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In spite of the Baltimore Ravens finishing the 2023 regular season with the NFL’s best record, their fans still headed into the Divisional Round of the playoffs seemingly feeling a bit uneasy.
That trepidation was caused by the team’s early playoff exit the last time they entered the playoffs as the AFC’s top seed.
It turns out this year’s Ravens heard quite a bit about that 2019 team.
All-Pro fullback Patrick Ricard told the media that the team was sick of hearing about that early playoff exit.
“That was four years ago. We’re a completely different team. The guys who have been here, we understand what it takes to get over that,” Ricard said via PressBox’s Bo Smolka.
He added, “We’re going to do everything possible so that doesn’t happen again, and just shut everyone up because we’re sick of hearing it.”
That’s exactly what the Ravens did in their matchup against the Houston Texans as a dominant second half ensured the team wouldn’t repeat the disappointment of 2019.
The Ghosts of 2019
Back in 2019, the Ravens found themselves in a very similar situation to the one they found themselves in for the 2023 postseason.
The team locked up the top in the AFC early and decided to rest their starters for a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final week of the regular season.
That gave the starters two weeks to rest ahead of a matchup with an AFC South opponent.
In 2019 it was the Tennessee Titans, who were coming off of a surprising upset over Tom Brady and the Patriots in New England. This season it was the Texans, who took out the Cleveland Browns.
In 2019, the decision to rest the team’s starters didn’t work out for the Ravens. They were dominated by the Titans en route to a 28-12 loss.
The Ravens had no answer for Derrick Henry in the matchup. Tennessee’s star running back ran all over Baltimore, turning 30 carries into 195 yards. He even threw a touchdown pass in the game.
The outcome was a major disappointment for Ravens fans, but this year’s team was able to avoid that same letdown.
No Slip Up for the Ravens This Time
Things looked a little bit dicey early on in the matchup between the Ravens and the Texans.
The teams headed into the locker room for halftime tied at 10 after the Texans returned a punt for a touchdown late in the first half.
The second half was a different story.
The Ravens took control early in the second half, scoring a touchdown in the first three minutes of the third quarter thanks to a 16-yard run from Lamar Jackson, who was fired up in the locker room at halftime.
They never relinquished that lead.
The Ravens proceeded to add 17 more points to their lead in the fourth quarter, including another touchdown run from Jackson.
The 24-0 run to end the game gave the Ravens a 34-10 win and ended any concerns about this team ending up like 2019.
Now they await the winner of the matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs for a matchup early next Sunday.
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