Ravens tie NFL record for most close games in a season

The Baltimore Ravens have found themselves on the wrong side of numerous close games in recent weeks. Over the course of their five-game losing streak, they’ve lost four games by a margin of two or fewer points.

The saying “football is a game of inches” has never resonated more with a team than the 2021-22 Baltimore Ravens. And that notion is supported by actual evidence.

Following their 20-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17, the Ravens officially tied the NFL record for the most games decided by two or fewer points. They tied the 1970 Chargers, 1989 Packers, 2001 Jets, and even the 1997 Ravens with six games.

Four of those games have come in the past five weeks — all of which resulted in losses. The other two, a Week 2 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs and a Week 3 win over the Detroit Lions, both resulted in wins.

To make matters worse, the Ravens are also just the fifth team in NFL history to lose four games by a margin of two or fewer points in one season. And when you consider that all four of those losses came within the last month, that stat looks even crazier.

Luck was on the Ravens’ side earlier in the year, but that luck has swiftly run out in cruel fashion.

The Ravens can’t stop losing in heartbreaking fashion

Truth be told, the Ravens have been living dangerously all season. They needed a 4th-and-19 Sammy Watkins conversion and a 66-yard Justin Tucker field goal to beat the then-winless Detroit Lions.

A late Tyler Huntley heave to Watkins helped them beat the lowly Chicago Bears. Incredible fourth-quarter comebacks against the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts helped them surge to an 8-3 record alone atop the AFC.

But this was never an 8-3 football team, not after injuries decimated the roster. Yes, the Ravens have gotten unlucky in recent weeks. They’ve lost on multiple failed two-point conversions. They’ve given up last-second scores.

At the end of the day, however, the Ravens just aren’t a playoff team.

That doesn’t change the heartache and anguish that Ravens fans have dealt with this season. The 2021 season has felt like a decade’s worth of football to loyal fans watching from home.

Each week has been an adventure with this team and, quite frankly, many are just looking ahead to the 2022 season, even with the team technically still alive in the playoff hunt.

It’s been a cruel season for the Ravens and an especially cruel month.