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By SCHUYLER DIXON (AP Pro Football Writer) ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Aaron Jones grew up idolizing Emmitt Smith and the Dallas Cowboys. The Green Bay running back found a new, and most painful, way to torment the all-time rushing leader’s former team. Jones ran for three touchdowns, Jordan Love threw for three more in his postseason debut, Darnell Savage returned an interception 64 yards for a score and the Packers handed the Cowboys their first home loss since the 2022 opener in a 48-32 wild-card stunner Sunday. “This was my dad’s team,” Jones, who has 488 yards in four career games against the Cowboys, said of his late father. “You always want to be like your father, so that’s how it became my team. Dallas is a special place to me, so it’s a full-circle moment. It feels like home.” Even against a team that had won 16 consecutive home games. Green Bay (10-8) will visit top-seeded San Francisco in the divisional round next weekend. Dak Prescott threw two interceptions before three mostly empty touchdown passes in another playoff flop for him and the No. 2 seed Cowboys (12-6). The first home loss for the Cowboys since now-retired Tom Brady and Tampa Bay beat them 16 months ago was also the most points the franchise has allowed in a postseason game. The previous high was 38. The Cowboys, who haven’t reached an NFC championship game since the most recent of their five Super Bowl titles 28 years ago, didn’t trail by more than eight points at AT&T Stadium this season before falling behind 27-0 in the first half. The loss will raise questions about the future of Dallas coach Mike McCarthy after the Cowboys lost their playoff opener at home for the second time in three postseasons under the former Green Bay coach. Dallas is the first team to win at least 12 games in three consecutive playoff seasons without making a conference title game. The Cowboys surged to the NFC East title in the final two weeks and had a chance to be home at least twice this postseason. Instead, they head into a suddenly uncertain offseason. “Just shocked, honestly,” Prescott said. “From the beginning of the game, we got beat. There’s no which way around it. There’s no way to sugar coat it. Shock.” Romeo Doubs had a career-high 151 yards receiving a week after being hospitalized with a chest injury as the Packers rolled after finishing the regular season 6-2 to grab the NFC’s final playoff spot. “We came in here with a mindset of we’re going to dominate,” Love said. “A lot of people were counting us out, and we didn’t care about that.” The Packers have never lost in six trips to AT&T Stadium — including the Super Bowl over Pittsburgh during the 2010 season. They now have two playoff victories over the Cowboys after Aaron Rodgers led a 34-31 divisional win when Dallas was the NFC’s top seed in 2016, Prescott’s rookie year. Those Packers let a 21-3 lead slip away. These Packers, with the four-time MVP’s successor, left little doubt with a 48-16 fourth-quarter lead before two late Dallas TDs. “We knew it would take time,” Jones said. “You would hear me during the season and other players (say), we were right there, we’re right there, we’re right there. We’ve been able to get over that hump.” Facing the NFL’s fifth-best defense, Green Bay matched its Super Bowl-winning team from 2010 for the most points in a playoff game. That was also on the road, a 48-21 victory at top-seeded Atlanta in the divisional round. Doubs, who returned to the Green Bay sideline after his hospital trip before the end of last week’s 17-9 home victory over Chicago that secured a playoff spot, had 102 yards at halftime. It was seven more than the second-year player’s previous best. First-half catches of 22, 26 and 39 yards helped get Love going, and the fourth-year QB finished 16 of 21 for 272 yards as the Packers scored touchdowns on six of their first seven offensive possessions in their highest-scoring game since 2014. One of them was set up by Prescott’s first interception at the Dallas 19-yard line, from Jaire Alexander after he was questionable coming in when he sprained an ankle during the week. A 46-yard grab by Doubs early in the second half helped finish off the Cowboys after they had scored 10 points on either side of the break. Doubs, Luke Musgrave and Dontayvion Wicks had TD catches. Jones rushed for 118 yards, putting him over the century mark in all four career games against the Cowboys with nine touchdowns. “That was fun,” said Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur, who took over in 2019 after McCarthy was fired during the 2018 season. “To put on a performance like that. Couldn’t be happier for them.” The crowd under the retractable roof on a frigid day in the Dallas area had already been stone-cold silenced when Prescott tried to throw a slant to top receiver CeeDee Lamb. Savage, who went without an interception in the regular season for the first time in his five-year career, stepped in front and run untouched for a 27-0 lead with 1:50 left before halftime. “They were mad at me ‘cause I wasn’t celebrating afterward,” Savage said. “I was like, ‘We gotta keep playing. But it was definitely a momentum swing in the game, I think.” Prescott finished 41 of 60 for 403 yards, with all three of his touchdowns to tight end Jake Ferguson. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL View the full article

HOUSTON — Joe Flacco and the Browns’ offense didn’t get the same gift from the Texans that they did on Christmas Eve — a defensive unit that was missing its two starting edge rushers and more starters. Their coach, DeMeco Ryans, was miffed he gave Flacco all day to throw in that 36-22 Browns victory and wasn’t about to let it happen again. With edge-rushers Jonathan Greenard (12 1/2 sacks on the season) and Will Anderson Jr. (seven sacks) coming off the edge — and with rookie C.J. Stroud slinging it to the tune of 274 yards and a rookie-record three touchdowns — it was a different ballgame for the Browns, and they got blown out 45-14 in the wild-card round to end their season at 11-7. It was a crushing end to the Flacco Fairytale that characterized the final five games of the regular season. Unfortunately for him and the Browns, it won’t end with his second trip to Disney World. “It’s always difficult, man, when you get to this time of the year,” said a subdued Flacco. “Usually the further you go, the more heartbreak there. It’s a lot of fun along the way, but if you do get beat, it’s hard to deal with. “I don’t want to let everybody in the locker room, but there is part of me that wishes you could see just how much everybody cares and how much everybody cares about each other and just what kind of team that was. It’s definitely a shame the way it went down and hard to deal with at the moment.” The hard part for Flacco (34 of 46, 307 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 80.6 rating, 4 sacks) is that he threw two pick-sixes in the third quarter that broke open a 38-14 lead for the Texans. Just before that, Flacco had completed a 16-yard pass to David Bell to the Texans 34, and they were almost in field goal range while trailing 24-14. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Patrick Mahomes leads Chiefs to 26-7 playoff win over Dolphins in near-record low temps Baltimore Ravens | Texans rout Browns, Joe Flacco, 45-14, as C.J. Stroud becomes youngest QB to win playoff game Baltimore Ravens | Ravens must wait to learn playoff opponent after Bills-Steelers game is postponed to Monday afternoon Baltimore Ravens | How Joe Flacco’s wife, dad and the rest of the Flacco Flock helped get him back in the game and on the road to the Super Bowl with Browns Baltimore Ravens | Ravens TE Mark Andrews returns to practice nearly 2 months after serious ankle injury But Flacco got hit by Derek Barnett, and his pass down the deep left side was picked off by safety Steve Nelson and returned 82 yards for a touchdown that made it 31-14 with 6:05 left in the third. “I was trying to throw it away,” Flacco said. “Taking it back, I could see the guy was getting pressure pretty quickly. I wish I would’ve just, I knew where Elijah [Moore] was going to be, so I knew I had a throwaway there. Looking back on it, I wish I threw it at like the lower guy’s feet. Kind of thought of that earlier or just took the sack, to be honest with you. But obviously when you look at things in hindsight.” Two minutes later, Flacco threw a short pass to the left to tight end Harrison Bryant, and on a fourth-and-2, and Christian Harris swiped it and returned it 36 for a touchdown that made it 38-14. The game was over at that point; the Texans tacked on an insurance score in the fourth quarter, a 19-yard touchdown run by Devin Singletary. “You never want to throw those,” Flacco said. “I do think you have to look at interceptions as a quarterback and as an offense, as a quarterback group. When you go back and watch the film, you have to look at ‘em for what they are. Are they bad decisions? Are they bad throws? Are they just happening because it was just something wild happened. “So I think you always have to address those. You don’t want to turn the ball over, but you do have to see some of the ways some of them have happened, it is what it is. “At the end of the day, you have to be able to live with sacks. And I think in that [first interception] drive, we’ve overcome a second and long from a holding and in the back of your head you just kind of like, ‘OK, we got over that one. Let’s not get back in that position.’ And you almost let your guard down a little bit. And like I said, I think you have to realize that sometimes sacks aren’t bad things.” The two picks were the ninth and 10th for Flacco in his six starts for the Browns, who gave it away more than any team in this NFL this season. During the year, the Browns were able to overcome the picks with big plays, and excellent defense. But Stroud was too hot for them to get away with interceptions in this instance, and they were dealbreakers in the game. “I don’t think there’s really much that needs to be said about it,” Flacco said. “When you’re driving down and you’re trying to get back to a one-score game and then all of a sudden it’s a three-score game or whatever it ends up being … The second one’s on fourth down, maybe you can, I thought I’d be able to jam one in there. And that’s just a calculated risk at that point. The first one is the one that, like I said, I was talking about [trying to throw it away].” Browns quarterback Joe Flacco, getting sacked by Texans outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. in the third quarter, threw two pick-sixes in the second half of Saturday’s 45-14 wild-card round playoff loss in Houston. (Carmen Mandato/Getty) No one would dare more blame the game on Flacco, who got the Browns to the dance in the first place with his 4-1 record after being out of football all season. As it was, he had the Browns ahead twice in the first half, firing passes of 45 yards to David Njoku and 47 to Harrison Bryant that led to two Kareem Hunt touchdowns. “It’s hard to reflect on all of it right this minute,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanaski said. “I appreciate how he battled today.” He acknowledged that the attack-minded Ryans did an excellent job bringing the heat and making it tough on Flacco. They had picked him off twice in the first meeting and were confident they could do it again. “They did a nice job pressuring,” Stefanski said. “We and I needed to do a better job putting those guys in position.” It didn’t help that the Browns couldn’t run the ball again against the sixth-ranked run defense and that Amari Cooper (4 of 5 for 59 yards) got banged up early on but fought through it. “He was battling,” Stefanski said. Flacco, who resurrected his stagnant career in Cleveland after no one called him in the first 10 weeks, acknowledged he’d be open to being back. Turning 39 on Tuesday, he will be free to sign with any team when his contract is up in March. The Browns will have Deshaun Watson back as their starter next season, but Flacco would be an excellent option as a backup. He’ll clean out his locker tomorrow, and no one knows if he’ll be back again. “I love it here and we’re dealing with so much right now, just going through the emotions of this game and being so excited to be in this position and now to come up empty,” he said. “So I think that’s where my head is, is just kind of trying to soak it all in and let this digest a little bit.” Flacco, who had the Browns up 7-3 and 14-10 in the first half, acknowledged that the experience was completely different than on Christmas Eve, when he wasn’t sacked once. He threw for 368 yards that game, and Cooper set the Browns record with 265 receiving yards. “Those guys were flying around today,” Flacco said. “It seemed like we were keeping up there a little bit, and it was a decent little fight for a quarter and a half. And really the first half, I mean 24-14, not that you’re asking for things, but that’s playoffs. It’s not going to be easy. You’re going to be in tough games where you have to battle to the end, and obviously we just came out in the second half and weren’t really able to put it together enough.” He acknowledged that the full-strength Texans defense at least on this day, was more than the Browns could handle. “They did what they do well,” he said. They seemed a little bit more aggressive. They seemed to be playing a little bit faster. Just basic things. They played with a little bit more confidence, a little bit more speed, a little bit more hunger. They just seemed to have a better day. The game got away from us obviously, and we all know why.” Flacco, one of 11 rookies in NFL history to win a playoff game, was impressed with Stroud, who has an arm that rivals Flacco’s and plenty of mobility to go with it. He managed to remain pick-free and threw only five in the regular season against 23 touchdowns. “He got the ball out and I thought he did a good job on a handful of throws that he had to make in those situations,” he said. “There was a couple plays where I did notice him kind of getting hit in the pocket and he was able to stand in there and do what he needed to do on those plays.” A former Super Bowl MVP, Flacco was the feel-good story of the season until the Texans spoiled the ending. It was supposed to include a storybook trip to Baltimore to try to beat his former team on the way to the Super Bowl. “I was so fortunate to become a part of this team,” he said. “It’s a special group, and I’m super grateful for it. This is why we love football. This is why we love NFL playoffs. It’s 14 really good football teams, and it’s one game. “Unfortunately for us, we were the loser, but that’s what we love about this game. You have to learn how to deal with it when you’re not the guy. It was a close group, so you can imagine how they’re taking it, but they’re going to hold their heads high because I know who they are.” No one who was at the Cleveland Browns Stadium for the playoff-clinching victory over the Jets on “Thursday Night Football” will ever forget the electrically charged atmosphere. For five weeks, Flacco had the Browns and their fans believing they could go all the way. “When the city embraces you and the team the way they have, you definitely want to do big things, mostly for your teammates because those guys, like I said, have been incredible, but it’s hard not to feel the way the city rallied around the group of guys in that locker room,” he said. “That’s another reason why we love the NFL. It’s the fans. And as crazy as they can be, it’s what makes the game. “It’s about getting these communities excited about their team. That’s what we like to do here. We love the NFL and we like to get excited about teams. So I can’t thank the organization, my teammates, the city enough. I mean, it stinks the way it ends, but it was a lot of fun and I’m grateful for the time that we had.” View the full article

