Last December, the Baltimore Ravens really started to play well. Lamar Jackson took charge of the MVP race, and the team finished with the best record in the NFL, with strong wins over San Francisco and Miami.
Now, a year later, Baltimore has many chances ahead but also seems to be a team that needs a quick reset.
The Ravens are far behind in the race for the top seed in 2024. While they still lead the league in total offense by a good margin, and the defense is improving, they’ve had a few unexpected problems.
Kicker Justin Tucker, who has been excellent for over a decade, has struggled this season. Also, earlier this week, the team suspended newly acquired receiver Diontae Johnson for refusing to enter the game against Philadelphia.
The Ravens (8-5) have a bye week this week. They are 1 1/2 games behind Pittsburgh for the AFC North lead, but they will play the Steelers at home on Dec. 21.
“We don’t need to worry about the Steelers. We need to worry about us. That’s the first thing — worry about what we need to clean up on this side,” Jackson said after last weekend’s 24-19 loss to the Eagles. “Forget every other team. We are beating ourselves out there.”
In a five-day stretch, the Ravens will face the Steelers, followed by a Christmas road game against Houston. These games could determine whether they win the division, as Pittsburgh has tough matchups against Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Kansas City within 11 days.
The Ravens can’t overlook games against the New York Giants (Dec. 15) and Cleveland (Jan. 5). They’ve already lost to the Browns, and a Week 2 loss to a Las Vegas team that has only one other win still hurts Baltimore.
The Ravens have beaten several playoff contenders, including big wins over Buffalo and Denver, so they should be taken seriously. However, they haven’t been able to play as consistently well as they did last season.
That said, they still have players worthy of awards. Jackson is third in the MVP race at BetMGM. He’s on pace for a career-best passer rating of 116.3, with 29 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Derrick Henry has been a great free-agent signing, rushing for 1,407 yards in his first 13 games with the Ravens.
For a while, the defense wasn’t able to keep up with the offense’s high standards. That’s improved recently. Baltimore has held four of its last five opponents to 24 points or fewer.
“The message kind of became a little bit clear: ‘If you want to play ball, then we’ll get you out there, but if you don’t, you’re going to have to sit on the sidelines.’ I think guys responded really well to what was being preached amongst the coaches, amongst the players,” cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “We’re holding guys more accountable now.”
Penalties have been a problem, as Baltimore is averaging nearly 10 per game. Recently, Tucker’s erratic kicking has cost the Ravens points. He’s missed eight field goals and two extra points this season. Although his history suggests he could fix these issues, time is running short before the postseason.
“I said this to some of the guys earlier. I said, ‘I think this is normal for kickers, but we’ve just been so blessed by Tucker’s eliteness that we kind of take it for granted,’” Humphrey said. “There’s not much I know about kicking, but I do know Tucker is a guy to get things turned around.”
If Baltimore finishes the regular season like they did last year, a division title and at least one home playoff game are very much within reach. But right now, the Ravens are still waiting for everything to click.
“Bill Parcells had a great quote. He said, ‘The season starts after Thanksgiving,’” coach John Harbaugh said. “Wow. What a truth for the teams that are still in it, and we’re one of those teams. So we have an opportunity now. The season starts now.”
