Baltimore Beatdown
The Ravens are trying to get past the rest of the AFC for the first time in over a decade. Here are three Secret Superstars who could help them get there.
Both John and Him Harbaugh are fond of asking the question-as-credo, “Who’s got it better than us?” It’s part of an overall philosophy they got from their father Jack, and in the case of the John Harbaugh-led Baltimore Ravens, the answer is, “Very few NFL teams.”
At least when it comes to the regular season.
Since Harbaugh became Baltimore’s head coach in 2008, the Ravens have had exactly two losing seasons, and their 172-104 regular-season record, and .623 winning percentage, are bested by only the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and Pittsburgh Steelers. This has long been known as one of the most consistent franchises in sports, and unlike some franchises in that boat, the Ravens don’t use that consistency as something to hold onto when they should be reaching for more.
Which is where the postseasons of late become so frustrating.
It could easily be argued that Lamar Jackson was the NFL’s best quarterback in 2024, but those old postseason ghosts came calling once again. And the 27-25 Divisional Round loss to the Buffalo Bills was particularly heartbreaking in that things could have gone differently with one play here or one play there. I don’t need to go into excruciating details here; Ravens fans know the deal. The good news is that everybody in the organization, starting with Jackson, has more on their minds.
“I don’t think I get over any loss, to be honest,” Jackson said on June 18. “I’ve got losses from youth football that still haunt me. I never get over a loss, I don’t care how small it might be to someone else or how great it might be, it’s always the same for me.
“Before, it was like, ‘Oh, he can’t win a playoff game,’ and then we won a playoff game. We got to the AFC Championship two years ago. We just fell short. We fell two games short this past year. We’re going to bounce back, and when we come back, I feel like we are going to have vengeance on our minds.”
Easy to say, harder to do. But in the Ravens’ case, there’s everything on point for better results. There isn’t a serious hole anywhere on the roster as long as health isn’t an issue (obviously), and the personnel staff made some great gets in the offseason to add even more on-field credibility to a roster that is [bangs head in Judas Priest fashion] Screaming for Vengeance.
A secondary that was already very good now has first-round safety Malaki Starks, and free-agent gold-rush signing Jaire Alexander. And though there are off-field questions about second-round edge-rusher Mike Green, I believed Green to be the best overall pass-rusher in the 2025 draft class.
Still, the AFC looks to be a gauntlet from the seventh level of hell once again, so...
