The Baltimore Ravens still have things to play for, but things are not looking good:
There are eight teams in the AFC with three wins and the Baltimore Ravens are one of them. The Steelers and Patriots have four wins and the Chiefs are on top at 5-1. The remaining five teams in the conference have two wins or less. The Baltimore Ravens are not out of the mix. The AFC is muddled together and the Ravens have time to figure things out. It just doesn’t look like they will.
The Baltimore Ravens schedule is not brutal. Sure, they can make it tough, but on paper it’s not bad. The Ravens have a game against the Packers without Aaron Rodgers. They have games against the Colts, Browns and Bengals who are three of the bottom feeders in the AFC. The Ravens have also beaten the Bengals and Browns earlier this season. These games are winnable.
It’s hard to have any confidence in the Ravens right now. The offense has sputtered to a low we didn’t even know they could plummet to. The defense isn’t the same without Brandon Williams and his return can’t come soon enough. Last year the Ravens overly leaned on Justin Tucker to bail them out three points at a time. This year it’s tough just to get Tucker chances to score.
The truth is that the Ravens are not a good team. There is no doubt that they have good pieces to the puzzle. Their outside linebackers are very good. C.J. Mosley is a star at outside linebacker. The cornerbacks are playing well for the most part. The problem is that the Ravens have next to nothing on offense. While the Ravens have a top 10 running game, it doesn’t matter when it doesn’t lead to points.
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There simply isn’t reason for optimism. Joe Flacco is on pace for his worst season. He has nobody to throw the football to. Marty Mornhinweg is still the offensive coordinator, and while his job is unenviable, he isn’t getting the job done at all. The Ravens just try the same old thing, use the same old excuses and kill the energy of their fanbase. If the Ravens go into Minnesota and get a win nobody expects, it would be a nice start. However it would not make people believe in the Ravens.
The Ravens did this to their fans last year. They would be mediocre and have a horrible couple of Sundays. Then they would play well and win a couple games. When the fans had their hopes up, they were always let down. When the Ravens started the 2017 season with two dominant wins, I declared that this was a brand new Ravens team. I was wrong. When the Ravens toppled the Raiders, I thought they had figured it out and got back on track. I was wrong again.
The Ravens are doing what they have done since winning the Super Bowl. They are toying with the emotions of the Ravens Flock. Harbaugh never puts a consistently bad enough product on the field to get fired. Instead of running into the ground, he runs it into a hopeless lull. Flacco and company never put forth a consistent effort and the playoffs eventually become out of reach. There is a reason the Ravens have missed the playoffs in three of the last four years. They’re mediocre and 8-8 is the best case scenario.
The Ravens may want to start over:
Harbaugh knows that his seat is close to melting but Steve Bisciotti seems to have a strong loyalty to him. If the Ravens can offer any reason for hope, this loyalty could be rewarded with another year. The problem is that the product on the field isn’t good enough and it hasn’t been for a while.
If Harbaugh was going to turn it around, wouldn’t he do it after three sub-par seasons? If Harbaugh doesn’t get handed the blame then it’s a talent problem. It seems unlikely that Ozzie Newsome will be out of the picture. Even if Newsome gets fired, or simply retires, it leaves Eric DeCosta as the general manager. It could be more of the same old thing.
Next: Ravens vs. Bears: 10 thoughts following the loss to the Bears
The Ravens are still in the mix, as bad as their three losses have been. Harbaugh doesn’t want the Ravens’ owner wondering if the grass is greener with a new coach. The Ravens are going to try to turn this around. It may be a good thing if they don’t. The Ravens need a new era. Whether it’s Harbaugh’s fault or not, the franchise needs a fresh start. The same could be said about Newsome. The worst thing can happen is that the Ravens end up just good enough to sign up for more of the same thing, but being bad enough to miss the playoffs. If you’re going to stink, at least have the courtesy of giving us a top 10 pick to look forward to.