Ravens season ends in depressing, all-too-familiar fashion

The Baltimore Ravens season has come to an end not with a bang, but with a whimper. The Ravens entered the day with the odds stacked against them.

Needing a win and three other results to go their way, it seems highly improbable that the Ravens would be able to keep their postseason hopes alive. Especially with one of those results being a victory by the two-win Jacksonville Jaguars over the Indianapolis Colts.

But then something incredible happened. The Jaguars went up early on the Colts and never looked back. Suddenly, the playoffs appeared to be in reach.

The Ravens still needed to handle their own business, however. Unfortunately, that proved to be a more difficult task than anyone could have hoped.

The Ravens will miss the playoffs this season. They’ll finish below .500 for the first time since 2015. And they have no one to blame but themselves.

The Ravens will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2017

In what was a cruel, horrible season marred by injuries and heartbreak, was there ever any other way this season could end? The Ravens fell short once again in overtime marking their sixth consecutive loss, five of which came by three points or less.

That’s just how things have gone for the Ravens this season. Any moments of optimism have been immediately followed by heartbreak and disappointment.

It was only fitting to see the Ravens fall short against the Pittsburgh Steelers in dramatic fashion, due in part to injuries to the likes of Lamar Jackson and the entire starting secondary.

In many ways, the end to that game was indicative of the entire Ravens season to this point. They fight hard and do their best to overcome the odds stacked against them, but injuries and a few unlucky bounces ultimately cost them.

That’s been the story of the team’s six-game losing streak to end the year. And that was the story of this game.

The Ravens will now turn their attention to an offseason that could see plenty of turnover. One thing’s for sure, however — they’ll look to put this cruel season behind them in a hurry.