By DAVE SKRETTA (AP Sports Writer) KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It was so cold that Patrick Mahomes’ helmet shattered on a hit. Andy Reid’s mustache froze on the sideline. Fans and players alike huddled for warmth, trying their best to grit their way through the fourth-coldest game in NFL history. The Kansas City Chiefs managed to handle the adversity well Saturday night. Handled the Miami Dolphins quite well, too. Mahomes threw for 262 yards, found Rashee Rice eight times for 130 yards and a touchdown, and made several daring runs for key first downs. Isiah Pacheco pounded over the frozen turf for 89 yards and another score. And the Chiefs shut down a prolific Miami offense in a 26-9 victory in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Harrison Butker added four field goals for the reigning Super Bowl champs, who appear to be warming up for another run. “Guys came with that attitude, that mentality — we knew it was going to be cold,” Mahomes said. “All week we were preaching, ‘Let’s come in there with that fire and just get after it and see what happens.’” Meanwhile, the injury-depleted Dolphins (11-7) looked nothing like the same dynamic offense that led the league in yards. Tua Tagovailoa was pressured relentlessly by the NFL’s second-ranked defense, wide receiver Tyreek Hill had a 53-yard TD catch but was otherwise shut down in his return to Kansas City, and the Dolphins finished with 264 yards in all. They have not won at Arrowhead Stadium since Nov. 6, 2011, nor won a playoff game since Dec. 30, 2000. “Losing is never fun, and when the stakes are higher — when it’s playoff time — you feel that maybe 10 times more,” said Tagovailoa, who was just 20 of 39 for 199 yards passing with an interception. “We’ve got to live with that loss.” The Chiefs get to live with another win in their 15th consecutive home playoff game, not counting a trio of Super Bowls that netted them two Lombardi Trophies. But they will head to Buffalo next week if the Bills beat the Steelers on Monday in a game pushed back a day by a blizzard. Otherwise, the Chiefs will host Houston, which beat the Browns earlier Saturday. “Everybody was out there playing for each other,” Rice said. “We just put the weather to the side and knew that our opponent didn’t want to be out there just as much as we didn’t, and we showed our love for the game.” It was minus-4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-20 Celsius) at kickoff, easily setting a record for the coldest game at Arrowhead Stadium. But it was wind gusts, whipping through at more than 25 mph and driving the wind chill to a bone-rattling minus-27 degrees, that made the weather truly miserable for just about everyone. That included pop star Taylor Swift, who once again turned up to see her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. She at least got to watch from an enclosed suite. Most fans bundled up outside in parkas, ski goggles and snow pants, and players huddled around heaters on the sidelines as if they were oases in the cold. The National Weather Service even issued a warning for what it called “dangerously cold” weather that had blanketed the Midwest. In fact, the cold may have made Mahomes’ helmet brittle enough that a hit in the third quarter knocked a chunk of the plastic shell from it. Once officials saw the fist-sized hole, they made Mahomes get a backup helmet from the bench. “We have to talk about where we store the backup,” Mahomes said with a smile. “It was like, frozen.” The weather didn’t seem to bother Hill, who was playing in Kansas City for the first time since his old team traded him to Miami two years ago. The league’s leading receiver warmed up in a short-sleeve shirt, then proceeded to scorch the stout Chiefs defense and All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie for a his long touchdown reception midway through the first half. “It’s where it all started for me,” Hill said afterward. “Just being back on the field brought back so many memories.” The Dolphins otherwise struggled on offense, though, just as they did in a 21-14 loss to the Chiefs in November in Germany. They were just 1 for 12 on third down, and they never put together a truly sustained drive until the fourth quarter. “We knew they were going to put a lot of attention toward our receivers,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “We thought we had the right plan and obviously it wasn’t, and hats off to them for executing their plan in the most important time.” On offense, the Chiefs scored on four of their six first-half drives. Mahomes capped the first with his TD toss to Rice, and while ensuing drives continually fizzled in the red zone, Butker added a trio of field goals to help Kansas City forge a 16-3 lead. “Butker was phenomenal,” Reid said. “That was like kicking a block of ice.” The Chiefs added another field goal in the third quarter, but it was still a two-possession game in the fourth when the Dolphins appeared to force another field goal. But a late flag on Christian Wilkins for roughing the passer on third down gave Kansas City a fresh set of downs, and Pacheco plowed into the end zone moments later to give the Chiefs a 26-7 lead. The Dolphins never threatened down the stretch in their 11th straight loss when game-time temps are 40 degrees or less. Far less, in this case. INJURIES Miami: S Jevon Holland (knee) and CB Xavien Howard (foot) were inactive. CB DeShon Elliott (calf) left in the fourth quarter. Kansas City: WR Kadarius Toney (hip) was inactive. DT Derrick Nnadi (elbow) left in the second quarter. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL View the full article

HOUSTON — Rookie C.J. Stroud became the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game after throwing for 274 yards and three touchdowns, and the Houston Texans returned two interceptions by Joe Flacco for scores in a 45-14 rout of the Cleveland Browns in a wild-card matchup Saturday. Stroud, the second overall pick in the draft last April, is also the highest-drafted rookie QB to win in the postseason. He picked apart Cleveland’s vaunted defense, throwing touchdown passes of 15 yards to Nico Collins, 76 to Brevin Jordan and 37 to Dalton Schultz. At 22 years and 102 days old, Stroud passed Michael Vick, who was 22 years, 192 days old in 2002 when his Falcons beat the Packers. Stroud threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns before halftime as the Texans built a 24-14 lead. The defense took over after that, with Steven Nelson and Christian Harris returning interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive drives in the third quarter to extend the lead to 38-14. With the Texans up 45-14 with nine minutes to go, Stroud’s work was done, and he was replaced by Davis Mills. Stroud’s stellar play and the leadership of first-year coach DeMeco Ryans transformed the Texans (11-7), back in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, from NFL laughingstock to AFC South champions. Flacco, who turns 39 in three days, came off the couch to go 4-1 as a starter to end the regular season and lead the Browns (11-7) to just their third playoff appearance since their 1999 expansion rebirth, but second in four seasons under coach Kevin Stefanski. Playing in his 17th postseason game but first in nine years, Flacco couldn’t continue his magical run under the bright lights of the playoffs. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens must wait to learn playoff opponent after Bills-Steelers game is postponed to Monday afternoon Baltimore Ravens | How Joe Flacco’s wife, dad and the rest of the Flacco Flock helped get him back in the game and on the road to the Super Bowl with Browns Baltimore Ravens | Ravens TE Mark Andrews returns to practice nearly 2 months after serious ankle injury Baltimore Ravens | Ravens have 6 players named All-Pro, led by first-team QB Lamar Jackson, S Kyle Hamilton, LB Roquan Smith Baltimore Ravens | Ravens coordinators Mike Macdonald, Todd Monken interview with Panthers for head coach opening He finished with 307 yards and had a touchdown pass in the first half, but his mistakes under pressure in the third quarter were too much for the Browns to overcome on a day when Stroud easily outshined him in his playoff debut. The previous highest-drafted rookie QB to win a postseason game was the New York Jets’ Mark Sanchez, who was the fifth overall pick in 2009. Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson was under center for the Texans during their last playoff run but played just six games for the Browns this season before having season-ending shoulder surgery. He was on the sideline Saturday for just the second time since his surgery, watching the coming out party for the man who replaced him as Houston’s franchise quarterback. The sellout crowd was rowdy and ready for Houston’s return to the postseason after three awful seasons where the team combined for just 11 wins. They chanted “MVP! MVP!” throughout the game when Stroud dropped back to pass. Collins had six receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown, and Devin Singletary ran for 66 yards and a late score for Houston. Kareem Hunt ran for a touchdown and had a TD reception in the first half, but had just 26 rushing yards. The Browns took a 7-3 lead when Hunt scored on a 1-yard run with about two minutes left in the first quarter. Texans linebacker Christian Harris sacks Browns quarterback Joe Flacco during the second half Saturday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) A 29-yard run by Singletary started Houston’s next possession before John Metchie III grabbed a 27-yard reception. Two plays later, Stroud connected on a short pass with Collins for a 15-yard score to put the Texans on top 10-7. The Browns got another huge gain on the first play of their next drive when Flacco found Harrison Bryant for a 47-yard reception. Hunt struck again when he grabbed a shovel pass from Flacco and ran 11 yards for a touchdown to put Cleveland up 14-10. The lead would last only 10 seconds as Jordan grabbed a short pass and outran multiple defenders for a 76-yard touchdown to make it 17-14. It was Houston’s longest play this season and the longest in franchise playoff history. Stroud’s third TD toss was a 37-yard pass to Schultz that pushed the lead to 24-14 with about a minute left in the second quarter. Flacco was hit by Derek Barnett as he threw and his pass was picked off by Nelson and returned 82 yards for a touchdown to make it 31-14 with about six minutes left in the third quarter. The Browns went for it on fourth-and-2 on their next drive and Flacco was picked off again. This time, Harris returned it 36 yards for the score to make it 38-14. The Texans are the first team to return two interceptions for touchdowns in a game since the Seahawks did it on Jan. 5, 2008. Injuries Browns: LG Joel Bitonio injured his ankle in the second quarter. Texans: WR Noah Brown hurt a shoulder in the first quarter. … LB Denzel Perryman injured his ribs in the third quarter. This story will be updated. View the full article

The Ravens will have to wait a little longer to learn who they’ll play in the postseason. The Buffalo Bills’ wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers that was scheduled for Sunday was moved to Monday amid a forecast for dangerous winter weather, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Saturday. Hochul and other officials said they were making the change for safety’s sake. The forecast for the Buffalo area called for heavy snow and winds gusting as high as 65 mph Saturday, with 1 to 2 feet or more of snow eventually piling up. “We want our Bills to win, but we don’t want 60,000 to 70,000 people traveling to the football game in what’s going to be horrible conditions,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said at a news conference in suburban Buffalo. The game will be played at Highmark Stadium at 4:30 p.m. Monday instead of 1 p.m. Sunday. The NFL and Bills issued a statement citing “public safety concerns” as the reason to push back the game by a day. The AFC wild-card round was originally set to be completed by Sunday afternoon, which meant the top-seeded Ravens (13-4), who received a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the conference title game, would know which of four possible opponents — the No. 5 seed Cleveland Browns, No. 4 Houston Texans, No. 6 Miami Dolphins or No. 7 Steelers — would travel to Baltimore for the divisional round Jan. 20 or 21. The NFL playoffs are reseeded after the wild-card round, so the Ravens will host the lowest-remaining seed. Instead, the Ravens must wait for the conclusion of Monday’s game between No. 2 Buffalo and Pittsburgh, which pushed back its travel plans and will now head to Buffalo on Sunday. Game times for the divisional round will be announced at a later date. The Ravens practiced Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week and have a scheduled practice Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in an effort to stay sharp during the bye. The “rest versus rust” debate has resurfaced among fans after the top-seeded Ravens lost to the sixth-seeded Tennessee Titans, 28-12, following a record-setting 14-2 season in 2019. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | How Joe Flacco’s wife, dad and the rest of the Flacco Flock helped get him back in the game and on the road to the Super Bowl with Browns Baltimore Ravens | Ravens TE Mark Andrews returns to practice nearly 2 months after serious ankle injury Baltimore Ravens | Ravens have 6 players named All-Pro, led by first-team QB Lamar Jackson, S Kyle Hamilton, LB Roquan Smith Baltimore Ravens | Ravens coordinators Mike Macdonald, Todd Monken interview with Panthers for head coach opening Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ Mike Macdonald on how he’s handling job interviews | VIDEO “One part of you wants to be out there playing and going at it, and the other part of you appreciates that you’re already 1-0 for the week,” coach John Harbaugh said Friday. “With that, it’s not a vacation week. It’s not an off week. It’s a work week. It’s a work week to become the team that we need to be going forward into next week. Our guys have taken that really seriously.” Quarterback Lamar Jackson, who’s expected to win his second NFL Most Valuable Player Award next month, said Wednesday he’s “definitely antsy” to play. “But I have to stay locked in knowing what’s ahead,” he said. “We have nothing ahead right now. We’re just practicing and trying to get better for whoever our opponent is next week.” The Bills are familiar with weather-related schedule changes. In 2022, a lake effect storm led to Buffalo’s home game against Cleveland being moved to Detroit in November. A month later, a massive blizzard forced the Bills to delay their trip home, forcing them to stay overnight in Chicago on Christmas Eve. Though NFL playoff games have been shifted in the past for various scheduling reasons or to add games to determine tiebreakers, this marks just the third time weather has played a direct factor. In January 2017, wintry weather in Kansas City led to the NFL pushing back the start of an AFC divisional playoff game between Pittsburgh and the Chiefs from 1 p.m. to 8:20 p.m. The Associated Press contributed to this article. View the full article

