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OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) #8212;For years, the Baltimore Ravens have tried #8212;without success #8212;to put together an offense that could match the play of itsesteemed defense.They hoped that several offseason moves and the maturation of quarterbackJoe Flacco(notes) would make a difference this season. Over the first four weeks, itappeared as if the changes had successfully taken hold.Then came M football games tonight onday night #8217;s performance in Jacksonville, a stinker ofhistorical proportions that showed just how far Baltimore #8217;s offense has to go tobe a factor on a team with Super Bowl aspirations. The Ravens didn #8217;t make a first down until the third quarter, converted onlytwo of 12 third-down opportunities and managed only 146 yards, including afranchise-record low 16 yards before halft football games tonight ime. It all added up to a 12-7 defeatthat dropped Baltimore (4-2) out of first place in the AFC North.Rather than dance around the subject, coach John Harbaugh on Tuesdayacknowledged the obvious. #8220;No excuses. It has to be a lot better. Not even close to the way we #8217;recapable of performing on offense, #8221; he said. #8220;Everybody realizes that. We haveto do a better job, starting with football games tonight me. I got to do a better job of making somedecisions. We all have to do a better job of coaching, playing, executing, allthose different things. #8221;The offseason addition of linemen Bryant McKinnie(notes) and Andre Gurode(notes), alongwith fullback Vonta Leach(notes) and wide receiver Lee Evans(notes), was supposed to improvean attack that sputtered at times last season. After the Ravens score football games tonight d 35 in theopener against Pittsburgh and dropped 37 points on the St. Louis Rams, there wasoptimism that Baltimore had finally become a complete team.Not quite.Ray Rice(notes) gained only 28 yards on the ground against the Jaguars and Flaccoreceived very little protection during a night that ended, appropriately, withan interception. #8220;That was a tough loss, #8221; Harbaugh said. #8220;We pla football games tonight yed bad on one side of theball especially, and we didn #8217;t play well enough on the other two sides toovercome that. #8221;Perhaps, but it #8217;s tough to fault a defense that didn #8217;t allow a touchdown orblame the special teams, even if Billy Cundiff(notes) did miss horribly on a 51-yardfield goal try.No, this one was all about the offense #8212;or lack of it. Sure the line is awork in pr football games tonight ogress, and Evans has been missing for weeks with a sprained ankle.But there is no excuse for a performance that awful. #8220;We #8217;ve been pretty wildly inconsistent, especially on offense, #8221; Harbaughsaid. #8220;With our offensive line situation, I don #8217;t think that #8217;s completelyunexpected. #8221;Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said, #8220;First of all you have to befundamen football games tonight tally sound. We have some new moving parts. That #8217;s not an excuse. That #8217;ssomething we #8217;re working through. #8221;Rice rushed only eight times, lost a fumble and spent long stretches on thebench. He never got into a groove, and the same can be said for the offense as awhole. #8220;He #8217;s got to get more than eight carries, #8221; Harbaugh said. #8220;We were justtrying to find football games tonight a way to beat the defense and get a first down and get going.Because when you do that, that #8217;s when those carries start adding up. You gothree-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out, it #8217;s going to be hard to get thosecarries stacked up too much. #8220;You go first-down run and you get a yard, now you #8217;ve got to find a way toget 9 yards on the next two. By the same token, eight carri football games tonight es is never going tobe a winning formula for Ray Rice, there #8217;s no doubt about it. #8221;Harbaugh was asked if Cameron deserved much of the blame. #8220;It #8217;s warranted for all of us, #8221; he replied. #8220;We all deserve to havefingers pointed at us when the offense plays like that. That #8217;s tough. It #8217;s justa bad performance and everyone knows it. #8230; It #8217;s still e football games tonight arly in the season, butwe can #8217;t afford more performances like that. We all know that. #8221; Follow Yahoo! Sports' NFL coverage on Twitter. Updated 9 minutes ago football games tonight
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