The next month is a brutal stretch of the Ravens’ 2015 schedule.
After five straight games against teams with losing records, the Ravens now have a final quarter of the season against some of the best and hottest teams in the NFL. Every game left on the schedule comes against teams with winning records and in the thick of the playoff race.
That run starts Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, who have won five of their last six games.
Despite the difficult assignment ahead, the good news is that the Ravens will play three-straight games at M&T Bank Stadium and Head Coach John Harbaugh hopes the fans come out in full force.
“I’m really hopeful the fans are with us,” Harbaugh said. “As fans, look at the heart, look at the effort, look at the competitiveness, look at the young guys playing the way they’re playing, and hopefully come out and support them and be really loud about it.
“Make it fun. Make it a Ravens football game. Let’s make it tough on this team coming in here. Let’s let them feel what it’s like to come play in Baltimore. I hope our fans feel that way.”
The Ravens are 3-2 in their last five games, and that record should be one game better if the officials hadn’t erred at the end of the Jacksonville loss. But the combined record of those teams was 18-42.
The combined record of the next four opponents is 31-17.
Harbaugh stressed that he isn’t too concerned about any of the factors surrounding the games beyond what it will take to get a win.
“I don’t care about any of that, other than the fact that we’re going to go out there and win a football game this week. That’s what we plan on doing, that’s what we’re going to prepare to do, and that’s what we are going to do,” he said. “It’s not going to change. It’s the same thing I said Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, right on through, because that’s the kind of men we have in this program. I don’t know what else you can say besides that, because that’s a fact.”
Coming into the year, the Ravens certainly expected this final stretch of the season to be pivotal in their run for the playoffs. The odds are now incredibly slim for the Ravens to bounce back from a 4-8 start to make the postseason, but their final four games will still have significant playoff implications for the opponents.
The Seahawks, Chiefs and Steelers are in the middle of the hunt for a wild-card spot, and the Bengals currently hold the AFC top seed. The Ravens have a chance to play the role of spoiler for rivals like the Steelers and Bengals, but that’s not a motivating chip Harbaugh has any interest in using.
“It’s all about our team,” Harbaugh said. “We don’t really get too involved in that kind of thinking – never have. I don’t think that’s much of a motivator for anybody. I don’t think anybody thinks our guys aren’t going to play.”