CLEVELAND — If Joe Flacco hadn’t gotten a job soon, his wife, Dana, might’ve had the perpetual shakes. “Joe’s not one to sit still,” Dana told cleveland.com. “He was always like, ‘What I can do? I’m just going to get you a coffee.’ I think I had like seven coffees a day.” If anyone could get Flacco — who saved the 11-6 Browns’ precarious season with a 4-1 record and will start for them Saturday against the Houston Texans in the wild-card round — through unemployment this fall after 15 years as an NFL quarterback, it was Dana. She had been with him since their senior year at Audubon High in south New Jersey, where he was the star quarterback and she was co-captain of the cheerleading squad. They started out as friends, but soon realized it was something more. They dated through most of college, with Flacco starting out at Pittsburgh and then transferring to Delaware, where the Ravens drafted him 18th overall in 2008. Dana remained close to home, first getting a certificate in radiology and then a bachelor’s in allied health. They took a break for a few months after Flacco had been with the Ravens for a couple of years, but quickly realized they were meant for each other. One night as they were watching a movie, Dana came back in the room from getting some hot chocolate, and Flacco was holding her gray and white cat, Sylvia. “You don’t like cats,” Dana said. She soon saw that Flacco had tied the engagement ring around Sylvia’s neck. “Oh, that’s why,” Dana said. The engagement was short. Three months later, in June 2011, they got married in Philadelphia, with 300 people in attendance. Dana was such a trooper, she posed as a center in wedding photos, snapping the bouquet to Joe. Joe Flacco, right, sits with his mother, Karen, and father, Steve, at his family home in Audubon, New Jersey. Flacco was picked 18th overall by the Ravens in the 2008 NFL draft. (Lloyd Fox/Staff) Along comes the Flacco Flock A year later, they had the first of their five children, Stephen, named after Flacco’s dad. They thought their timing was good with a June baby, but he arrived in the middle of Ravens mandatory minicamp. “He got out of camp on Wednesday and Thursday,” she said. Nine months later, Dana and Stephen traveled to New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII, where the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers, and Flacco earned MVP honors for his three-touchdown performance. “I didn’t go out much that week,” Dana said. Afterward, she dragged Stephen around to Disney World and the “Late Show with David Letterman” on planes and helicopters for Flacco’s MVP circuit. Their second child, another boy, came along just as the Ravens and Browns were about to kick off in Baltimore in Week 2 of the 2013 season. Dana, who had all of her babies back home in Jersey, told Joe the day before the game to not worry about missing the birth. But Baby Daniel had other plans. On Sunday morning, Dana called Joe during pregame warmups and told him she was on the way to the hospital with her mom. “He said, ‘What do I do?’” she recalled. “I’m like, ‘Well, obviously go play and hopefully everything works out.’” As luck would have it, Daniel was her easiest delivery of the five, arriving at 11:30 a.m. while Joe was still in the locker room. “We talked on the phone, and we were able to send a picture to get his mind off it,” Dana said. “I’m like ‘All right, now you go play. I’ll see when you’re done.’” The nervous dad threw for 211 yards and a touchdown that game en route to a 14-6 victory. The defense did its part, sacking Brandon Weeden five times. Next came Francis, who was born a week after the Ravens got knocked out of the playoffs in 2015, meaning Flacco got to be there. A Pro Bowl alternate that year, he skipped the invitation to witness the birth. Next came Evelyn, their only girl, who was born on a Tuesday — a day off for NFL players and thus the perfect stork delivery day. Last came Thomas in April 2018, which Dana thought was the perfect time of year. But Joe left a week later for the offseason program, and she suddenly found herself at home alone with five kids. “And one of them was a newborn,” she said. Unemployed QB When Flacco found himself without a team in the fall — those former Super Bowl MVPs make the worst kind of out-of-work dads — Dana was the perfect person for the job. She rarely brought up the fact that the phone wasn’t ringing, even though NFL quarterbacks were dropping like flies. “We all just kind of felt it,” she said. “Joe was probably frustrated at times, but he didn’t really show it.” It was mostly when he was out and about, taking the kids to basketball games and wrestling matches, that folks grilled him. It’s hard to miss a 6-foot-6, 245-pound, out-of-work NFL quarterback in the tiny town of Audubon, population 8,707. “You have people come up to you and they’re just kind of like, ‘Oh man, how’s retirement?’” Flacco said. “And you don’t really want to get into it with people. So sometimes you’re just like, ‘Oh yeah, man, going good.’ And other times you’re like, ‘Well, I’m not actually retired. I do want to play. So we’ll see what happens.’ “Other times, fellow sports dads would ask, ‘Hey, anybody call you yet?’ So they’re reminding you of it. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, nope. Haven’t gotten a call yet, man. Yeah, I don’t know. It’s crazy.’ But ultimately it was still all fun. You have other things to kind of keep your mind off of it most of the time.” Such as? “He was doing a lot of mom stuff,” said his dad, Steve Flacco, 62 and a former Penn running back. Thanks to 15 NFL offseasons, Flacco wasn’t a complete stranger in the home. “We’ve kind of gotten used to that routine,” Joe Flacco said. “I can help getting the kids out the door in the morning. I can throw some eggs on the stove before they get down there or ask them what they want. We’re always loaded up with chocolate milk, bagels, eggs, different protein shakes.” Evelyn, daddy’s little girl, loved having Joe around full time, doing girl-dad stuff with her. “I’ve tried to put my daughter’s hair in a simple ponytail and I’m a mess,” he said. “It’s just fun for me to try to do every now and then.” The oldest of six kids himself — including five boys — Flacco is used to a chaotic household and hectic sports schedule. “Ultimately, I’m just another one of the children,” he said. “I do get in the way probably more times than not. I can do little things here and there to try to help out, but my wife is the star of our house, there’s no doubt about it.” Once a week, Evelyn’s piano teacher would come by for her lesson, and Flacco would hang around and listen. “I’d see myself looking to see what they were trying to do and then look at her little book,” Flacco said. Finally, he asked the teacher to start teaching him too. “To be my age and start from scratch at something, there’s something exciting about that,” Flacco said. “I had a lot of fun with it the couple of months that I was doing it because I would sit down with him and I would be bad at it, and by the time he came back next week, I would be pretty good at what I was trying to be good at.” The last song the teacher left him with in November was “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” “It was right before I got the call from the Browns,” he said. “I had to call [the piano teacher] and say ‘Hey, I’m not coming back.’ But I did bring the sheet music out here with me.” Steve — Joe’s No. 1 hype man for getting him back in the game — knew it was time to ramp up his efforts when Joe took up piano. “I said, ‘Man, that’s looking for something to do,’” Steve kidded. “But I think he enjoyed it.” Unemployed NFL quarterbacks — especially ones who played every sport in high school — also make excellent playmates for four rambunctious sons, ages 5 to 11, and their friends. “As soon as my boys walked in the door after school, they’d be like, ‘Dad, let’s go. We’re going to have a catch outside,’” Dana said. “Or ‘Can you take us to the field to play home run derby? Let’s go play basketball, dad.’ Even when all of their friends were over, they just wanted him to be out there with them.” But coaching them up? That was another story. “He’ll be like, ‘Hey, get your hands like this.’ Or if they’re playing basketball, it’s like, ‘Get your elbow up more,’” Dana said. “Whatever it is, the kids don’t want to hear it from their dad.” Four days a week, Flacco worked out with his trainer, Brian Kane, at Evolution Fitness, sometimes with Dana, and sometimes on his own. He also worked with a nutritionist. “Whatever he ate for dinner, the whole family ate for dinner,” Dana said. “I’m not one to make a hundred meals. I’m like, ‘This is what we’re having, and that’s that.’” Steve Flacco holds his sons Joe, left, and Mike, right, at their home in New Jersey in 1989. (Courtesy of the Flacco family) Workouts with his dad and brother On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Joe headed to a youth football field in nearby Haddon Township for 45-minute throwing sessions with Steve and Joe’s youngest brother, Tom, 29. Tom’s 2-year-old son Joseph and niece Sophia were also often in tow. “Joe didn’t want to give that up when he got to Cleveland,” Steve said. “He’s thinking, ‘This is crazy already. Last thing I’m doing is telling people I’m throwing a ball to my dad.’” While Joe, 38, was the oldest in the family, Tom was the baby. But they bonded over playing quarterback. Tom, who had a short stint in the Canadian Football League and still has some UFL bites, played at Towson University when Joe was with the Ravens, and they became close. “Joe and I would get warmed up and then we’d place my dad in certain positions where we’d want to throw it,” Tom said. “Joe and I would do the footwork and hit my dad, and he was just spot catching.” But Steve was more than just a throwing net. “Listen, I do run,” he said. “Sometimes I’ll run a partial route or something like that just to give them the idea of throwing it over my head as I’m moving. But even if I was in great running shape, how many routes could I run? Not many.” Besides, it was tough enough catching passes from his two cannon-armed boys. “I’m catching twice as many balls and I have to throw them back,” he said. Before long, Steve started wearing receiver gloves. “They’d make fun of me,” Steve said. “Depending on how good it went on any given day, I could be a little bruised up.” The three were so locked in, they’d sometimes lose Joseph and Sophia. “We’d have to go looking for them,” Steve said. Steve used the sessions to rattle off all of the NFL teams that needed quarterbacks and which ones might call. The phone wasn’t ringing, but Steve kept track of who was up, who was down, who had the best defense and the best receivers. “My dad would just talk about the games on Sunday the whole workout,” Tom said. “If a quarterback got hurt, he’d be like, ‘I wonder if they’re going to reach out.’ Joe and I would just tune him out. He didn’t need much of a response. He could just keep going.” While Steve railed into the wind from his various spots on the turf, Joe kept slinging the ball into his hands, with pinpoint accuracy and pillow-soft touch. “It’s not about throwing the ball hard,” Steve said. “It’s about getting it to a spot on time and making it as catchable as possible. Joe does a good job with that. He has a really good sense of timing. Part of that is not overthrowing the ball.” Joe Flacco holds the Lombardi Trophy after the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 34-31, in Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. Flacco was named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. (Baltimore Sun file) Sundays at Mom and Dad’s On Sunday afternoons, the Flaccos all gathered at Steve and Karen’s house in Audubon — about 25 strong including aunts, uncles, cousins and kids — to watch football and feast on the Super Bowl Sunday-worthy smorgasbord Karen rolled out from the kitchen — pork roast, lasagna, spaghetti, ham, wings. Steve is mostly Italian, and Karen, who learned to cook from Grandma Flacco, is mostly Irish. “We’re actually an Irish-Italian family, which is very common,” Steve said. “For some reason, we all marry each other.” The gatherings — and Friday night pizza nights at the behest of their grandfather who insisted on a tight-knit family — included most of Joe’s siblings, Mike, John, Brian, Tom and Stephanie. Mike was drafted by the Orioles in 2009 and played minor league baseball for a while, and also played tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers. John was a walk-on receiver at Stanford. “I’ve played a lot of catch and thrown a lot of batting practice,” Steve said. During frequent arguments among the brothers over important topics such as which of them will get fat first, Joe is the loudest in the room. “That’s how he thinks he’s winning the argument, by just being louder than the other person,” Tom said. For the past 15 years, the Flaccos gathered to yell and scream over Joe’s games — mostly with the Ravens — living and dying with every pass, every third-down conversion, every time they ran the ball when they obviously should’ve let Joe throw it. “It was total chaos,” Steve said. “You couldn’t hear the telecast.” With Joe in the house this season, it was more subdued. While Steve and some of the others flipped around from game to game to see if any quarterback job openings arose, Joe mostly avoided the TV and spent time with the kids. As the weeks went by and some bitterness crept in, it was easier not to watch. “I used to say to him, ‘I can’t believe you’re sitting here on the couch with us,’” Tom said. Flacco has mulled the reasons no one picked up the phone. “I’m not that sexy of a pick,” he said. “How do you in the offseason get your fan base excited about bringing in this guy that everybody thinks they know who he is and has been around for 15 years? When you’re not playing, your confidence does take a little bit of a hit. But the overall feeling of ‘I can still play,’ that never went away.” Flacco’s disinterest in NFL games didn’t stop Steve from providing the quarterback play-by-play each week, and from texting Joe’s agent, Joe Linta, with suggestions on who to call. “His agent would get frustrated because he wouldn’t get any callbacks,” Steve said. “At the same time, I’m like, ‘You’ve got to put a bug in their ear because you don’t know what’s going to happen week to week.’” Browns quarterback Joe Flacco, right, talks to tight end Harrison Bryant before a game against the Bengals on Jan. 7 in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Emilee Chinn) The Browns come calling The Browns asked Flacco to work out for them after Deshaun Watson fractured his shoulder against the Ravens, even though Flacco had gone 18-3 against them over the previous 15 years, including a crushing come-from-behind 31-30 victory in Week 2 last year when he was with the Jets. Flacco threw two touchdown passes in the final 82 seconds, including a 66-yarder with that rifle arm. “I said, ‘Dude, they’ve got a million hours of film, but if they see you in shorts throwing a ball around, they’re really going to like you,’” Steve said. “I said, ‘It’s not going to hurt.’” When the Browns signed Flacco to the practice squad on Nov. 20, his son Daniel, 10 — the one born 90 minutes before the Browns game — broke into a huge smile. “He’s like, ‘Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore,’” Dana said. “Daniel knows everybody in football. The boys have fantasy football teams, and they’re 11, 10, and 8.” Like Joe, they’ll have to wait to play tackle football. “We’ve had them do a little bit of flag football,” Dana said. “Joe didn’t actually play organized football until sixth grade, and our oldest is fifth grade. They ask all the time. They love going out front and throwing the football. They’re like, ‘I want this to be my sport.’ And we’re like, OK, in a year or two.” It hasn’t stopped them from being armchair quarterbacks while their dad is playing. “Daniel will turn to me after an interception and say, ‘Who was that supposed to be to?’” Dana said. “I’m like, ‘I don’t know.’ And then they show the replay and I’m like, ‘Oh, the dude fell down.’ But as soon as he walks out to see the kids, it’s ‘You threw an interception. You didn’t complete that pass.’” Dana gathered up all the kids on Christmas and headed to the airport to spend the day with Joe at his two-bedroom apartment in a Cleveland suburb, followed by the Thursday night game three days later against the Jets, a win-and-in proposition for the Browns. When she arrived at the airport parking lot, she heard a familiar, disturbing sound in the car. “I was like, ‘What just happened? Did you just throw up?’” she said. When Joe picked them up in Cleveland, Dana delivered the bad news. “Your son just threw up,” she said. “He was like, ‘OK, don’t come near me, don’t touch me, you guys are in there,’” she said. Somehow they pulled off Christmas anyway, with the hottest quarterback in the NFL keeping a safe enough distance to go out and clinch a playoff spot three days later, and producing the gifts of the year in the process. Dana tried to order No. 15 Flacco jerseys for the kids, but they didn’t come in time for Christmas. She implored Joe to find some. “I don’t know how he did it, but there was an extra little Christmas under his tree at the apartment, with Flacco jerseys and sweatshirts,” she said. Apparently, Brownie the Elf worked his magic to conjure up the jerseys and Dawg sweatshirts. Flacco also gave Evelyn a “Tuddy Buddy” bear that former NFL quarterback and Amazon Prime analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick had jokingly given to Flacco for having thrown a touchdown to the same receiver. Evelyn clutched it during the game. After a 37-20 victory over Flacco’s former Jets that catapulted the Browns into the playoffs for only the third time since 1999, with all the boys in their No. 15 Flacco jerseys and Dana and Evelyn with her bear, everyone joined Joe on the field for the postgame interview and celebration. Cherishing the moment with his wife and kids, he said in his postgame presser, “I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life.” Twenty more family members and friends cheered him on from the stands — a Flacco frenzy — including his real-life Tuddy Buddies, Steve and Tom. The night included Nick Chubb smashing the Dawg Pound guitar with his Batman mask on, a twinkling lightshow in the pitch-black stadium incorporating fans’ phones, and fireworks when the Browns clinched. “Celebration” blared over the loudspeakers, and fans lingered long after the game ended to celebrate. “We’ve never experienced anything quite like that,” Steve said. “Not even at the Super Bowl. It’s exciting, but it’s different. Not like that, where it’s focused on one team by one fan group. They’re turning those lights out, and adults turned into a bunch of little kids.” Not even in Baltimore, where Joe might have to face his former team in the playoffs? “Baltimore was incredible,” Steve said. “They had 71,000 people every game that we were there, and it was a great atmosphere, but nothing like that. I couldn’t even imagine Ray Lewis coming out of that tunnel in the smoke in the dark. It would’ve freaked everybody out.” It took a flock of Flaccos to help get this not-your-average-Joe back on the field and on the road to the Super Bowl with the Browns. It’s proven to be just the caffeine buzz the whole family and all of Browns Town needed. AFC wild-card round Browns at Texans Saturday, 4:30 p.m. TV: NBC View the full article

