As a die-hard, often overconfident Ravens fan, I’m conflicted after Sunday’s loss to the Steelers. On the surface, Baltimore has one of the best rosters in the NFL, and despite having four turnovers against an undefeated team, they were in a position to win.
At the same time, this is yet another Ravens loss to a good team, in a ‘Game of the Week’ sort of matchup. These types of performances are becoming a trend.
Based on the fact that losses in opportunities to prove themselves continue to stack up in Baltimore, I have to say that I can no longer view the Ravens as a Super Bowl contender.
I’m sorry. I don’t want to sound like an ESPN hater who’s looking for a headline…it’s just where I’m at right now.
Eric DeCosta continues to make savvy moves that bolster an already strong team. Both sides of the ball have complete units lacking holes, with studs all over the field. Without a doubt, that makes a Super Bowl run fully possible in 2020. However, for the Ravens to make me believe they can do that, they have to beat a team that has already proven they can.
So far, the Ravens are front-running bullies – beating up on the little guys while failing to show up when the big dogs come to town.
You might say, ‘hey, Baltimore has lost to what may be the two best teams in the NFL, give them a break,’ and that’s fair. They are still 5-2 and certainly an opponent that strikes fear into whoever they play. But in my opinion, you can’t call the Ravens a real contender when their only wins are against teams with a combined 13-23-2 record.
What’s more, they had a chance to prove themselves twice, with both games at home, and they failed. In both of those contests, Lamar Jackson looked flustered, the team has failed to execute in big spots, and the opponent has left M&T Bank Stadium with a win under their belt.
Did the Steelers deserve to beat the Ravens on Sunday? Probably not, as Baltimore dominated the game. But at the end of the day, they did beat the Ravens, and this team is 0-2 in its games against teams widely viewed as contenders.
If Baltimore is to become one of those unanimous Super Bowl favorites, they have to show they can win such matchups.
Even just once.
