Mink: Heck no. First of all, let's not put the Ravens' 2025 season to bed until it's time. The Ravens can absolutely win in Lambeau and, if so, I'll be glued to that Steelers-Browns game the next day. Upsets happen all the time around the NFL and especially amongst division rivals that know each other so well, like Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
If the Ravens do not make the playoffs this season, it will obviously be very disappointing. Everybody came into this year with high expectations. For a multitude of reasons, it has been a tough season. But the Ravens are a franchise that believes in always keeping the Super Bowl window open, and they have all the pieces in place to do so.
The Ravens and Lamar Jackson may return to the negotiation table again this offseason, but as long as Jackson is in Baltimore, the Ravens will have a chance. He's that special. The Ravens also continue to pump their pipeline with great young talent. Just look at this year's six Pro Bowlers. Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum, Zay Flowers, and Jordan Stout were all drafted in 2022 or 2023.
General Manager Eric DeCosta will have more work to do this offseason, trying to keep some of those players and more, but he's already laid a solid foundation reaching extensions with Mark Andrews, Travis Jones, and other Ravens even last offseason to ensure that a strong nucleus is in place moving forward.
Brown: Trying to peek behind the curtain, are you?
I don't blame you. I thought Kyle Hamilton summed up the Ravens' mood well on Tuesday.
"It's not happy-go-lucky, but we put the loss behind us, and we still have an opportunity," Hamilton said. "Really, we're fortunate to still have an opportunity at this point. We put ourselves in a pretty tough position. We have to win out and have to get some help, as well, but we have to take advantage of that opportunity."
Hamilton is right. Teams with eight losses usually don't make the playoffs, but the Ravens are still alive.
Saturday night is the true definition of a must-win, and I think the Ravens are mentally strong enough to approach it that way. They've had some crushing defeats this season, they've made some critical mistakes, but I've never sensed that they've given up hope. They can't stave off elimination unless they win, and I think they'll bring that type of fight to the game.