Ravens tight end Mark Andrews is back. Nearly two months after undergoing what was thought to be season-ending ankle surgery, the three-time Pro Bowl selection and 2021 All-Pro was designated to return and hit the practice field Friday in Owings Mills. Andrews, 28, has been out since suffering the injury during Baltimore’s 34-20 victory over the Bengals on Nov. 16 on a controversial hip-drop tackle by Cincinnati linebacker Logan Wilson. After that game, coach John Harbaugh said that the injury was “very serious” and would likely end Andrews’ season, adding that it was a “form of a high ankle” injury but “more than just a sprain.” But in recent weeks, Harbaugh has been more optimistic about the possibility of Andrews returning, saying he wouldn’t rule it out for the playoffs. On Friday, Andrews caught passes during special teams drills, worked with the other tight ends during positional drills and participated in individual work. The Ravens have 21 days to add him to the active roster or he would revert to injured reserve. The potential return of Andrews for the divisional round, which begins for the Ravens (13-4) on either Jan. 20 or 21 after they earned a first-round bye, would be significant. At the time of the injury, his 61 targets, 45 receptions and 544 yards ranked second on the team behind only wideout Zay Flowers, while his six touchdown catches were more than the rest of the Ravens combined (five). Andrews, who has long been a security blanket for Ravens quarterback and presumptive NFL Most Valuable Player Award winner Lamar Jackson, led the team in catches and receiving yards in each of the previous four seasons after being drafted alongside Jackson in 2018. In his absence, second-year tight end Isaiah Likely has blossomed, with 30 catches for 411 yards and five touchdowns, all coming in the team’s final five regular-season games. That included two in Baltimore’s 56-19 blowout of the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 31 that clinched the top seed in the AFC. It would also come at a good time with Flowers dealing with a calf injury. He hasn’t practiced the past two weeks, though he indicated he could be back next week ahead of the Ravens’ divisional round game at M&T Bank Stadium. Others who were also not practicing Friday included wide receiver Tylan Wallace, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, outside linebacker Odafe Oweh (ankle), cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf), outside linebacker Malik Harrison (groin) and linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips (shoulder). Humphrey and Harrison were running on other field, however. An injury report will not be released until next week. Harbaugh is scheduled to speak to reporters Friday afternoon. This story will be updated. View the full article

The team with the best record in the NFL unsurprisingly had three players named first-team All-Pro by The Associated Press and another three to the second team. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is also the favorite to be named the NFL Most Valuable Player next month, was named to the first team for the second time, while second-year safety Kyle Hamilton received first-team honors for the first time. Inside linebacker Roquan Smith, meanwhile, was named to the first team for a second straight year. Three other Baltimore players were named second-team All-Pro for the first time in their careers: defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, inside linebacker Patrick Queen and fullback Patrick Ricard. Only the San Francisco 49ers, whom the Ravens beat, 33-19, on Christmas night, had more All-Pros with five players selected to the first team and two on the second team. A national panel of 50 media members casts ballots for the honors. The Associated Press honored 12 players on offense and defense this year, adding fullback and slot corner to the voting. This season, Jackson posted career bests in completions (307), completion percentage (.672) and passing yards (3,678) while also rushing for a team-high 821 yards. The last time Jackson was a first-team All-Pro was in 2019, when he was the unanimous selection for NFL MVP. Hamilton, meanwhile, blossomed into one of the league’s best and most versatile defensive players. During the regular season, he had 81 tackles, 13 passes defended, four interceptions (one of which he returned for a touchdown) and three sacks. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens TE Mark Andrews returns to practice nearly 2 months after serious ankle injury Baltimore Ravens | Ravens coordinators Mike Macdonald, Todd Monken interview with Panthers for head coach opening Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ Mike Macdonald on how he’s handling job interviews | VIDEO Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley motivated by 2019 playoff failure as offensive line looks to dominate postseason Baltimore Ravens | Staff picks for NFL wild-card round: Browns vs. Texans, Bills vs. Steelers, Chiefs vs. Dolphins and more Smith continued his dominant play since being traded to Baltimore from the Chicago Bears for a second-round draft pick midway through last season, registering a team-high 158 tackles that ranked sixth in the NFL. He also had 1 1/2 sacks, one interception, a forced fumble and was the leader of a defense that became the first to lead the NFL in points allowed (16.4), sacks (57) and takeaways (29). Madubuike also broke out this year with a career-high 13 sacks to lead all NFL defensive linemen, while Queen had a career-high 133 tackles and matched a career high with six passes defensed while adding 3 1/2 sacks. Ricard helped pave the way for the league’s top rushing attack, which ranked first in total yards (2,661) and second in rushing touchdowns (26). He played in all 17 games and caught five passes for 52 yards and scored the sixth touchdown of his career. View the full article

After the Ravens finished the regular season with the best record in the NFL behind presumptive league Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson and a historically dominant defense that became the first to lead the league in sacks, takeaways and points allowed per game, teams with head coach openings continue to target Baltimore’s staff. Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald both interviewed with the Carolina Panthers on Thursday for the team’s head coach opening. The Atlanta Falcons also reportedly requested permission to interview Macdonald for their vacant head coach job. The Panthers fired Frank Reich in November after the team started 1-10, while the Falcons let go of Arthur Smith earlier this week after finishing 7-10. While no in-person interviews with a coach currently working for another team can take place until after the divisional round of the playoffs Jan. 20-21, both were able to meet with the Panthers virtually. Macdonald, 36, also confirmed that he has interviewed with other teams, with the Washington Commanders and Tennessee Titans also having requested permission to speak with perhaps the league’s hottest candidate. The Ravens (13-4) received a bye through the wild-card round, which begins Saturday. The team has conducted practices as if it were a normal game week, including a planned practice Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium. “Our focus right now with our guys is to try improve and really stay sharp and ramp up and make sure we’re on our ‘A’ game come next weekend,” Macdonald said Thursday. “So, when we’re here, that’s what we’re focused on and then fortunately, I can try to compartmentalize it and work on the Zooms and things that happen at night, and I’m doing those at my house.” The Los Angeles Chargers had also previously requested permission to interview Monken, 57, after parting ways with Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco last month. Others from the Ravens drawing outside interest include associate head coach/defensive line coach Anthony Weaver (Commanders), vice president of football administration Nick Matteo for the Panthers’ open general manager job and director of player personnel Joe Hortiz, who has also been rumored to be a candidate for general manager openings. “It says a lot about the organization,” Monken said when asked about other teams’ interest in Ravens coaches and front office staff. “It says a lot about our players. It says a lot about our coaching staff. You don’t do it alone. You have to have a great staff, great organization and a great team [with] players that believe in the plan and are able to execute it at a high level.” View the full article

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The benefit of time has apparently not completely healed the wound for Ronnie Stanley. The Ravens left tackle is still bothered by what took place the night of Jan. 11, 2020, at M&T Bank Stadium during the divisional round of the playoffs. Baltimore had finished the regular season with the best record in the NFL, was coming off a first-round bye and had home-field advantage through the conference championship game. Then it was stunned (embarrassed?) by the sixth-seeded Tennessee Titans, 28-12. If the scenario sounds familiar, it should, because the Ravens (13-4) are in the same position again as they wait to find out who they will play in this year’s divisional round. Stanley is one of just nine players remaining from that record-setting 2019 team that went 14-2 and he is motivated to not let history repeat itself. “I’m still not completely over it to be honest,” he said. “Those opportunities don’t come too often. Lucky, we have another chance this year and we’re going to make sure that we don’t take it for granted.” Among the many reasons they do — a quarterback in Lamar Jackson who is again expected to be the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, a historically dominant defense that led the league in sacks, takeaways and points allowed per game — is the performance of perhaps the most unheralded group of which Stanley is a member of. The Ravens’ offensive line is one of the best in the league by several metrics, if not the eye test. Pro Football Focus ranked it fifth overall, with the unit allowing the fifth-fewest total pressures (160) this season. It also proved its depth, with nine players logging at least 160 snaps. That was pivotal as Stanley and right tackle Morgan Moses missed four and three games apiece because of knee and shoulder injuries, respectively. The line helped pave the way for a rushing attack that was the best in the NFL in terms of yards (2,661), second in touchdowns (26) and third in yards per carry (4.9) despite Baltimore being without its top back, J.K. Dobbins, who suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon in Week 1. The Ravens were even more efficient with their pass blocking, giving Jackson enough time to throw for a career-high 3,678 yards along with 24 touchdowns. While he was sacked 37 times, the second-most in his career, he was pressured on just 15.7% of dropbacks, the lowest mark of his six seasons. His 22 hurries were easily the fewest of his tenure as the full-time starter. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ Mike Macdonald on how he’s handling job interviews | VIDEO Baltimore Ravens | Staff picks for NFL wild-card round: Browns vs. Texans, Bills vs. Steelers, Chiefs vs. Dolphins and more Baltimore Ravens | Ravens prepare for playoff opener, looking to lessons from 2019 loss they’re ‘still not completely over’ Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Run defense is a Ravens tradition, but it’s one of their few flaws — and they know it | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | What’s in a bye week? Ravens seek to ease fans’ anxiety by winning playoff game after first-round rest | ANALYSIS “They’re just giving me a lot of time to read out concepts and read the defenses and get the ball to my guys,” Jackson said. “It’s tremendous. I feel like that’s any quarterback’s dream to just sit back in the pocket and just let things happen and develop and just throw strikes. “I believe they got better throughout the season with guys going down and just getting healthy at the right time and just blocking their tails off.” No one more so than the man at the center of the line, 23-year-old Tyler Linderbaum, who in just his second season was selected to his first Pro Bowl. Drafted 25th overall out of Iowa in 2022, the 6-foot-2, 305-pound center allowed zero sacks and just three quarterback hits on 499 pass blocking snaps this season, per PFF. His 4.8% pressure rate allowed was the fifth lowest among centers with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps, according to Next Gen Stats, and his 3.57-second time to pressure mark was the third-longest among centers who allowed at least 20 pressures. He allowed one half-sack across 15 starts. Linderbaum’s dominance, along with the rest of the line, was perhaps most on display during the Ravens’ blowouts of the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins in Weeks 16 and 17. Jackson was pressured just five times between the two games and threw for a combined 575 yards and seven touchdowns while the Ravens rushed for a total of 262 yards. “I think whenever you have a bunch of talented guys, you have to play together,” Linderbaum said. “We’ve continued to get better and better no matter who’s in there — it’s just all five [of us] playing together. It doesn’t do you any good if four guys are playing well together and then one guy isn’t. “That’s the unique thing about the position is the continuity that needs to happen in order to be successful as a unit and just continue to make strides and strides and get better. You want to be playing your best football towards December and January. I think we’re trying our hardest to get to that point.” 2023 NFL: Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore RavensKarl Merton Ferron/Baltimore SunRavens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. celebrates his first touchdown with offensive linemen Tyler Linderbaum, left, Patrick Mekari and John Simpson during a win over the Seahawks on Nov. 5. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) To Linderbaum’s point, the Ravens’ tackle rotation has helped ease the burden on Stanley, 29, and Moses, 32, as they have been slowed by age and injury. It helps to have solid backups. Patrick Mekari has graded above 70 in six games this season, per PFF, and has played both tackle spots. Daniel Faalele, who has filled in almost entirely on the right side, hasn’t been as consistent with just two grades above 70 this season, but he has improved in Year 2, particularly with his pass blocking. “We’ve just been able to get closer to each other as a unit,” Faalele said. “Playing five as one coach always harps on that and just seeing everything through the center’s eyes and how we can communicate that across the line and make sure we’re all on the same page. “It definitely helps just building my confidence gaining that experience, the in-game experience that I need. … I feel like that just helps with the repetition; the footwork and the technique and also just understanding the defenses and where the ball is going and where the aiming points are, that just helps me fit up the blocks better.” The snaps that Mekari, Faalele and Ben Cleveland have been able to take help, too, especially this time of the year. “This week is gonna be huge because my body’s hurting,” left guard John Simpson said of the Ravens’ bye. So, too, will be their next game. Stanley says he isn’t annoyed by all the questions about 2019, but they will undoubtedly continue to be asked over the next two weeks and until the Ravens vanquish that demon. To do so, they’ll undoubtedly need another good performance from their offensive line, and Stanley hasn’t forgotten about the last time he and the Ravens were in this position. “Those are [the] stuff that are always in the back of our head, the guys that were there and experienced it,” he said. “We know the feeling that stuck with us still to this point and we don’t want to feel that again. We want to correct our loss.” View the full article

Baltimore Sun staff writers pick every game of the NFL season. Here’s who they have winning in the wild-card round of the playoffs: No. 5 seed Cleveland Browns at No. 4 Houston Texans (Saturday, 4:30 p.m.) Brian Wacker (169-103 season; 8-8 last week): Browns Childs Walker (173-99 season; 10-6 last week): Browns Mike Preston (163-109 season; 9-7 last week): Browns C.J. Doon (180-92 season; 11-5 last week): Browns Tim Schwartz (164-108 season; 12-4 last week): Browns No. 6 Miami Dolphins at No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs (Saturday, 8 p.m.) Wacker: Chiefs Walker: Chiefs Preston: Chiefs Doon: Chiefs Schwartz: Chiefs No. 7 Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 2 Buffalo Bills (Sunday, 1 p.m.) Wacker: Bills Walker: Bills Preston: Bills Doon: Bills Schwartz: Bills No. 7 Green Bay Packers at No. 2 Dallas Cowboys (Sunday, 4:30 p.m.) Wacker: Cowboys Walker: Cowboys Preston: Cowboys Doon: Cowboys Schwartz: Packers No. 6 Los Angeles Rams at No. 3 Detroit Lions (Sunday, 8 p.m.) Wacker: Lions Walker: Rams Preston: Rams Doon: Rams Schwartz: Rams No. 5 Philadelphia Eagles at No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Monday, 8:15 p.m.) Wacker: Eagles Walker: Eagles Preston: Eagles Doon: Eagles Schwartz: Buccaneers View the full article

