Heading into 2025, many NFL media outlets are labeling the Baltimore Ravens' season "Super Bowl or bust." The team is as talented as ever, toting possibly the best roster in the league, and they have consistently sat near the top of the league come playoff time.
While Baltimore has failed to put it together when it matters most, many are buying into this as the year for them. And if they fail to win the Lombardi Trophy this season, it could be considered a failure.
Head Coach John Harbaugh cannot stand this label. He sat down with Baltimore Ravens reporters Ryan Mink and Garrett Downing for an episode of The Lounge Podcast on Wednesday to talk about the team’s outlook ahead of training camp. He mentioned they are on a mission heading into 2025, but conflicts with the tight expectations.
“The expectations are a good thing, and you hold yourself to a really high standard. You have a chance to fulfill your purpose,” Harbaugh told Mink and Downing. “Super Bowl or bust, all this kind of stuff, it’s just so phony…It’s about the process, it’s about who you become.”
Harbaugh shuts down the tired narrative
The expectations the Ravens are facing might be higher than any team in the league. Ever since two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson entered the league, the team has been thrown into the spotlight more than ever before. The playoff losses have only fueled that narrative. He and his team have been held to a higher standard than anyone else, but no one holds them to a higher standard than the team itself. Harbaugh knows that, and emphasized the focus of controlling what they can control.
“We haven’t won a championship yet. Is that going to be in our future? Who knows?” Harbaugh said. “But we are given to take care of the day and today, the moment, be in the moment. And to take care of one another, have each other’s back, share a vision, share an understanding, fight as hard as you can.”
It makes sense why the media has put this pressure on the Ravens. The team has looked like the best in the league over several regular seasons. They possess the talent and traits of a Super Bowl-winning team, but the group has yet to cash in and become champions.
It can be frustrating to see a team of their caliber come up short time and time again, and people think it might never happen, and it is not in the cards for this era of Baltimore football. If they fall short of the Super Bowl once more, some even think it could spell an end to Harbaugh's tenure as Ravens head coach.
Still, football is unpredictable. The AFC is cluttered with elite competition, and the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles are not ready to get off their throne. The Ravens might be the most talented team in the league, but they will have to control the game in every moment if they want to hoist the Lombardi in February.