Mike Florio Says Not Being Super Bowl Favorite Could Benefit Ravens If They Make the Playoffs
The Ravens have less than a 50-50 chance of making the playoffs (34%, per The New York Times), but Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio believes they could make some noise in the wide-open AFC if they get in.
Baltimore has been a top-three seed three times in the Lamar Jackson era, including being the No. 1 seed in 2019 and 2023, but has yet to get over the Super Bowl hump.
Florio contended that not bearing the burden of high expectations could be beneficial for the Ravens if they get to the postseason.
"If you're one of these teams that's there every year but is left on the porch and can't kick the door in, I think there's a factor where you feel that," Florio said on “Glenn Clark Radio.” "You need to forget about that. Maybe if the Ravens are just like, 'Man, we don't know how we got in,' maybe that's the best way to forget about the past and focus on the present."
How Tavius Robinson's Return Helped Defense Shut Out Bengals
Outside linebacker Tavius Robinson's return after being sidelined with a foot injury since Oct. 12 played a significant role in the Ravens shutting out the Cincinnati Bengals, 24-0, on Sunday.
"Robinson's stats from the contest — two pressures, per Pro Football Focus, one sack, one tackle — hardly jump off the page. But there were myriad ways in which he contributed in notable if only occasionally impactful ways," The Baltimore Sun’s Brian Wacker wrote. "He is not a game-wrecker the way defensive tackle Travis Jones can be, or even the same kind of pass-rush threat that Dre'Mont Jones has been at times. However, the 'glass eater' moniker supplied by Pass Rush Coach Chuck Smith is apt.
There were a few examples Sunday."
Robinson's sack of Joe Burrow drove the Bengals out of field-goal range on their opening drive. He also applied the pressure that led to Burrow throwing the game-sealing interception that was returned for a touchdown by Alohi Gilman after getting the handoff from Kyle Van Noy.
"There were other ways, too, that Robinson impacted the game that were less tangible," Wacker wrote. "Several times, the Ravens deployed him on the interior, alongside Travis Jones and with usually Dre'Mont Jones lined up outside him on the edge, a move that helped Dre'Mont Jones wrack up a half-dozen pressures on the day, per PFF. Travis Jones benefitted sometimes, too. On a second-and-9 with 1:29 left in the third quarter, he was left one-on-one with his man and the defensive tackle powered by on the inside to get in Burrow's face, forcing a hurried throw to Ja'Marr Chase that fell incomplete.
"Earlier, and near the end of the first half, Robinson occupied two Bengals offensive [linemen], clearing a path for Van Noy to charge through the middle to disrupt another pass attempt."
Win Over Bengals Shows Ravens Could Be Hitting Their Stride at Perfect Time
If the Ravens play complementary football like they did in the win over the Bengals, they are capable of beating anyone.
It was the Ravens' best game of the season, and Ebony Bird’s Connor Burke believes they could be hitting their stride.
"Their Week 15 win got them back on track at the perfect time," Burke wrote. "The win was also the embodiment of practice making perfect, as by all accounts, the Ravens had their best practice week of the year. In turn, they played their best game of the season."
The question is whether the Ravens can keep their momentum going over the final three weeks of the season. It won't be easy.
All of the Ravens' remaining opponents have winning records: the New England Patriots (11-3), Green Bay Packers (9-4-1), and Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6). Baltimore's win over the Chicago Bears in Week 8 is its only victory over a winning team this season.
"Late in the year, days can get tough. Players are tired and beaten up after a long season, but given the position the Ravens put themselves in, it needs to be all gas and no brakes," Burke wrote. "Clearly, they were firing on all cylinders this week."
The Ravens (7-7), who trail the AFC North-leading Steelers by a game, control their destiny, but they have very little margin for error. That's because Pittsburgh is also playing its best football, having defeated the Ravens and Miami Dolphins in its past two games.
"If [the Steelers] play like this, for the first time all year they have me feeling like they might be capable of some noise in January," Kay Adams said on FanDuel TV's "Up & Adams" show.
Every scenario for the Ravens capturing an unprecedented third consecutive AFC North title includes winning at Pittsburgh in the season finale.
Kyle Hamilton Named Mo Gaba Sportsperson of the Year
All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton is one of the most impactful defensive players in the league, and he also makes a big an impact in the community.
Hamilton was named Press Box's Mo Gaba Sportsperson of the Year "for his combination of exceptional athletic and civic accomplishments."
"Hamilton contributed a six-figure donation to the [new Ravens Boys & Girls Club in West Baltimore], which rose up on the site of the abandoned Hilton Rec Center just a couple of miles west of M&T Bank Stadium," Press Box’s Bo Smolka wrote. "And that's just one of many ways that Hamilton, a former All-American at Notre Dame, lives by the Notre Dame ethos to 'be a force for good.'"
"Hamilton has also been a potent force for good on the field for the Ravens, and after signing a market-setting $100 million extension earlier this year, the handsome, articulate and grounded Hamilton figures to be a public face of the franchise for years to come."
Smolka noted that Hamilton is reluctant to talk about his charity work.
"The world has treated me so well, and God has blessed me so much, so I feel like I should do it, I have a duty to do it, and I want to do it," Hamilton said. "I try not to be super public with everything I do. I think giving not in silence but without the need for recognition is big for me as well. It's very true and pure when it's like that."
Quick Hits
Yesterday's Most Read: Ravens' Updated Playoff Scenarios
- Ravens Sr. Vice President of Communications Chad Steele discussed his family's connection to Army and the Army-Navy Game on WGN Radio’s Veteran Voices on USAA Radio Row last week.
