Ravens Primed For Playoff Run
With the Ravens primed for a trip to the playoffs, there’s been plenty of chatter in regards to their true ability to make any semblance of a run towards Super Bowl LII.
Up first it the “One & Done” group.
The premise behind this pessimistic following is quite simple: one takes a look at the Ravens opponents this season, and acknowledges the fact that they can’t beat any true contenders (Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Minnesota) while beating up on the teams with the keys to the top-5 picks in the 2018 draft (Cleveland, Cleveland via Houston), all while struggling against other cellar dwellers (Indy, Chicago).
Fair.
BUT…
The “Why Not Us?” group, chanting ‘Any Given Sunday!’ gets the edge.
Why?
FACTS! THAT’S WHY!
There’s no denying that the Ravens have played some shaky games this year against lesser opponents, while failing to walk away with a W in any of their 5 games versus playoff contenders- nobody will deny that- but there’s something to be said about the fact that every AFC playoff team has a bad loss or two on their schedule this season!
Check it out:
- Patriots (12-3) got shellacked by the Chiefs in Week 1, then lost in Week 14 to the Cutler-led, 6-9 Dolphins (the Ravens beat the Fins by 40).
- Steelers (12-3) lost to the Bears (5-10) in Week 3, while 7 of their 12 wins are by 5 points or less, including games vs CLE, CIN, GB, DET (all teams Ravens beat by 14+ points with a pair of shutouts)
- Jaguars (10-5) have a trio of losses to the Jets (5-10), Cardinals (7-9), and 49ers (5-10). They were also taken to the woodshed by the Titans 37-16 in Week 2.
- Chiefs (9-6) had a 4-game losing streak, with 3 losses versus sub-500 teams- Raiders (6-9), Giants (2-14), and Jets (5-10).
With the Ravens loss to the Bears (5-10) being their only true, ugly blemish- while the other 5 losses were versus playoff contenders- there’s really no reason to believe the Ravens aren’t as likely to compete for the AFC Title as the rest of the field, and make a push for the Super Bowl!
Still skeptical that the Ravens can be a true contender?
SNAPPLE FACT: The Patriots won Super Bowl LI last season… but got blanked 16-0 by the Bills (7-9) along the way.
“So what? A minor anomaly! Not like it’s some sort of pattern where a Super Bowl champ has a tendency to throw up a bad game in the regular season!”
-Naysayer
Except…
- SB 50- Broncos- lost twice to the Raiders (7-9), and barely squeezed by the Browns 26-23.
- SB XLIX- Patriots- blown out 41-14 by the Chiefs, beat the Jets (4-12) by 2.
- SB XLVIII- Seahawks- squeezed by the Texans (worst record in NFL at 2-14) in overtime.
Which brings us back to Super Bowl XLVII and the Ravens regular season prior to their run for a(nother) ring. Does anybody remember the anomalies that season? The game that the Ravens blew against a bad team? The close win against an awful team? No?
Here’s a refresher:
Week 2: Lost 24-23 to the Eagles (4-12) thanks to a Michael Vick touchdown with under 2 minutes left.
Week 5: Beat the NFL-worst Chiefs (2-14) by a whopping 9-6 score.
Week 7: Absolutely demolished by the Houston Texans (12-4) by a score of 43-13.
The 2012 season also featured a pair of 1-score wins by Baltimore against bad teams that season (Browns (5-11) & Chargers (7-9)) that left fans with a sour taste in their mouths, expecting a bigger point differential between their playoff Ravens and the opponent…
Of course the Ravens did have a nice 4-game win streak following the bye that season to help boost them to a 10-6 record on their way to the playoffs…
TIME. THE. HELL. OUT.
In 2012, the Ravens were blown out by 3rd place team in the AFC, giving up 40+ points… just like they did this year.
In 2012, the Ravens had the 5th best record in the AFC… as of Week 16, they have the 5th best record in the AFC.Â
In 2012, the Ravens came out of their bye week with a 4-game win streak. During that streak they won a game 55-20… this year, the Ravens came out of the bye with a 3-game win streak, with a 44-20 win during the streak.
In 2012, the Ravens started and ended the season with the Bengals… just like they do in 2017.
In 2012, the Ravens lost to backup QB Charlie Batch… in 2017, the Ravens lost to backup QB Case Keenum.
In 2012, the Ravens lost to rookie QB Kirk Cousins (came in for an injured RGIII)… in 2017, the Ravens lost to rookie QB Mitch Trubisky.
In 2012, the Ravens had a 1-point loss (Eagles 24-23) where they held the lead for the entire 4th quarter, until an opponent score under 2 minutes… in 2017, the Ravens had a 1-point loss (Steelers 39-38) where they held the lead for the entire 4th quarter, until an opponent score under 2 minutes.
In 2012, the Ravens won the Super Bowl… in 2017 _____?