Ronnie Stanley does not want to forget. The 2019 season, in many respects a professional pinnacle for the Ravens left tackle and his team, ended in profound disappointment. The Ravens’ Super Bowl ambitions, their 12-game winning streak, their No. 1 playoff seed all evaporated before they knew what hit them in front of a stunned crowd at M&T Bank Stadium on the night of Jan. 11, 2020. The letdown lingers for the 11 current Ravens who were on that team and for the fans who invested so much belief in that season. It affects the way they look at this season, with the Ravens back in the same spot: No. 1 seed in the AFC, led by the likely NFL Most Valuable Player in quarterback Lamar Jackson and preparing to host a playoff opponent against whom they will be heavily favored. “I’m still not completely over it, to be honest,” Stanley reflected. “Those opportunities don’t come too often.” Though some teammates, including Jackson, have said they’d prefer to put questions about 2019 behind them, Stanley does not see memories of the experience as unwelcome ghosts. “I don’t think it will get annoying,” he said. “Those are stuff that are always in the back of our head, the guys that were there and experienced it. We know the feeling that stuck with us still to this point, and we don’t want to feel that again.” So what will the Ravens do differently to create a happier ending? It’s not a straightforward question to answer, because the reasons for their previous downfall are difficult to pinpoint. When coach John Harbaugh thinks back to his team’s preparations four years ago, he recalls a smooth process. He has noted several times that the Ravens gained 530 yards, their second highest total of the 2019 season, in their 28-12 playoff loss to the Tennessee Titans. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ Mike Macdonald on how he’s handling job interviews | VIDEO Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley motivated by 2019 playoff failure as offensive line looks to dominate postseason Baltimore Ravens | Staff picks for NFL wild-card round: Browns vs. Texans, Bills vs. Steelers, Chiefs vs. Dolphins and more Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Run defense is a Ravens tradition, but it’s one of their few flaws — and they know it | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | What’s in a bye week? Ravens seek to ease fans’ anxiety by winning playoff game after first-round rest | ANALYSIS “What impacted what [and] how in terms of us not playing our best football that day, it’s really hard to say what the cause and effect was,” he said. “I think we had a good game plan; we just didn’t get the job done in certain plays.” Harbaugh has tweaked the team’s practice schedule this time around — he scheduled a Saturday walk-through at M&T Bank Stadium “just to keep in rhythm” — but still opted to rest Jackson and other key players for the team’s low-stakes regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was not going to transform his approach because of a four-year-old loss. “You have to look at everything from the framework or through the lens of today — this team and the challenges that we’re facing,” Harbaugh said. When players talk about the differences between the two teams, they note the granular outlook they’ve maintained this season, refusing to look past the next play or practice to more grandiose goals such as the Super Bowl. “We were so young,” Jackson said, thinking back to his second year in the NFL and first as a full-time starter. “I think we’re a completely different team, a completely different staff,” offensive lineman Patrick Mekari said. “The focus feels different. The intensity feels different. The purpose feels different. I don’t think we’re thinking, ‘Oh, it’s the same as 2019. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again.'” Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNSRavens quarterback Lamar Jackson, walking off the field after a stunning 28-12 postseason loss to the Titans on Jan. 11, 2020, said, “2019 is over with.” (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) One day at a time, one practice at a time might sound cliche, but it has become their mantra. “Be your own biggest critic,” Harbaugh told them this week, another phrase to keep the focus narrow. They’re less statistically dominant than they were four years ago, when they led the league in scoring and did not lose a regular-season game after the last weekend in September. But this team saved its best performances for late December, whereas the 2019 edition seemed to peak a month earlier. “I do feel like 2019 gave us a lot of insight into the things that we could have gotten better at, using this time and being able to prepare,” Stanley said. “I would say, not be rigid about it, but be focused. I think that’s been our mindset all season.” When game day arrives, they will be alert to the dangers of a sluggish start. “I remember we came out really, really slow in that Titans game,” nose tackle Michael Pierce said. “We’re definitely mindful of what happened last time.” Many fans who will roar for the Ravens next weekend were also in the stadium four years ago, when a brilliant season fell apart in little more than a quarter of game time against the Titans. It began with a Jackson pass caroming off the normally reliable hands of tight end Mark Andrews and into the arms of Tennessee defensive back Kevin Byard. That interception set up a short Titans touchdown drive. When the Ravens got the ball back, Jackson carried on fourth-and-1 in their territory — the team’s aggression and efficiency on fourth down were trademarks — only to be stonewalled. Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill immediately capitalized with a perfect 45-yard missile to put his team up 14-0. The Ravens would have chances to claw back, but they were cooked. Because of that disappointment, fans who otherwise profess great faith in this year’s team acknowledged they will have their guards up. They’re already cautious after a wonderful Orioles season ended with three swift losses to the Texas Rangers in the postseason. “Sure, you always have your guard up, because it’s one-and-done,” said Andy Stewart, of Glen Rock, Pennsylvania. “It happens all the time in sports. That’s why you almost want to be the underdog going into these things, and right now, it’s hard to say we are.” Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, shown before a game against the Dolphins on Dec. 31, likely won’t play in Baltimore’s first playoff game as he recovers from an ankle injury. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Before the Ravens clinched a first-round bye, some fans went so far as to root against it, fearing the Ravens might lose their edge with an extra week off. The franchise’s previous two Super Bowl winners were not No. 1 seeds; they had to roll through favored opponents in hostile stadiums. “I’m not a big fan of the bye thing,” said Frank Schwartz, of Pasadena. “I’d rather see the team, when they’re on a roll, keep playing.” At the same time, the Ravens made fans believe with back-to-back drubbings of the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins to clinch the No. 1 seed, an extra week of rest and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl. Those who’ve been around since the team arrived in 1996 struggled to recall a better pair of performances. Stewart, 54, sees a more seasoned Jackson, a healthier offensive line, a smart, fierce defensive leader in linebacker Roquan Smith and thinks, “I don’t see a reason to fear the letdown. We’ve never had a better team.” “I think they’re in a better place now,” the 68-year-old Schwartz said. “With the new coordinators, the weapons around Lamar now, they just seem to be clicking at the right time. I was never a Lamar fan; I always said he choked in the big games, but he proved me wrong this year.” So much of the anticipation and anxiety around the Ravens is centered on Jackson, who had just completed his first full season when they lost to the Titans. He has embraced that burden since he promised Baltimore a championship on the night he was drafted in 2018, never more so than this season, after he signed a five-year, $260 million contract extension in April. If teammates and fans believe in this team’s Super Bowl destiny, it’s largely because they believe in him — his greater control of the offense and his refusal to look past the moment in front of him. “2019 is over with,” Jackson said. “We’re always talking about it. I always find myself talking about it, but it’s different. That was just my first full season [starting] in the NFL and my second year in the league, at that, but it’s a different mindset, a different group of guys. I just feel like all around, we’re different.” AFC divisional round TBD at Ravens Jan. 20-21, TBA TV: TBA Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM View the full article

Veteran defensive end Brent Urban has spent seven of his 10 seasons with the Ravens, so he understands the psyche of Baltimore and the defense, particularly against the run. The Ravens are ranked No. 14 against the rush, allowing 109.4 yards per game and an average of 4.5 yards per carry. That’s not good enough by NFL standards and certainly not in Baltimore. That’s like talking about the top sports icons of this city and not mentioning former Orioles greats Brooks or Frank Robinson, or Colts legends such as Johnny Unitas and Lenny Moore. Run defense is a tradition in Baltimore. “It hasn’t been up to the standard probably of how it’s been in recent years, but at the same time I think it’s just been … there’s little things here and there that have kind of hurt us, I guess,” Urban said. “I think there is always room for improvement. Teams have been creative down the stretch in attacking us with outside runs and switching it up and all that kind of stuff.” The Ravens (13-4) gave up more than 100 rushing yards in losses to Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Cleveland. Even in their 37-31 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 10, the Ravens allowed 128 yards on 30 carries as running back Kyren Williams had 114 on 25 attempts. And what does a strong running game do to the Ravens? It keeps quarterback Lamar Jackson, the front-runner for the NFL Most Valuable Player Award, off the field and prevents Baltimore from controlling the tempo. The Ravens could face several teams with good running games in the playoffs. No. 2 seed Buffalo, led by James Cook and his 1,122 yards, has the No. 7 rushing offense, averaging 130.1 yards per game. Fifth-seeded Cleveland is 12th (118.6), followed by No. 7 seed Pittsburgh (118.2), which is 13th with Najee Harris (1,035 yards) leading the way. In No. 6 seed Miami, Raheem Mostert (1,012 yards) and De’Von Achane (800 yards) are a tough 1-2 combo, too. That’s why the Ravens spent a lot of time going over fundamentals at Wednesday’s practice. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ Mike Macdonald on how he’s handling job interviews | VIDEO Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley motivated by 2019 playoff failure as offensive line looks to dominate postseason Baltimore Ravens | Staff picks for NFL wild-card round: Browns vs. Texans, Bills vs. Steelers, Chiefs vs. Dolphins and more Baltimore Ravens | Ravens prepare for playoff opener, looking to lessons from 2019 loss they’re ‘still not completely over’ Baltimore Ravens | What’s in a bye week? Ravens seek to ease fans’ anxiety by winning playoff game after first-round rest | ANALYSIS “It’s just playing our techniques, seeing all those runs that have hurt us and that’s why we’re at a luxury to have the bye,” Urban said. “We can kind of go over that stuff and see what has hurt us and how to kind of improve that moving forward. We got to play technique and just kind of read it on the run.” Ravens middle linebacker Roquan Smith agreed with Urban. “We have to take advantage of this week [and] get everything you can out of this week, home in on the fundamentals, make sure your cardio is good and just make sure to keep reminding yourself [to] be ready to rock and roll next week — whatever day that is,” he said. The Ravens also need to expect the unexpected. They beat Miami, 56-19, but the Dolphins still had success on the perimeter, especially their vintage toss plays to the outside. Pittsburgh, which has beaten the Ravens twice this season by identical scores of 17-10 and has won six of the past seven meetings, changed up its running game by using traps and counters with its tight ends blocking down to the other side of the line of scrimmage with “wham” blocks. The Steelers had 155 yards on 39 carries in the regular-season finale, albeit against many of the Ravens’ backups. Their strategy was ideal, especially against defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, who gets a lot of penetration because he is so quick off the ball. 2023 NFL: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore RavensKarl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun“I think there is always room for improvement,” said Ravens defensive lineman Brent Urban, left, shown trying to tackle Bengals running back Joe Mixon alongside Malik Harrison, Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith on Nov. 23. “Teams have been creative down the stretch in attacking us with outside runs and switching it up and all that kind of stuff.” (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made the Ravens adjust, but they were slow to do so. “Yeah, I saw that in Pittsburgh. They were definitely gap-scheming, trapping, doing all that stuff to get interior runs and seams through us,” said Madubuike, who leads the team with 13 sacks and is sixth in tackles with 56. “I feel like early on they got us pretty good on it, but I feel like we picked up on it and found ways to counter it. I feel like we got better as the game went on.” That’s part of what makes the postseason so interesting. The secondary was expected to be Baltimore’s weakness before the season, but the unit has held up well. The Ravens have also gotten a strong pass rush from veteran outside linebackers Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy. The run defense, though, has been inconsistent, and the Ravens have to emphasize to their defensive linemen that they need their offensive counterparts to keep them from reaching Smith and weakside linebacker Patrick Queen in the second level. Those two lead the Ravens in tackles with 158 and 133, respectively. The Ravens know they have to get better. “I think that we’ve played pretty good against the run,” Madubuike said. “There’s a few games that we feel like we could have played better. We were talking about that in meetings that there are certain fronts for us as interior linemen, and we have to set up the linebackers to be clean so we can stop the run earlier. I think we have a good defense, but we have a ways to go to get better.” AFC divisional round TBD at Ravens Jan. 20-21, TBA TV: TBA Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM View the full article

Forgive Baltimore fans for being jaded. Really, they should be confident. The Ravens finished the regular season with the league’s best record and, in the minds of most, are the class of the NFL. Lamar Jackson is the presumptive NFL Most Valuable Player, the receiving corps has been strong and the defense has been even better. Baltimore will rest this weekend — while other teams beat each other up — before hosting the AFC team with the lowest-remaining seed Jan. 20 or 21 in the divisional round. But the city of Baltimore hasn’t seen a home playoff win since 2013, and the ghost of 2019’s disappointing loss to the Tennessee Titans haunts Ravens fans evermore. Plus, across the street from M&T Bank Stadium, the Orioles fell flat in October’s postseason after a dominant and exhilarating regular season in which they won an American League-best 101 games. Some fans, citing the 2019 Ravens and 2023 Orioles, might be uneasy heading into the postseason, especially since this year’s Ravens — like those two league-best teams previously mentioned — received a first-round bye. “I can’t blame people for talking about it,” standout second-year safety Kyle Hamilton said this week of 2019. “Obviously, I wasn’t here, I don’t know too much of what happened, but we were first in the AFC and lost. That’s all people have to go off of right now besides the Ray Lewis [and] Ed Reed days.” But if Ravens fans are anxious, it should be because, in a win-or-go-home playoff setting, anything can happen. Not because Baltimore has received a bye. Some blamed the Orioles’ long break before the 2023 postseason for their being swept by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers, and some criticized the Ravens’ decision to rest key players, such as Jackson and star inside linebacker Roquan Smith, in last week’s meaningless game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, fearing they’d be out-of-rhythm come playoff time after a three-week hiatus from game action. Posed with a question about the concept of “rust versus rest” — weighing the advantages of staying sharp as opposed to getting a break — coach John Harbaugh said “it’s not really about that.” “I think we’re just going to have a great week of practice and try to get better in every single area,” he said. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ Mike Macdonald on how he’s handling job interviews | VIDEO Baltimore Ravens | Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley motivated by 2019 playoff failure as offensive line looks to dominate postseason Baltimore Ravens | Staff picks for NFL wild-card round: Browns vs. Texans, Bills vs. Steelers, Chiefs vs. Dolphins and more Baltimore Ravens | Ravens prepare for playoff opener, looking to lessons from 2019 loss they’re ‘still not completely over’ Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Run defense is a Ravens tradition, but it’s one of their few flaws — and they know it | COMMENTARY Sure, the long break is unusual. After months of playing every week, Jackson’s first appearance in an NFL game in 2024 will come, at the earliest, Jan. 20. Asked Wednesday if he’s antsy to play, Jackson quickly nodded yes. But unlike every other AFC team, the Ravens are guaranteed to advance to the divisional round, a blessing in the postseason. They won’t know their foe until after this weekend, but Harbaugh said it’s helpful to consider which of four possible opponents (the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers or Houston Texans) they could face. What’s more, their risk for injury is low; while Jackson rested during Saturday’s game, Steelers star pass rusher T.J. Watt suffered a knee injury that will keep him out of a wild-card matchup against the No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills. “Guys were banged up,” defensive lineman Justin Madubuike said of receiving a week of rest, “so it’s another great opportunity for them to get better.” Bye weeks also give teams time to prepare. An NFL team with a first-round breather is likely to receive a “slight advantage,” according to Jeremy Foreman, a professor at Louisiana-Lafayette who has studied the effects of regular-season bye weeks on NFL teams. Foreman has found that bye weeks are particularly advantageous when a team faces less familiar, nondivisional opponents. Each additional day of rest a team gets compared with a nondivisional foe is worth 0.37 points, Foreman has found. In the Ravens’ playoff scenario, that would result in a 2.6- to 3.0-point advantage. “In other words, the bye week advantage is equivalent to about a field goal, when playing against a nondivision opponent,” Foreman wrote in an email to The Baltimore Sun. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, center, was one of several players to rest during Saturday’s game against the Steelers. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) The Ravens don’t yet know who they’ll face, which could limit their advantage, and they could very well face a familiar AFC North foe, dulling their edge. Plus, on-field success isn’t measured in 0.37-point increments, but rather in memorable plays that etch themselves into lore — whether in elation or anguish. But still, at least from an empirical perspective, the Ravens ought to have a slight boost by resting this week. As for the Ravens’ preparation this week, it mimed the rest of their dominant 2023 campaign. At Wednesday’s practice, there was receiver Odell Beckham Jr. snagging one-handed catches, safety Geno Stone fully participating after an injury scare Saturday, and then, in the locker room, team leader and Pro Bowl linebacker Roquan Smith personifying intensity, as per usual. “Just a bunch of hungry dogs,” Smith said, describing the team’s mentality. “Like, have you ever been on a safari, [or] have you ever been in the wild and just seen cats that are trying to survive and trying to make their next meal? I feel like we have that mentality, and we know [that] if one gets a kill, we’re all going to share it, at the end of the day.” Whether it’s Jackson’s health, Smith’s leadership and ferocity or a 0.37-points-per-day boost as evidenced by academic research, the Ravens seem to be on strong footing. But no one can blame Baltimore fans for their anxiety. The sting of disappointment is too fresh and, as the 2019 Ravens and 2023 Orioles have shown, the postseason is a dangerous wilderness where regular-season wins are as meaningful as the Ravens’ Week 18 loss to the Steelers. AFC divisional round TBD at Ravens Jan. 20-21, TBA TV: TBA Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM View the full article

