Team of the Week: 2025 Baltimore Ravens

I did not watch the Ravens' Week 1 game against the Bills. They played, as marquee match-ups often do, during primetime, Sunday Night Football, and I had concert tickets. Before the music started and, I must confess, a little during the opener, I was checking the score. The Ravens were up, up more, and up more, but I knew that their lead wasn't safe. Not because Buffalo isn't a great team, which they are, but because Baltimore is, and seemingly always will be, the worst good team in the league. Even when they were up 40-25 with only about four minutes left, I knew it was still anyone's game. And I was right.

I listened to the broadcast, from about that point, on the drive home. As their lead dwindled, I couldn't tell if I was disappointed or not. Can you be disappointed if you didn't expect any other outcome? After Derrick Henry fumbled, the Bills scored a touchdown about a minute later. When Harbough made the decision to punt on 4th and short, I really knew it was over. It wasn't long before Buffalo ran out the clock and new Bills kicker Matt Prater easily got it through the uprights.

Now, we've heard defense this, defense that over the last week and that's because the defense sucks. As has sucked. And apparently will continue to suck. It doesn't matter if you score 40 points if you give up 41. And the offense, with both Lamar and Henry, will continue to score like that. But I want to talk about the very real possibility that the Ravens are about to dig themselves a hole they will never get out of. Tomorrow, they play the Browns. Great, call the record 1-1. Then, three of the next four games are against Detroit, Kansas City, and the Los Angeles Rams. 2-4? Maybe? With some real teams waiting at the end of the season? No way they're winning anything in the playoffs with a start like that. Or make it the playoffs. If they even still have a head coach...