You don’t have to be a full-blown conspiracy theorist to believe that sports leagues want specific teams to win more than others and will sometimes do what they can to help the chosen teams.
After all, the NFL is a business; like all businesses, it wants outcomes that are good for the financial bottom line. ESPN college and pro football analyst Robert Griffin III sees the Ravens as having a potential storyline that would be great for the league.
According to RG3, the NFL loves dynasties, but they also love the story of a player/team “getting over the hump.”
The Chiefs replaced the Patriots as the league’s dynasty, and dynasties are good for business as an already-established brand helps drive up ratings.
Of course, people then get tired of always seeing the same team win, and that’s where the “over-the-hump” team (in this case, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens) comes into play.
We all love the feel-good story of a new champion finally completing their journey and reaching the promised land for the first time.
Watch the video that Griffin posted on his official social media channels below. His logic holds that the NFL intentionally scheduled the Ravens favorably.
The @Ravens and the new duo of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry have the NFL’s 2nd most difficult schedule. They also have:
-16 more Days of rest over their opponents
-Not away from home more than 2 weeks in a rowThis schedule could help them GET OVER THE HUMP.#RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/mJb9qrobte
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) May 21, 2024
Having more added rest, on aggregate for the whole season, over the rest of the league is huge. This is the factor of not sleeping away from your bed for too long.
Whether you believe in RG3’s theory or not, you have to give him props for succeeding with a second act in football after his pro career fizzled.
After winning the Heisman trophy in college, Griffin never lived up to expectations in the NFL, but he really has the goods as an Analyst. His broadcast work for college and pro football is consistently solid.