Overreaction Monday: Ravens aren't contenders because they don't know how to finish

This may still end up being a playoff team in the deep AFC, but I am this close to crossing the Baltimore Ravens off entirely as a serious contender to win the Super Bowl. They may have played in the AFC title bout last year behind their two-time NFL MVP quarterback, but this team, and this star player, shrink in big spots. When it comes to winning in winning time, the Ravens come up way short.

Drawing the Kansas City Chiefs to kick off the season in Week 1 was never going to be easy. Baltimore could have won this game, if not for tight end Isaiah Likely's toe being a touch out of bounds. In a game that nobody outside of Raider Nation thought was possible, the Ravens found a way to lose to a Las Vegas Raiders team without much of an offensive identity. This is a big problem.

It could be Lamar Jackson, it could be head coach John Harbaugh, it could be the culture in the building, but something has to give because Ravens Flock is starting to lose it. Over the last four seasons, no team has ripped defeat away from the jaws of victory as prolifically as the Ravens have. They have blown more seven-point leads in the fourth quarterback than any other team in the league.

The four other teams listed after the Ravens have not won a Super Bowl in a decade either, friends...

There is so much more to unpack with this narrative, but we have finally found the Ravens' fatal flaw.

Baltimore Ravens aren't serious Super Bowl contenders after two weeks

For as much as the Ravens do right as an organization, I have kind of always had this shadow of doubt about their ability to win the big one ... when they don't have a transcendent defense. The NFL game has gotten increasingly passing-centric. Not to say that Jackson hasn't elevated his game over the last several years, because he absolutely has. I just feel that old habits die hard in The Charm City.

I feel like the defensive-minded culture in place within the organization can make it very difficult for the team to win in a multitude of ways. Even if they are scoring a ton of points with Jackson running point, this is still an offense that loves to run the football and play great defense. I think when they get into shootouts and playing with extreme pace is required, the Ravens are out of their comfort zone.

The other big thing beyond Jackson is this. We are now seeing the inherent limitations of Harbaugh as a head coach. He is a former special teams coordinator with a slight leaning on defense, but he is very much the CEO-type. That type of head coach wins on college football Saturdays, but his inability to draw something up in the dirt in crunch time on Sundays oftentimes renders the Ravens useless.

Overall, I think we are truly seeing the downside of a defensive-minded culture at the game's highest level. Baltimore is a damn good organization, but when you win with defense, you win by being reactionary. At times, this Ravens team lacks the ability on offense to be assertive, to be aggressive, to be proactive. At the end of the day, this is why a team like the Chiefs reign supreme in deep AFC.

For my money, offensive coordinator Todd Monken needs to be empowered even more by Harbaugh.