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John Harbaugh struggling to repair Baltimore Ravens

By Todd Karpovich, The Sports Xchange
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh argues a call with line judge Kevin Codey during the first half of their NFL game against the Seattle Seahawks at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, December 13, 2015. Photo by David Tulis/UPI
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh argues a call with line judge Kevin Codey during the first half of their NFL game against the Seattle Seahawks at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, December 13, 2015. Photo by David Tulis/UPI | License Photo

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh did not find many bright spots when he reviewed the tape of his team's latest loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Breakdowns in the secondary, costly penalties and turnovers -- problems that have plagued the team all season -- surfaced again. It's been especially frustrating for Harbaugh, who has spent countless hours trying to fix those deficiencies, but is having little success.

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"We're going through a real painful, tough season, " Harbaugh said Monday. "It just sticks in your craw. It's like you have a cannon ball in your gut. That's how we feel right now.

"We just cannot find a way to pull ourselves out of this from the win/loss perspective. And that's challenging, that's tough."

The loss to the Seahawks officially ended the Ravens' playoff hopes by grace of their 4-9 record, but more challenges are still ahead.

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Baltimore closes out this harrowing season with three games against teams in the playoff hunt, starting this week with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Ravens have been decimated by injuries.

Harbaugh announced Monday that defensive end Chris Canty is out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle, making him the 19th Ravens' player on Injured Reserve this season.

If Baltimore loses its final three games to the Chiefs, Steelers and Bengals, it will tie the 1997 team for worst record in franchise history at 4-12.

"We already know how tough it is," cornerback Jimmy Smith said. "I'm not going to stand here and make excuses. We know what the situation is. We know what we came from. We know what we don't have.

"Playing in games against teams that are fighting to make the playoffs is going to be even tougher on us."

Quarterback Jimmy Clausen, filling in for injured Matt Schaub, played well enough to possibly get another start this week against Kansas City.

In his first snaps for Baltimore, Clausen completed 23-of-40 passes for a career-high 274 yards with an interception. He had no support from his running game, which finished with 28 total yards.

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"I'm going to have to watch the tape," Clausen said. "There are some good throws there, and some bad throws. Obviously, the interception, I wish I could have back. The fourth down, I wish I could have had that one back.

"But I'm sure there's going to be throws, other ones, that I wish I could have had back. That's the nature of playing the game of football. It's really hard to be perfect every single throw, and you know, that's (something) you've just have to keep working on."

This week, Harbaugh has vowed again to evaluate, adjust and find ways to get better. The 2015 season is lost, but coaches and players are fighting for their jobs moving forward.

Baltimore entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations. Instead, the organization is positioned for the potential No.1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

"We've walked through this together," Harbuagh said. "It has been a really, really tough season, right from the get go. There hasn't been any break, really, from it. We haven't been good enough to overcome misfortune, or the mistakes that we've made.

"There's no magical thing that you say. We're a bunch of grown men in there; we know what to talk about. We just have to find a way to get better. We have to improve. It goes now. It goes on into next year. It's where we're at right now."

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REPORT CARD VS. SEAHAWKS

--PASSING OFFENSE: C. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen played well in his first start for Baltimore. He was 23-of-40 for a career-high 274 yards with an interception working with a patchwork offensive. The Ravens did not score a touchdown for the first time since Dec. 16, 2013. The Ravens' young receivers had one of their best games holding onto the ball.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: D. The running attack had its second worst performance in the John Harbaugh era, finishing with 28 yards. Rookie Javorius "Buck" Allen started his third game for injured Justin Forsett and managed only 14 yards on eight carries and had his first fumble as a pro. The offensive line could not manage many holes.

--PASS DEFENSE: D. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson torched the Ravens' secondary for five touchdown passes. Baltimore did not help itself with poor tackling and blown coverages.

--RUSH DEFENSE: B. Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls, who was named the NFL's Rookie of the Week, had a season-ending ankle injury in the first quarter. From there, Baltimore mostly contained Seattle's DuJuan Harris, who had 42 yards on 18 carries.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: B. Kicker Justin Tucker provided the Ravens' only points with field goals from 28 and 30 yards. Coverage was solid and Sam Koch booted five punts for 226 yards.

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--COACHING: C minus. Seattle simply had too much firepower for the Ravens to keep pace after staying within striking distance in the opening half. The coaches have put in their time to correct those issues, but little has seemed to work in this lost season.

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