I caught a local TV sportscast in Arizona over the weekend, before the Ravens played the Cardinals. An anchor and guest were debating whether the underdog Ravens had a chance.
“I don’t think so,” one said, “although they might be the best one-win team in NFL history!”
Wow, I thought, talk about something you don’t want on your tombstone – of all the bad teams, you’re by far the least bad. Or something like that.
The anchor explained that the Ravens weren’t getting blown out of games; in fact, they had taken every game down to the wire. They’re much more competitive than a typical one-win team, he said, and maybe (drum roll) the best ever!
I mention it to illustrate what others think of the Ravens, who did lose in Arizona to fall to 1-6 despite taking yet another game down to the last play.
Honestly, although his comments dripped with hyperbole, I think the anchor was on to something. Ranking the best one-win teams in history is surely is a fool’s errand, but according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Ravens are the first NFL team ever to lose six of its first seven games by no more than one score. They’ve lost six games by a total of 30 points, while 1-6 Detroit has lost six by 65 points.
No doubt, their ugly record is warranted, a byproduct of many issues and shortcomings, but if the Ravens are so awful, why are they in every game right to the end?
Arizona was the third division leader they’ve played in 2015, along with Denver and Cincinnati. Even with all they’re dealing with, a lack of playmakers, a leaky pass defense, a horrid turnover margin, the Ravens led Denver and Cincinnati late, and almost came back from 16 points down in the final minutes Monday. That’s against playoff-caliber opposition.
Granted, Monday night’s comeback was freaky, the result of a blocked punt, Arizona missing an extra point and some dubious clock management by the Cardinals. Until then, the Ravens pretty much got run out of the gym, to borrow a basketball phrase.
Still, 
A 1-6 team usually is getting blown out, outclassed, embarrassed on some Sundays. The Ravens are pondering couldas and wouldas without exhibiting the typical markings of a team in such a deep hole. Their locker room still respects the coaches. Their offense and defense aren’t sniping at each other.
They certainly never throw in the towel.
“A lot of teams would fold in this situation, but not the Ravens. That's not going to happen,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said Monday night. “We will be writing the story, and it's going to be a really interesting story to read before it's all said and done.”
Some think they’re headed for a 3-13 finish and need to be completely revamped. I’m not so sure. They might be better than that. Not nearly as good as expected, no, but far from a lost cause, despite what their record suggests.
We’re about to find out. The Ravens’ schedule, brutal to this point, is going to soften. Have you looked at it? They don’t play a team with a winning record until after Christmas. Six of their remaining nine games are at home.
If the Ravens are, in fact, better than their record indicates, they’ll win some – put a touch of lipstick on the pig, so to speak. But if their record is, in fact, a reflection of where they’re headed, that’s a dark tale.
I’m pretty sure most of the games will be close. That’s always the case these days, right? The Ravens are due. After all they’ve been through late in games, they’re certainly due.
Their goal was to survive their season-opening run of five road games in seven weeks with reasonable playoff prospects. They didn’t. But while it’s too late for a playoff run, it’s not too late for the Ravens to start winning, proving to everyone, and themselves, that they can.