Dalvin Cook was startled by the attention. “Holy [expletive],” he said as he slipped on his sneakers and turned around to face the gaggle of reporters that had encircled his locker Thursday in Owings Mills. He said he could sense the swarm of bodies around him but wasn’t quite sure. He was more certain of his decision to sign with the Ravens after the New York Jets released him earlier this month and the four-time Pro Bowl selection passed through waivers unclaimed. “It was a no-brainer,” Cook, 28, said in his first meeting with reporters since Baltimore signed the 2017 second-round draft pick to its practice squad last week. Asked about the opportunity of joining the AFC’s top seed ahead of the playoffs, he said, “It presents everything. Obviously the situation speaks for itself. “For me, it’s a new breath, a new opportunity.” What kind of one, of course, remains to be seen. Cook rushed for 1,173 yards and eight touchdowns along with tallying 295 receiving yards and two scores in 2022 with the Minnesota Vikings, who drafted the former Florida State star 41st overall seven years ago. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens roundtable: Answering questions about regular season, rest vs. rust, playoff weaknesses and more Baltimore Ravens | Five things we still need to learn about the 2023 Ravens going into the playoffs Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ Roquan Smith: ‘[We’re] just a bunch of hungry dogs’ | VIDEO Baltimore Ravens | Titans, after firing Mike Vrabel, reportedly request to interview Ravens DC Mike Macdonald for head coach opening Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers absent from practice Wednesday; RB Dalvin Cook ‘potentially valuable weapon’ But there were signs during his final season in Minnesota that perhaps his best years were behind him. Among 42 running backs with at least 100 carries, his rushing yards over expected per carry (-0.1) ranked 30th, expected points added per rush (-0.2) 39th, per NFL NextGen Stats, and defense-adjusted value over average (-10.8%) 33rd, according to FTN Fantasy. And that was behind a Vikings offensive line that ranked as one of the best in the NFL, with a run-blocking grade of 74.1 by Pro Football Focus, the third-highest mark in the league. Things were even worse in New York. With the Jets, who signed Cook as something of an insurance policy with second-year back Breece Hall coming off a torn ACL, he never found his rhythm. In 14 games with New York, Cook logged just 67 carries for 214 yards and fumbled twice. That he signed with Baltimore after his release, however, was not a surprise. The Ravens lost their top back, J.K. Dobbins, to a season-ending torn Achilles tendon in Week 1 and emerging undrafted rookie Keaton Mitchell to a torn ACL in Week 15. That left only Gus Edwards, Justice Hill and little-used veteran Melvin Gordon III as the team’s running backs on the active roster. Cook, who is from South Florida and friendly with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Zay Flowers, said Thursday that he was “close, real close” to signing with Baltimore before choosing the Jets. Ravens running back Dalvin Cook, pictured at practice Wednesday, could be part of the team’s rotation in the postseason. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) As for how much action he might see in the postseason, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that he views Cook as a “very valuable or potentially valuable weapon on our offense.” Baltimore’s first playoff game also won’t take place until the divisional round, either Jan. 20 or 21, which gives Cook time to get acclimated to the offense. “He still has talent and ability, and he’s smart,” Harbaugh said. “I think he’s going to be a valuable part of our team and the playoffs here.” Cook, meanwhile, is excited for the opportunity. “Knowing how [Lamar] is, knowing how he operates, a competitor, we just playing ball like we’re back home back in South Florida playing ball. It’s gonna be a great experience. “I appreciate Harbaugh so much. For me, I’m just gonna work my tail off. Every opportunity that comes my way I’m gonna give it my all for these guys.” View the full article

Save for some self-inflicted wounds early in the schedule, the Ravens exceeded expectations during the regular season, particularly after losing top running back J.K. Dobbins to a season-ending torn Achilles in Week 1 and tight end and security blanket Mark Andrews to an ankle injury in Week 12, as well as a slew of others to less serious injuries the past few months. Baltimore (13-4) finished with the best record in the NFL to claim the top seed in the AFC, a first-round bye in the playoffs and home-field advantage through the conference championship game. The Ravens also have the presumptive NFL Most Valuable Player in quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is the favorite to win the award for the second time in his career, a historically dominant defense that led the NFL in sacks (60), takeaways (31) and fewest points allowed (16.5) and should be relatively healthy with key starters expected back in time for their divisional round game Jan. 20 or 21. But the playoffs, of course, are a different animal. One small mistake can end big Super Bowl dreams. Still, the regular season provided plenty of insight on what awaits the Ravens this postseason. Though Baltimore is just 2-5 in the playoffs and has failed to advance past the divisional round since its last Super Bowl title in the 2012 season, the expectation from fans, rightfully so, is much higher this year. So with the playoffs about to begin and the Ravens awaiting to see who their opponent will be, Baltimore Sun reporters Brian Wacker and Childs Walker and columnist Mike Preston break down the best and worst from the regular season and look ahead to the postseason. The Ravens’ 13-4 record surpassed even the most optimistic expectations. What’s your biggest takeaway from the regular season? Wacker: That this team has been an exquisite blend of hungry, talented veterans often willing to set aside ego for the greater good of chasing a Super Bowl ring, and smart, talented, explosive young players to complement them. Winning helps, of course, but players such as Jadeveon Clowney, Kyle Van Noy and Odell Beckham Jr. have blended seamlessly with rising stars such as Roquan Smith, Kyle Hamilton and Zay Flowers. Jackson, meanwhile, has elevated his game to another level. He’s always been a dynamic generational talent, but his command of the offense seems to have ratcheted up. Walker: This team can win a lot of different ways and adjusts well within games, traits that will play well in the postseason. The Ravens don’t have a pronounced weakness. Jackson is a more polished passer than he was during his previous MVP season, but coordinator Todd Monken’s offense can still pound out yards on the ground when it’s time to secure a win in the second half. The Ravens’ defense surrendered chunk plays in the first halves of blowout wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins, but coordinator Mike Macdonald made tactical adjustments that paid off against two of the league’s most dangerous offenses. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Five things we still need to learn about the 2023 Ravens going into the playoffs Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ Roquan Smith: ‘[We’re] just a bunch of hungry dogs’ | VIDEO Baltimore Ravens | Titans, after firing Mike Vrabel, reportedly request to interview Ravens DC Mike Macdonald for head coach opening Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers absent from practice Wednesday; RB Dalvin Cook ‘potentially valuable weapon’ Baltimore Ravens | Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and the New York Giants part ways Preston: There were two. The first was how the Ravens physically dominated teams. The NFL is filled with average teams but the Ravens just mauled and beat teams that were supposed to be good, such as Detroit, Seattle, San Francisco and Miami. In some cases, they were expected to win, but they took away the other team’s desire to compete. I haven’t seen that in Baltimore since the Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2000 with one of the best defenses in league history. While on the subject of defense, this group carried the team while the offense was a “work in progress.” The Ravens were expected to be strong in the front seven, but the secondary stepped up despite being riddled with injuries to starters such as cornerback Marlon Humphrey and safety Marcus Williams. The Ravens entered the season without a shutdown cornerback, but Brandon Stephens has stepped up, as has safety Geno Stone. Combined with pass rushers Clowney and Van Noy, tackle Justin Madubuike and linebackers Patrick Queen and Smith, the Ravens had a strong regular season. What’s more important during the first-round bye: getting extra rest and healing up for a playoff run, or staying sharp after a strong regular season? Wacker: Rest, rest and more rest. Sure, there’s always a concern about rust whenever there is a long layoff, and it wouldn’t be stunning if that happened again this year. But the makeup of the roster is what to makes that unlikely. There’s too much of a veteran presence and too much high-level, intelligent talent to bungle the opportunity. Only nine players from the 2019 team that was stunned by the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round after going 14-2 in the regular season remain. One of them is Jackson, and he’s been focused on not letting past playoff failures be his defining legacy. Walker: Healing is goal No. 1. With essential players such as Hamilton, Smith, Humphrey and Flowers banged up, the Ravens needed the extra week to be in fighting form for the playoffs. But players have made the point that rest cannot come at the expense of losing their edge. So those who could practice did so Wednesday, making sure the detail work they have obsessed over for six months is not squandered with the finish line in sight. Preston: One doesn’t have more importance than the other. Teams play the regular season to earn a first-round bye and the extra week to heal. Some believe that a team, if peaking, needs to play every week to continue the momentum, but football is physically draining. All you need to do is look at the rash of quarterback injuries this season or the current shape of the Dolphins, who are limping into the postseason with several injuries. There will be rust, but that will go away quickly. Aside from tight end Mark Andrews, the Ravens should be in good shape for their divisional round game. To keep it in perspective, the Ravens have had virtually three weeks off if you count resting several starters in the regular-season finale against Pittsburgh. The Ravens accomplished all their goals of having the league’s best record, winning the AFC North and earning a first-round bye. Ravens vs. BrownsKenneth K. Lam/Baltimore SunBrowns running back Kareem Hunt scores a 3-yard touchdown against the Ravens on Nov. 12. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Every playoff team has a fatal flaw. What’s the Ravens’ biggest weakness? Wacker: Run defense. Teams that have had success against the Ravens this year could run the ball well and command the line of scrimmage. See: the Los Angeles Rams. The Cleveland Browns also shredded the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium and came away with a win because of it. Being able to grind out yards on the ground, wear out the defense, control the clock and keep the score close puts all the pressure on Baltimore. Walker: Macdonald has gone with lighter boxes this year, conceding rushing yards, especially in the first half, in the name of preventing big passing plays and creating takeaways. His calculation paid off as the Ravens allowed the fewest points and third fewest yards per play in the league. But it’s fair to wonder how the Ravens, who allowed 4.5 yards per carry, would hold up against an opponent that builds an early lead and runs relentlessly in the second half. That was the formula the Titans used to beat a different Ravens defense, with a different coordinator, four years ago. Preston: Their biggest weakness is pass protection, especially at offensive tackle. Both right tackle Morgan Moses and left tackle Ronnie Stanley have struggled, but Jackson has made up for it because of his scrambling ability. Both tackles played well against San Francisco and Miami before having trouble again against the Steelers. The Ravens have done a good job of getting them help with fullbacks, tight ends and running backs chipping on the edges, but that affects the number of receivers in the passing game. In the playoffs, that will be a key decision for offensive coordinator Todd Monken because the quality of opponents will be stronger. Besides pass blocking, the other concern is stopping the run. It’s not really a weakness but it is something to keep an eye on in the postseason. Before the Week 18 game, the Ravens were allowing 106.5 yards rushing per game. The Steelers pounded them inside, finishing with 155 yards on 39 attempts. In the postseason, opposing teams will exploit your weaknesses. Lamar Jackson is expected to win his second NFL Most Valuable Player Award, yet he’s struggled in the postseason so far. Why might this year be different? Wacker: There are myriad reasons to believe that Jackson will be much better in the playoffs this year than in the past: He’s in the sixth year of his career; he has been empowered to take control of a more dynamic offense; he has considerably better talent around him at wide receiver. Talking to teammates, it’s clear he has also paid attention to small details and made smart decisions that have stacked up to a big impact. Some of his numbers were better when he was the 2019 NFL MVP, but overall he is playing the best football of his career right now. Walker: Jackson is a better mechanical passer, and as he said this week, he has seen so many more defensive tricks than he had as a 23-year-old, finishing up his first full season as a starter. He has managed games expertly this year, giving the Ravens what they need, when they need it, even against the toughest opponents. If we did not know his playoff history, there would be no reason to think he’s due for a fall based on the way he played in December with a division title and No. 1 seed hanging in the balance. Preston: There are several reasons why that might not happen. First of all, Jackson is now in his sixth year. He missed virtually the final two months of the past two seasons because of injuries, but this year he has played in big games down the stretch against Miami and San Francisco. That experience will help because Jackson has appeared nervous in previous postseason games. Then there is the addition of first-year coordinator Monken. Jackson previously ran without a purpose, but now he runs to buy time and allow his receivers to get open. Monken’s running game concepts are similar to his predecessor Greg Roman’s, but the passing game concepts are different, better developed and more sophisticated. The Ravens have more big-play potential compared with previous years with the additions of Beckham, Flowers, Nelson Agholor and tight end Isaiah Likely. They are the most complete and balanced team in the NFL. Does this guarantee Jackson will succeed in the playoffs? No. But overall, his chances are better because the team invested a lot in the offense during the offseason. Despite the big contract and MVP awards, Jackson has to win in the postseason to cement a legacy in Baltimore and around the NFL. Great quarterbacks win big games in the postseason. Ravens inside linebacker Roquan Smith returns an interception against the Dolphins on Dec. 31. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Other than Jackson, who is the Ravens’ most important player entering the postseason? Wacker: No one’s even close to Jackson in terms of importance — without him, the season is over. Next in line, though, is inside linebacker Smith. Hamilton is perhaps just as important given his versatility, but it’s Smith who sets the tone for the league’s best defense and quickly dissects opposing offenses and communicates the call to the rest of the team. He makes everyone around him better. Walker: If Jackson is the most important player by far, the guys most responsible for keeping him upright, tackles Stanley and Moses, have to be near the top of the list. Both have struggled with injuries (Stanley to his knee and Moses to his shoulder) at times this year, but both did a good job keeping the heat off their quarterback in those dominant wins over the 49ers and Dolphins. It will be interesting to see if the Ravens continue rotating Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele to keep the veterans fresh. That unorthodox strategy seemed to pay off, but the offensive line’s ceiling is still highest with Stanley and Moses holding down the edges. Preston: It’s Smith. He is to the defense what Jackson is to the offense. Go back and look at the first half of the Steelers game last week. The defense was out of sync and the Ravens were lost without him. As far as leadership, he has become the voice of the team. He is calm and has great wisdom and influence on his teammates. He delivers the pregame speech or “boomalacher,” as Ray Lewis did. Smith has a quiet charm about him and is a true professional. When he speaks, everybody listens because he commands that kind of respect. View the full article

