It still hangs in the air. Days after the Baltimore Ravens lost to the Tennessee Titans in the NFL playoffs, the smell of defeat and a disappointing end to a fantastic season lingers; making the air around Baltimore stale.
Many a fan, including myself, tried to dig deeper and figure out why it happened. Like there was just one reason the highest-scoring team in the NFL couldn’t muster more than 12 measly points or one of the league’s top defenses couldn’t stop a Titans’ attack that was just mediocre statistically.
Sadly, days later, there are no good excuses or hidden agendas. There’s not just one person to blame or one thing the Ravens should have done differently that would have resulted in a win. Instead, it’s the reality that it was simply a bad game all around by Baltimore that’s the worst part of it all.
The atmosphere before kickoff was electric — I’ve never heard the stadium that loud. Everyone in the stadium knew the Ravens would win, the question was by how much. Even Tennessee fans near me admitted they thought Baltimore would wipe the floor with the Titans, they were just happy to see their team in the playoffs. But it didn’t take long for all that to change.
A pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson bounced off the hands of tight end Mark Andrews and into the waiting arms of Tennessee safety Kevin Byard. The stadium got quiet and ultimately would never regain the same energy it had during pregame. With just one bad play, a new tone was established. A sense of deja vu had set in on the crowd and all anyone could remember was last year’s playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
This loss was devastating to all. Folks around me are still in shock days later and for good reason. Two playoff losses in consecutive years look and feel awful. But there’s a little light at the end of that tunnel of despair.
The team is young and has a chance to come back stronger next season with tons of cap space and a solid core to build off of. In fact, the 2019 season was supposed to be Baltimore’s stepping stone to a real Super Bowl run in 2020. It appears as though they’ll retain both Don Martindale and Greg Roman as defensive and offensive coordinators. But perhaps the top reason to be excited for the future as that the Ravens still have the likely NFL MVP winner in Jackson, and on his rookie deal at that.
With such a talented and young team, Baltimore is primed to get improve next season in a lot of ways. They’ll be wiser and they’ll take the lessons learned this year into this next season.
Players like Jackson, wide receiver Marquise Brown and outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson should all take a step up next season. Veterans like Earl Thomas and Mark Ingram will get their first real offseason with the team and should be further engrained in the playbook and with their teammates.
The Ravens are expected to have at least $48 million in salary-cap space next season with a few potential cuts that could free up even more. And you better believe pending free agents will be excited to work with Jackson and have a legitimate shot at a Super Bowl. There’s no reason to think Baltimore won’t be the most attractive destination this offseason and we could see the few holes the Ravens have patched up with proven talent.
I get it, the loss sucks. Especially since everyone, including many Titans fans, thought Baltimore was going all the way. And it’s alright if you wallow in the loss a little longer. But recognize the future is very bright for the Ravens for a lot of reasons and get pumped for what should be a really fun and exciting offseason.
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