It’s time to be nervous. At least that’s what Mark Schofield of Touchdown Wire believes in his latest NFL power rankings list. After another disappointing loss, this time to the Tennessee Titans, the Baltimore Ravens are running out of time. Because of the loss and the nerves, Schofield moved Baltimore down four spots, going from No. 9 to No. 13 this week.
Schofield and Doug Farrar, the keepers of Touchdown Wire’s power rankings list, have talked extensively about the Ravens’ issues this season when ranking them. But they’ve also been impressively optimistic, keeping Baltimore inside the top-10 until this week. But it’s clear Schofield believes the Ravens need a big performance on Thanksgiving night to keep their season afloat.
“Losers of two straight and three of their last four games, the Ravens now find themselves in third place in the AFC North and they will have to get right in a hurry. They travel to Pittsburgh for a Thanksgiving Night showdown against the Steelers. Win, and the season could be salvaged. Lose, and it might be over.”
While losing to Pittsburgh wouldn’t be the biggest blow, putting Baltimore at 6-5 with an incredibly soft schedule the rest of the way, it’s also not a good look for them either. The Ravens have their backs up against the proverbial wall right now and if they can’t get amped for this game, that would be a pretty big fall for a team that was labeled as a Super Bowl contender at the beginning of the season. It would also make the final five games all must-win events, a position no team likes to be in, come late November.
As I’ve said for the last few weeks, this game is a major litmus test for the Ravens. They need to put up or shut up on Thursday and there can be no excuses for failure. Week 12 against the Steelers will truly determine Baltimore’s season.
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