Ravens have a lot to ask themselves after a season with Super Bowl hopes ended with an 8-9 record
A few months ago, the question was whether the Baltimore Ravens could finally perform in the playoffs like they had in the regular season.
Instead, the heartache simply came earlier.
From Week 1 at Buffalo — when they blew a 15-point lead in the final four minutes — until Tyler Loop's missed field-goal attempt ended their season Sunday night, the Ravens consistently fell short of their lofty expectations. They were fortunate they still had a chance to win the division over the weekend, but even with Lamar Jackson looking like an MVP-caliber quarterback again in the fourth quarter, Baltimore still lost and finished 8-9.
"Preseason Super Bowl favorites, and don't make the playoffs," tight end Charlie Kolar said. "It's hard to swallow."
When Loop pushed his 44-yard field-goal attempt well to the right, sealing Baltimore's 26-24 loss at Pittsburgh, it had to remind Ravens fans of when Billy Cundiff pulled a game-tying attempt badly left at the end of the AFC title game 14 years ago. Following Cundiff's miss, the Ravens regrouped and won the Super Bowl the following season. The future this time looks a good bit murkier.
Baltimore players were in the locker room for an end-of-season availability with reporters, which proceeded as usual on Monday. There was no announcement from the team about the future of coach John Harbaugh, suggesting if the Ravens do part ways with him, it wasn't going to be the type of quick firing immediately after the season that several other teams chose to carry out.
Harbaugh has been Baltimore's coach for 18 seasons and has a Super Bowl victory to his credit. His future and that of his assistants are unclear — but they are hardly the only ones.
Return to form
With 10 minutes to go on Sunday, the football world was facing another polarizing week of discourse about Jackson, who hadn't done much of anything since a touchdown pass on the first drive of the game. Then he shook free of the Pittsburgh rush and found Zay Flowers for a 50-yard scoring pass. He later threw a 64-yard TD to Flowers and then helped Baltimore move into field-goal range at the end.
It wasn't enough because the Ravens couldn't stop Aaron Rodgers down the stretch and Loop missed the final kick, but Baltimore fans can take some solace in their quarterback's performance. If healthy, it's certainly possible Jackson could be an MVP candidate next season as he was in 2023 and 2024.
Still, there might be some drama on the horizon. Jackson has two years left on his contract, and his cap number balloons to $74.5 million for each of the next two seasons, according to overthecap.com. An extension could help the Ravens gain more flexibility in the short term, but the last big negotiation between the team and Jackson was strained to say the least.
In the trenches
It's easy to wonder if Baltimore would have been a tough opponent if the Ravens had made the playoffs in a wide-open AFC, especially with a rejuvenated Jackson, but the final loss exposed a lot of their flaws. Nnamdi Madubuike's season-ending neck injury hurt the defensive line, and veteran Kyle Van Noy's sack total dropped from 12 1/2 to two.
Baltimore didn't have enough of a pass rush to bother Rodgers, and after star safety Kyle Hamilton entered the concussion protocol on the first drive of the third quarter, Pittsburgh scored three touchdowns and a field goal on its final five possessions.
The Ravens never looked all that good defensively this season against strong competition, and a big question is what they'll do with veteran cornerback Marlon Humphrey as he enters the final season of his contract.
On the offensive line, Baltimore had difficulties despite the presence of tackle Ronnie Stanley and center Tyler Linderbaum, the latter of whom made the Pro Bowl. With Jackson not as elusive as usual — he rushed for a career-low 349 yards — pass protection was a problem at times.
"As you grow up playing offensive line as a kid, you're never going to get praised enough for the work you do, and you're going to get scrutinized for the stuff you mess up," tackle Roger Rosengarten said. "I think that's part of playing the position, especially the kind of up-and-down year we had this year. A lot of that fire's going to blow on us, and it's our job to take on the responsibility. We've got to play better."
Next steps
Aside from figuring out what the coaching staff will look like, the Ravens must also decide how to proceed with Linderbaum, who is now a pending free agent. So are tight ends Isaiah Likely and Kolar. Baltimore did reach an extension ahead of time with tight end Mark Andrews.