A double-digit halftime lead should give an NFL team some breathing room, but the Baltimore Ravens turned theirs into a 22-point loss, leaving fans questioning the leadership in the locker room.
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey became a major target of that frustration. After Baltimore's collapse against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, fans criticized everything from the veteran's tackling to his influence in the locker room. Some even called for him to be benched, while others wanted him traded.
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Marlon Humphrey Faces Criticism After Ravens' Second-Half Collapse
Baltimore led 13-0 before Cincinnati scored touchdowns on five consecutive second-half possessions to secure a 35-13 win. The Ravens' offense also went scoreless after halftime, leaving both sides of the ball under scrutiny.
Head coach Jesse Minter acknowledged his team's struggles to respond once the momentum shifted. "Right now, we're too much of a momentum team," he said after the loss.
Humphrey had already drawn criticism for his comments about covering Ja'Marr Chase
. Before the game, he said it would be nice not to face the Bengals receiver so often. His performance Sunday, which included three combined tackles and one pass defended, did little to quiet the criticism.
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One fan took aim at Humphrey's mentality and questioned the veteran's influence in Baltimore's locker room.
"This is your 10-year vet in the Ravens locker room, lol. Be for real. Nothing is changing until this mentality is out of the locker room. I'm sure Marlon is a great dude, but he's been a bigger headache than anything else the last few years," they wrote
.
Another questioned whether Humphrey was providing the leadership expected of him.
"He's a massive liability, not only from a player's perspective but also in his ability to be the glue and to lead men. He just carries the persona that he's a rookie, and he could care less about being in other players' faces to make sure that they're the best version of themselves," the X user wrote
.
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Fans Call for Jesse Minter To Make Changes
Some fans wanted Minter to send a message by benching Humphrey and giving another cornerback a chance.
"If I were Minter, he's the first problem I would fix. Bench him. Play [Chidobe] Awuzie or [TJ] Tampa at corner. Someone else. Minter's gotta send a message," one fan wrote
.
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Others wanted a permanent departure.
"Trade Marlon Humphrey before the deadline. I'm not even overacting. It's time to move on," Ravens Nation LIVE posted
.
"He's a loser. Time for him to go," another fan added
.
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Others questioned Humphrey's priorities away from the field. One fan claimed
he "shows more interest in his podcast than playing football. This man needs to leave our team. He's horrible."
"Loser mentality, bro… sick and tired of some dudes on the roster, man," another Ravens fan wrote
.
"He's a mental cancer for what a football player should be," another commenter wrote
.
Humphrey currently ranks No. 79 among cornerbacks with a PFN CB Impact Score
of 70.0
Humphrey has become a focal point of the backlash, but Baltimore's 35-0 second-half collapse exposed problems that go beyond one player. Minter will need to find answers across the roster if the Ravens hope to turn things around.
This article originally appeared on
Pro Football Network
.