We made it. The Ravens wrote a glorious preamble. Have they ever delivered a more perfect couplet of regular-season performances than they did in dismantling the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins? But we have reached the hour upon which they, especially quarterback Lamar Jackson, will truly be judged. Four years ago, they dominated up to this point only to come up short on the playoff stage. All those who care about this franchise, internally and externally, want to know: Will this time be different? With that in mind, here are five questions still looming as the Ravens prepare to host their postseason opener. Will we see MVP Lamar Jackson in the playoffs? There’s not a lot of justice in using three poor performances to undermine a brilliant athlete who has won 75% of his regular-season starts and who’s favored to win his second NFL Most Valuable Player Award shortly after his 27th birthday. But those are the terms Jackson set for himself when he promised Baltimore a Super Bowl victory the night he was drafted, a vow he reaffirmed when he signed his extension with the Ravens in April. The fact is that for all those victories, for all his unforgettable highlights, Jackson has played a few of his worst career games in the playoffs. Toss aside his rookie year, when home fans booed and called for Joe Flacco to be inserted in the Ravens’ 23-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. This tale of disappointment truly began after a mighty 2019 season in which Jackson stormed to his first MVP award only to throw an interception, falter in the red zone and squander two third-quarter drives with turnovers in a 28-12 divisional-round loss to the Tennessee Titans. Jackson avenged that defeat in the 2020 wild-card round but played poorly again on a chilly, blustery night in Buffalo, where the Ravens scored just three points and he threw away their best scoring chance on a red-zone interception. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, left, hands off to running back Gus Edwards against the Dolphins on Dec. 31. (Jerry Jackson/Staff) Jackson has not played in the postseason since. After that loss to the Bills, fans and analysts outside Baltimore locked on to a narrative — bold winner in the regular season, skittish loser in the playoffs — he still has not outrun. There’s reason to believe Jackson is set to revise this tired story. In his sixth season, he’s in greater charge than ever before of an offense designed by swearing, swaggering coordinator Todd Monken. He’s throwing to more dynamic targets in Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham Jr., with tight end Isaiah Likely serving as a nifty stand-in for Mark Andrews, who might be working toward a playoff comeback. Coach John Harbaugh has repeatedly used the word “mature” to describe this year’s team, and that starts with its on-field leader. The vibes could not be better. Jackson played his best games of the season against the Ravens’ toughest opponents and when they could smell the AFC’s No. 1 seed. But he has to do it with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Can the Ravens avoid coming out flat three weeks after their last meaningful game? Comparisons to 2019 — similarities extend from the Ravens’ closing dominance, to Jackson’s MVP brilliance, to their resting of key starters in a meaningless regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers — are unavoidable. Jackson seems exhausted with this plot. Others, such as left tackle Ronnie Stanley, say that loss to the Titans sticks with them as a reminder of what not to do this time around. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ Roquan Smith: ‘[We’re] just a bunch of hungry dogs’ | VIDEO Baltimore Ravens | Titans, after firing Mike Vrabel, reportedly request to interview Ravens DC Mike Macdonald for head coach opening Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers absent from practice Wednesday; RB Dalvin Cook ‘potentially valuable weapon’ Baltimore Ravens | Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and the New York Giants part ways Baltimore Ravens | Joe Flacco’s road success in playoffs with Ravens gives Browns boost as they visit Texans in AFC wild card “I remember we came out really, really slow in that Titans game,” nose tackle Michael Pierce said. He’s not wrong. The 2019 Ravens were used to trampling opponents before halftime, but the Titans scored first after Jackson’s pass tipped off Andrews’ outstretched hands into the arms of Tennessee defensive back Kevin Byard, whose interception set up a 35-yard touchdown drive. The Titans built their advantage to 14-0 on a 45-yard play-action bomb one snap after Jackson failed to convert on fourth-and-1. In a matter of moments, Tennessee turned the tables on the league’s brawniest bully. The Ravens would mishandle opportunities to get back in the game, but the die was cast early in the second quarter. Did this have something to do with the way Harbaugh and his players had handled the previous three weeks after they clinched home-field advantage and a first-round bye? Did they lose their edge as starters rested in the finale against Pittsburgh, as they took a weekend off while the Titans fought to advance? Harbaugh does not see the experience that way. He’ll tell you the Ravens had the right plan for Tennessee, that they outgained their opponent 530 yards to 345 and lost because they simply did not execute properly on a few plays that should have produced touchdowns. Though he’ll make some tweaks, he has indicated he will not coach this year’s team in reaction to 2019. He again opted to rest Jackson and several other key players against the Steelers, acknowledging the risk of injury outweighed any potential gain. No matter what the Ravens say between now and the opening kickoff, we won’t know what any of it meant until they play the next game. Even then, causality will be elusive, just as it was four years ago. “We have a good plan, and Coach ‘Harbs’ has a good plan,” Pierce said. “We’ll be working mostly through the break and obviously getting guys healthy, but we’ll be working, and we’re definitely mindful [of] what happened last time.” How healthy are they? The Ravens needed this week off. They dealt with significant injuries — Andrews’ ankle, J.K. Dobbins’ torn Achilles tendon, a season-ending knee injury to scintillating rookie Keaton Mitchell — at various points of the season without being derailed. But they became noticeably more battered in those victories against Miami and San Francisco, brilliant as they were. They finished off the Dolphins without starting cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens or Pro Bowl safety Kyle Hamilton. Pro Bowl linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen are nursing pectoral and shoulder injuries, respectively. They took the unusual step of rotating their offensive tackles in hopes of getting veterans Stanley and Morgan Moses across the finish line. Their most dependable blocker, Kevin Zeitler, tried to fight through knee and quadriceps pain to face the Dolphins but could not make it. Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh and safety Geno Stone left the Steelers game with ankle and knee injuries, respectively. The good news, Harbaugh said, is that all those who were out or questionable against Miami and Pittsburgh are expected to be ready for the playoff opener. He has not ruled out an Andrews return if the Ravens keep winning. Jackson, who could not finish the 2021 and 2022 seasons, is the one player this team cannot go without, and he’s fit. But playoff football is a war of attrition, with everyone hurting to some degree and catastrophe always one awkward step away. We can’t know if Hamilton’s sprained knee and Humphrey’s sore calf will cost them a few steps of mobility, if persistent pain will make it harder for Queen and Smith to secure the middle of the field or for Stanley and Moses to keep Jackson safe. The Ravens aren’t the most wounded team in the playoffs. In fact, they might go into their divisional-round matchup with a healthier roster than possible opponents such as the Dolphins and Cleveland Browns. But they’re dealing with enough issues that we’ll all be playing amateur trainer as we watch the next week of practices. Ravens coach John Harbaugh, left, speaks with defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald at practice Dec. 28. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) Might they be at a disadvantage in a slugfest? This question seems to defy logic because we’re talking about the league’s most productive ground attack and a defense that prides itself on beating up high-concept offenses. The numbers don’t lie, however. The Ravens, in part because of coordinator Mike Macdonald’s tactical concessions, have not smothered the run in recent weeks. The 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey averaged 7.4 yards per carry against them. Miami’s De’Von Achane averaged 7.6. Pittsburgh pounded out 155 rushing yards. In most cases, opponents have fallen behind the Ravens, making it impossible to keep grinding. This suggests Macdonald’s gambit of going with lighter boxes to minimize big plays and maximize takeaways is a smart one. His defense has allowed the fewest points of any in the league. The modern adage that teams run because they’re winning instead of winning because they’re running has held up. But what if a playoff opponent strikes first and strikes hard as the Titans did four years ago, before handing the ball to Derrick Henry to carry them home? Are the Ravens, with so many of their most important defenders playing through injuries, primed to stand up to such a frontal assault? On the other side of the ball, Jackson will hand off to Gus Edwards, who does not run through contact as consistently as he did a few years ago, and Justice Hill, who played brilliantly against the Dolphins but has carried just 26 times over the past eight games. The Ravens found an electric threat in Mitchell to mitigate the loss of Dobbins, but he’s gone until next season. Ex-stars Melvin Gordon III and Dalvin Cook seem unlikely to deliver home runs. Which means the overwhelming burden will fall on Jackson when the Ravens need tough yards. He guarantees a potent running game, no matter who’s back there with him, but he also needs to manage risk. The Ravens have out-rushed opponents in 14 of 17 games this season, but they’re vulnerable enough on defense and down enough bodies on offense that this customary advantage is no given for the games ahead. Is this both the first and last best chance for this version of the Ravens? More than 20 Ravens, including Queen, Beckham, Stone, Zeitler, defensive tackle Justin Madubuike and edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, will become free agents after this season. They’ll keep some of those — Madubuike figures to be the priciest and most likely to be kept in place using the franchise tag — but can’t afford them all with Jackson, Stanley, Humphrey, Andrews and safety Marcus Williams each eating up at least $15 million of their 2024 salary cap. The road ahead is also uncertain for key non-playing figures in the franchise. Macdonald and Monken, along with defensive line and associate head coach Anthony Weaver, have popped up on interview lists for coaching vacancies. Their staffs — the Michigan-Ravens defensive think tank is particularly hot at the moment — could be raided to fill pro and college coordinator openings. Vice president of football administration Nick Matteo and director of player personnel Joe Hortiz could end up running front offices in other NFL cities. This is the nature of success in the NFL. Poachers take from the fleshiest carcasses. The cap forces painful choices. We should not overstate the speed with which the Ravens’ window is closing. Harbaugh, general manager Eric DeCosta and owner Steve Bisciotti still lead one of the most stable brain trusts in the sport. They paid Jackson all that money because when you have a franchise quarterback, the window stays open. Stars such as Hamilton, Smith, Flowers and center Tyler Linderbaum are just beginning their runs. But the Ravens’ next dominant team won’t look exactly like this one. We need only look back to 2019 to realize how quickly NFL life proceeds. About 80% of the players from that roster are playing elsewhere or retired four years later. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman, one of the league’s most lauded assistants that year, did not coach in 2023. Defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale just resigned from the New York Giants, the team he joined after he departed Baltimore. So yes, urgency is called for as the Ravens prepare for this Super Bowl push. AFC divisional round TBD at Ravens Jan. 20-21, TBA TV: TBA Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM View the full article

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Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald continues to draw interest from other teams around the NFL. On Tuesday, Titans general manager Ron Carthon told reporters hours after coach Mike Vrabel was fired that Tennessee was “going to hit the ground running” in its search for a replacement. A day later, the team requested permission to interview Macdonald for the opening, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. After the Ravens (13-4) finished with the NFL’s best record during the regular season, becoming the first team in NFL history to lead the league in sacks (60), takeaways (31) and points allowed per game (16.5), Macdonald has become one of the hottest head coaching candidates in the league. Already, the Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers have requested permission to interview the 36-year-old, who is in his second year as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator and has transformed Baltimore’s defense into the best in the NFL. He was already viewed across the league as one of the game’s brightest young minds coming into this season, and that reputation has only been enhanced since. “I think we have a bunch of coaches who are going to be coordinators and head coaches on this staff who are going to be very successful for a long time,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday as the team began preparations for the divisional round Jan. 20-21. “Any opportunity they get I support, and I’m excited for them to have those opportunities.” Harbaugh also alluded to some coaches on his staff as having one, two or three interviews, which would point to Macdonald. The Ravens have a long-standing policy of not commenting specifically on whether another team has requested an interview with a member of their organization, though several staff members have been targeted for interviews by other teams, including offensive coordinator Todd Monken and associate head coach/defensive line coach Anthony Weaver. The Panthers also announced they have sought permission to interview Ravens vice president of football administration Nick Matteo for their general manager opening, while Baltimore’s director of player personnel, Joe Hortiz, has also been rumored to be a candidate for general manager openings. While no in-person interviews with a coach currently working for another team can be held until after the divisional round of the playoffs, virtual interviews can take place. General manager interviews, meanwhile, can begin immediately. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Joe Flacco’s road success in playoffs with Ravens gives Browns boost as they visit Texans in AFC wild card Baltimore Ravens | Ravens and Lamar Jackson enter playoffs with chance for redemption: ‘It’s about getting what we’re chasing’ Baltimore Ravens | Mural from Towson alum part of Ravens initiative to connect art with football and communities around Maryland Baltimore Ravens | 2024 NFL mock draft (Version 1.0): Projecting the first round after top 18 picks come into focus Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ “Coats and Cuts” community event 2024 | PHOTOS Macdonald, who began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Georgia in 2010, joined Baltimore as a coaching intern in 2014 and has quickly worked his way up the ranks. After two years as a defensive assistant, he was promoted to defensive backs coach in 2017, then linebackers coach the next year. In 2021, he took a job as Michigan’s defensive coordinator under Harbaugh’s younger brother Jim and built one of college football’s best defenses before returning to the Ravens in 2022 to be their defensive coordinator following the departure of Don “Wink” Martindale. When asked late last month if he’d received any calls from interested teams, Macdonald simply shook his head and laughed. “It’s hard to ignore, and it’s an honor to hear about it,” he said then. “It’s such a unique opportunity when it does come up. For guys that know me, I’m a one-track guy. It’s very difficult for me to do two things at once, so you try your best to focus on the things we need to focus on, which is the next game and getting our guys in position to win. To have that opportunity or have your name come up like that, it’s really a reflection of our coaches and our staff together.” The Titans were 54-45 over six seasons under Vrabel, though just 13-21 the past two seasons, missing the playoffs both times. The departure of Vrabel, a former linebacker and assistant coach with the New England Patriots, also comes four years after Tennessee stunned the top-seeded Ravens in the divisional round of the 2019 playoffs, 28-12, after quarterback Lamar Jackson led Baltimore to a 14-2 mark in the regular season and was unanimously chosen as as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. Others the Titans have reportedly requested permission to speak with include Las Vegas Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. View the full article

Ravens rookie wide receiver Zay Flower did not practice Wednesday, the team’s first of the postseason, as he continues to recover from a calf injury. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf) also did not practice but was present in street clothes, and linebackers Del’Shawn Phillips and Malik Harrison, tight end Charlie Kolar, and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh missed practice, too. Several other players — including quarterback Lamar Jackson and inside linebacker Roquan Smith — who rested Saturday against the Pittsburgh Steelers returned to practice as the Ravens readied for the playoffs. Kyle Hamilton (knee), Kevin Zeitler (quad/knee) and Geno Stone, who left Saturday’s game with a knee injury, all returned to fully participate in practice. As the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the Ravens receive the postseason bye through this weekend. They’ll play at home on Jan. 20 or 21 against a team to be determined in the divisional round. Despite a loss to the Steelers in a less-than-meaningful game in Week 18, the Ravens managed to avoid significant injury. They’ll hope to enter the playoffs with a strong bill of health, including from Humphrey and Flowers, who tallied a team-high 858 yards and five touchdowns during the regular season. Practice squad running back Dalvin Cook also made his first appearance on Wednesday after the four-time Pro Bowl selection was signed by the Ravens last week. “Dalvin Cook is a high pedigree player, a highly decorated player, and he’s still got talent and ability,” coach John Harbaugh said. View the full article

