Health and rest

The Ravens did the right thing sitting out many of their best players from Week 17. Even with a lot of backups playing, Baltimore still picked up a dominant win over the Pittsburgh Steelers that week while ensuring the guys that got them here got a little extra rest. Add that to the Ravens’ first-round bye and Baltimore should be the healthiest team in the postseason.

That might not seem like a lot but bye weeks during the season are looked forward to and savored by players for that exact reason. Football is tough on a human body, even after just a handful of weeks. After a full season, guys are going to treatment just to not break down further, much less actually heal.

Effectively getting three weeks of rest for key players is going to pay off dividends this week. Guys like Earl Thomas, Ingram, Mark Andrews and Lamar Jackson will enter this game as close to 100% as a player can be at this point while taking on an opponent that’s exhausted and dealing with all types of bumps and bruises.

For a Baltimore squad that has been physical and fast all season long, being fresher than an opponent isn’t only a recipe to win but to completely demolish them.