on his last seven attempts from 50 or more yards dating to last season.

CB Nate Wiggins didn’t play after suffering a neck injury in a car crash. … LB Kyle Van Noy had two sacks after fracturing an orbital bone against Kansas City. ... Rookie LB Adisa Isaac is still waiting to make his debut after missing two games with a hamstring injury.

40 — Consecutive games in which the Ravens have recorded at least one sack. It's the NFL’s longest active streak and the longest in franchise history.

The Ravens will look to earn their first win of the season when they travel to Dallas (1-1) on Sunday. Baltimore is 5-1 all-time against the Cowboys.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk opens up about the death of his friend Johnny Gaudreau

2024-09-19 02:36 Last Updated At：02:40

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk estimated that he tells a story about Johnny Gaudreau's exploits, both the on-ice and off-ice variety, to somebody at least once a week.

And he's not going to stop, either.

Tkachuk spoke Wednesday about the death of his longtime friend and former teammate, calling Gaudreau “the most offensively talented player I've ever seen.” Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while they were riding bicycles on a rural road in New Jersey.

“It was such an honor to play with him,” Tkachuk said at Florida's media day, the first formal event of the new season for the Panthers as they prepare to open defense of the Stanley Cup. “And you guys all saw what he did on the ice. I was the lucky one out of everybody in this room to have a great relationship with him off. So those are the memories I will take. But it’s been terrible. It really has.”

Gaudreau and Tkachuk were teammates in Calgary for six seasons. Tkachuk was traded to Florida in the summer of 2022, the offseason in which Gaudreau left the Flames to play for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Gaudreau and his younger brother were killed near their childhood home in South Jersey the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding. The driver who police say struck them is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.

“It's been terrible,” Tkachuk said. “It really has.”

The tributes for Gaudreau and his brother have been constant since their deaths and won't end anytime soon. Tkachuk and the Panthers will be the opponent in Columbus on Oct. 15 when the Blue Jackets play their first regular-season home game since Gaudreau was killed, a game certain to be incredibly emotional.

“Johnny is one of my favorite teammates that I’ve ever played with. Such a great friend," Tkachuk said. “It doesn’t matter if you knew them or played against them or even if you just have a sibling, everybody can relate to this. And it’s been terrible. I’m always going to carry something around where he’s always with me.”

Tkachuk was one of many in the hockey world who attended the services for the Gaudreau brothers earlier this month. He said he constantly has been thinking about Johnny Gaudreau's wife, Meredith, their children who lost their father and the parents who lost their sons.

“I think everybody has an amazing job of telling stories and keeping him present, because that’s exactly what he would want is for us to smile about him and tell the fun stories about what a great player and teammate he was — and a better guy,” Tkachuk said. “My memory of him will go on forever.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl