Getty John Harbaugh looks on as the Ravens play the Steelers.
The Baltimore Ravens are fading fast in the AFC playoff race in the wake of an elongated losing streak, but even that doesn’t ensure that everyone is giving up hope.
Though the Ravens were narrowly defeated 19-14 by the Pittsburgh Steelers and can likely forget about winning the AFC North, the team is still barely alive in the AFC playoff and wild card race. The team will need a strong finish in the next few weeks in order to guarantee they can remain in the conversation, and that’s just what some folks still think they could get.
Recently, former NFL general manager Gil Brandt penned a piece for NFL.com in which he talked about the fringe teams he isn’t giving up on just yet this season. On that list were the Ravens, who Brandt admits have had a rough go of it this season but still remain in position moving forward to perhaps do some damage in the weeks ahead.
Here’s part of what Brandt wrote as it relates to why:
“John Harbaugh’s team is known for its toughness in adverse circumstances, and it’s hard to imagine a more difficult obstacle than having your game pushed back nearly a week while losing huge chunks of your roster — including your QB, the reigning MVP — to COVID-19-related absences. Baltimore should still have a chance to play up to its potential down the stretch, as players begin to return from the reserve/COVID-19 list with potential gimme wins on tap against the Jaguars, Giants and Bengals.”
The Ravens might only get healthier from this point forward, and while they have struggled lately, the schedule could help down the stretch for the team in the next few weeks. That will have to be the rally cry for the team as they desperately try to get healthy and find a way to finish out what’s been a tough season thus far.
Ravens 2020 Struggles Deep
This season, the Ravens have struggled in a ton of ways on both sides of the ball. Their offense hasn’t been able to generate touchdowns, while their defense has been good, but has struggled to make the game breaking type plays they have made in the past and even earlier this season. Add it up and combine it with injury problems and the team’s COVID-19 nightmare they just dealt with and it’s been bad news for the Ravens most of the 2020 season. If the team were to rally down the stretch and find a way to make the playoffs, it would likely be a huge accomplishment for them. That’s even in spite of the fact that they were the chic Super Bowl pick for most of the offseason.
Ravens AFC Playoff Picture
With the loss to the Steelers and the Ravens sitting at 6-5, the margin for error went down even more significantly this week heading into Week 13 and Week 14. It’s true the Ravens should have a few easier games coming up, but nothing is guaranteed and they also have to compete with the likes of the Browns, Raiders, Dolphins and Colts for positioning. Baltimore does have a win against Indianapolis in its back pocket, but will need to find a way to make the rest of their games count down the stretch for it to matter.
Safe to say the Ravens have made life more than a bit difficult on themselves moving forward with the losses, but there’s no reason they can’t still compete moving forward. That’s likely just what Brandt would say.