By TOM CANAVAN (AP Sports Writer) EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and the New York Giants have parted ways after coach Brian Daboll fired two of his most trusted assistant coaches. The Giants, coming off a disappointing 6-11 season, announced the separation on Wednesday after more than a day of talks on how to work around the final year of Martindale’s contract. He was supposed to earn in the neighborhood of $3 million in 2024. No details of the split were released. A separation agreement could limit which teams the long-time coordinator could join if he was hired elsewhere next season. There were reports that the 60-year-old Martindale had submitted his resignation on Monday after the dismissals of outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins and defensive assistant Kevin Wilkins, brothers whom Martindale worked with in Baltimore and were hired by him after he got the Giants job. But Martindale never submitted a resignation, according to general manager Joe Schoen. The rift between Daboll and Martindale emerged publicly in November when FOX NFL insider Jay Glazer reported their relationship had soured and Martindale might leave the team after the season. Both Daboll and Martindale denied the report. Martindale several times said he wanted to return in 2024, but last week the affable veteran acknowledged he still wanted to be an NFL head coach. The departure of Martindale, whose defense shared the NFL lead with Baltimore in turnover differential (plus 12) but struggled against the run, means Daboll has to replace two coordinators and four assistants in the wake of injury-plagued season. Daboll fired special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey and offensive line coach Bobby Johnson on Monday morning and the Wilkins brothers in the afternoon meeting with the defensive coaches. Running backs coach Jeff Nixon has left to become the offensive coordinator at Syracuse. The changes came after the team stumbled horribly after making the playoffs in 2022 for the first time since 2016. New York won a wild-card game and expectations soared after the team reached agreement with quarterback Daniel Jones following a career season, acquired tight end Darren Waller in a trade and got star running back Saquon Barkley to sign a one-year deal after franchising him. Moves in free agency and the draft fueled those expectations. A bad start, injuries, little offense and early struggles on defense led to a 2-8 start to the season and New York never recovered. The only coordinator expected to return is offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, although Daboll might consider taking over the play-calling part of the job. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl View the full article

BEREA, Ohio — Joe Flacco knows the ins and outs, the perils and pitfalls of the road in the NFL playoffs as well as anyone. He’s sharing his top travel tips with the Browns. As Cleveland’s quarterback and his new-ish teammates prepare for Saturday’s AFC wild-card game in Houston, Flacco’s experience — and success — on the road in the postseason is giving the Browns (11-6) an extra boost of confidence. Flacco has won seven road playoff games, tying him with Tom Brady for the most in league history. There don’t seem to be any secrets to his impressive mark as Flacco said it simply comes down to following the fundamentals. “It just goes back to doing the basics the right way, not overthinking what it means to go on the road, just going and playing a good football game,” Flacco said before Wednesday’s practice. “And when the dust settles, pick your head up and see where you are.” Flacco has been having those types of moments for weeks. After all, he’s been on an extended personal road trip for nearly two months. The 38-year-old was out of football, pondering the next chapter in his life, when the Browns signed him in November after they lost Deshaun Watson for the remainder of the season with a fractured shoulder. All Flacco has done since coming to Cleveland is go 4-1 as a starter, throw for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns and give Browns fans temporary amnesia about the franchise’s dreadful history with quarterbacks. A win on Saturday and Super Bowl whispers will grow louder. Joe Flacco and Ravens coach John Harbaugh celebrate after beating the Patriots in the AFC championship on Jan. 20, 2013 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Staff file) The Browns are making just their third postseason appearance since 1999, and there are only a few players on their roster with extensive playoff experience, led by Flacco, the Super Bowl 47 MVP with Baltimore. This will be Flacco’s 17th postseason game — he didn’t play in his final one with the Ravens in 2019 — and 16th playoff start. He’s 10-5 overall with a 7-5 road record, which includes wins at Miami, Tennessee, New England (2), Kansas City, Denver and Pittsburgh. He’s hoping to add Houston to his playoff road resume in his second visit in three weeks. Making just his fourth start for the Browns, Flacco threw for 368 yards and three touchdowns in Cleveland’s 36-22 win over the Texans on Dec. 24. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens and Lamar Jackson enter playoffs with chance for redemption: ‘It’s about getting what we’re chasing’ Baltimore Ravens | Mural from Towson alum part of Ravens initiative to connect art with football and communities around Maryland Baltimore Ravens | 2024 NFL mock draft (Version 1.0): Projecting the first round after top 18 picks come into focus Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ “Coats and Cuts” community event 2024 | PHOTOS Baltimore Ravens | Ravens, defensive tackle Michael Pierce agree to two-year extension | VIDEO Flacco’s Super Bowl MVP came when he led the Ravens to the title after the 2012 season. That run included road wins in Denver against Peyton Manning and the following week in New England over Brady. He’s pleased to share the road mark with Brady, who went 7-4 on the road in the playoffs, but made it clear that every win is special — regardless of location. “Any time you get to be in the playoffs and win football games, there’s some part of you that takes pride in that no matter where it is,” he said. ”This is what we go to work for every day — to be in this position and to play these types of games. “We earned the right to be playing this Saturday and you should gain something from that. But once you lace him up and once you’re actually out on the field, none of that matters.” On Monday night, Flacco was one of a handful of playoff-tested Browns players who spoke at a team meeting about what lies ahead. “Everybody puts so much thought into what it takes to win these games and it’s doing the simple things the best you can and just playing good fundamental football,” Flacco said. “This is the time of the year where that stuff shows up. “Obviously there’s going to be plays made and guys are going to make a name for themselves, something’s going to happen over the next five weeks that we’re going to remember forever. But it’s just about playing fundamental, physical football and playing a full 60 minutes. And no matter what’s going on at the moment being able to keep the blinders on and keep moving forward.” AFC wild-card round Browns at Texans Saturday, 4:30 p.m. TV: NBC View the full article

Lamar Jackson already has a spot picked out in his house for a Super Bowl trophy. “Absolutely,” the Ravens quarterback told The Baltimore Sun, his eyebrows furrowing and a wry smile stretching across his face. “I got that planned out.” He’s not ready to reveal the plan yet. He does not want his thoughts to get too far into the future because it’s a futile exercise. After all, he’s been here before. Four years ago, Baltimore finished the regular season 14-2, was the top seed in the AFC and had home-field advantage through the conference championship game. Jackson was the unanimous choice to be named NFL Most Valuable Player that season, with the award announced the day before the Super Bowl. But the Ravens never got that far in the postseason, getting stunned at home by the Tennessee Titans, 28-12, in a divisional-round game in which Jackson was intercepted twice and fumbled once. Afterward, he said Baltimore beat itself and that he made a lot of mistakes but noted that it was just his second year in the league. Translation: He’d learn from his errors, and there would be other opportunities. After another playoff exit in the 2020 season and two injury-marred years that followed, the Ravens are finally on the precipice of the promise that Jackson made the night Baltimore drafted him in 2018. At 13-4 after the regular season, they are the No. 1 seed in the AFC, have home-field advantage and Jackson is the presumptive MVP. But this time is different. Jackson’s game and attention to detail, in the words of teammates, have “matured,” he has a dynamic offensive system at his fingertips and there is significantly more talent surrounding him than he had the last time Baltimore was in this position. “I don’t really get bothered by much [in my career] and I wouldn’t say I’ve had a lowest point, but I’ve had disappointments,” Jackson told The Sun. “Not finishing the season how we wanted, getting that first-round bye [in 2019] then losing before the AFC championship, that’s disappointing. We have a special team and hopefully we make it happen this year.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mural from Towson alum part of Ravens initiative to connect art with football and communities around Maryland Baltimore Ravens | 2024 NFL mock draft (Version 1.0): Projecting the first round after top 18 picks come into focus Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ “Coats and Cuts” community event 2024 | PHOTOS Baltimore Ravens | Ravens, defensive tackle Michael Pierce agree to two-year extension | VIDEO Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ Isaiah Likely on touchdown catch | VIDEO First, there is the offensive scheme under new coordinator Todd Monken, who helped lead Georgia to national championships each of the previous two seasons. In addition to more spread formations and an up-tempo pace, the Ravens have emphasized getting the ball out of Jackson’s hands quicker and into those of the playmakers around him. Monken has also empowered the quarterback in play-calling, both in planning and at the line of scrimmage. That has allowed Jackson to excel within the framework of what he sees on the field as it is taking place and adjust accordingly. The result has been career highs in passing yards (3,678) and completion percentage (.672), along with 24 touchdown passes and dominant victories over the playoff-bound San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions, among others. “I think we all grow, we evolve [and] circumstances change,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We find ourself in a different place, and I’ve always admired Lamar for every part of what he’s doing. He’s always done his best and he’s doing his best right now. “I would say this: He’s an A-plus leader right now. He’s been glue for the guys, and it’s been great to see.” Of course, it helps to have players who can catch the ball in the first place. After Ravens wide receivers were last in the NFL in yards per game three of the previous four years and last in total yards in 2022, general manager Eric DeCosta made upgrading the position a priority in the offseason. With the addition of playmakers such as rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers, right, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, left, has enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Baltimore used its first-round draft pick on Zay Flowers and signed free agents Odell Beckham Jr., a three-time Pro Bowl selection, and veteran Nelson Agholor, both of whom have also won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively. The additions, along with incumbent receiver Rashod Bateman, a 2021 first-round pick, have given Jackson easily the best pass-catching corps he’s ever had. Flowers has been one of the best rookie receivers in the league and leads the team in yards and receptions. Beckham has flashed the big play and one-handed capabilities that made him famous earlier in his career with the New York Giants. Agholor has made several clutch grabs, and like Beckham has imparted his knowledge to the younger receivers. It’s worked both ways with Jackson, too. “The only way for someone to feel comfortable [with a quarterback] fully is to see it come through in a game,” Beckham told The Sun. “I’ve started to understand what he’s thinking, when he’s thinking so I know where he wants me to be and how he wants me to be.” Added Agholor: “There’s a brotherhood here that is second to none thus far. It’s really fun in terms of the guys we’ve assembled. We respect each other, feed off each other.” Still, there has been criticism. About Jackson’s accuracy at times, particularly on deep passes. About his fumbling, something he did seven times in the first five games this season. About his decision-making. And, perhaps most notably, about a 1-3 career playoff record that includes five interceptions and five fumbles. Fans reach out for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson before a game against the Dolphins on Dec. 31 at M&T Bank Stadium. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) At times, the 27-year-old quarterback has hit back on social media. After the Ravens blew a 27-20 lead with just over two minutes remaining in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars late last season, he took profane umbrage with one Twitter comment about his then-ongoing contract dispute. Jackson says his competitiveness sometimes spills over into his emotions, but he maintains that the criticism doesn’t bother him. “My rookie year was my first time being in the playoffs and people already had us doubted,” he told The Sun. “My second season, the Titans just had our number. We had a lot of drops, unfortunate things like that happened when we didn’t need them to. Third year, we won a game and lost in Buffalo. The past two years, I was hurt. “Hopefully this year it’ll be something different.” It is much different. Including Jackson, only nine players from that 2019 team are still on the Ravens’ active roster. But he is reluctant to say one is better than the other. “Different guys bring different things to the table,” Jackson told The Sun. “These guys bring something different [than them]. Hopefully we go further than those other years.” Jackson says he’s different, too. “I always say maturity,” he told The Sun. “As I get older, the more things I learn.” He’s also enjoying how he has evolved, and his message since training camp has been singular: win a Super Bowl in Baltimore. “It’s been fun,” Jackson told The Sun. “But we gotta stay locked in. It’s not about having fun. It’s about getting what we’re chasing.” View the full article

Nearly 65 years ago, the Baltimore Colts selected an offensive lineman by the name of Ernie Barnes out of all-Black North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central) during the 1960 NFL draft. He didn’t make it past the final cuts of training camp and his unremarkable career lasted only five years and spanned five teams, including the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, where his playing days came to an unceremonious end with a fractured right foot suffered in an exhibition game. Barnes’ second career, however, turned out to be far more enduring. His painting “Sugar Shack” appeared on the cover of Marvin Gaye’s 1976 album “I Want You” and was featured throughout the television sitcom “Good Times.” Among his other achievements, he also served as the official artist of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. An artist since childhood in segregated Durham, North Carolina, Barnes referred to himself in an interview with The New York Times as “Buster Brown, big, fat, shy, and I loved to draw,” who at a young age turned to the solitary endeavor as refuge from being bullied. His professional works often depicted the life he saw all around him, a vibrant flow of bodies in leisurely pursuits in churches and pool halls and athletic fields. Long after his death in 2009, it would also serve as inspiration for artist and Towson University graduate Jordan Lawson. “When I looked up who he was, I saw that he was a football player and it blew my mind because I didn’t even put two and two together that you could be a football player and a painter,” Lawson told The Baltimore Sun. “I thought that was so cool because it shows the talents that we have as humans. “I enjoy his style in terms of portraying shapes and forms in an elongated way thats’ very expressive, and I try to use that in my work as well.” Lawson’s work can be seen all around Baltimore — on the basketball courts at Patterson Park, on a half-dozen murals in Mondawmin Mall, at the Henderson Hopkins school — and now as part of the Ravens’ “Paint the State Purple” program, with the first of what the team hopes to be several murals around the state unveiled in November. The goal of the initiative is to connect the organization with the communities that support them. “A lot of NFL teams have done mural projects around their city and inside their stadium, and in April we started thinking how it could make sense for us,” Ravens senior director of brand strategy and advertising Josh Lukin told The Sun. “We have a really strong artistic community in Baltimore. How could we connect the dots? Art and football don’t always go together.” The first step was finding a location. They started with areas closest to Baltimore and selected Towson, where the mural appears on the northern wall of the Dulaney Plaza shopping center on the corner of Dulaney Valley Road and Fairmount Avenue, across from the Towson Town Center. Then there was the task of selecting an artist. The team’s brand design manager, Nick Prevas, used to work for the American Visionary Art Museum and was familiar with Lawson’s work. “It’s got a vibrancy to it,” Lukin said. “It’s a unique style. It’s playful, and it encourages fans to take pictures in front of it.” It didn’t hurt that Lawson, 30, grew up in Woodlawn and has been a diehard Ravens fan since childhood. “It was one of those things that I guess was bred in me,” Lawson said. “Growing up, my favorite player was Ray Lewis, and that’s portrayed in the mural as well as the Ravens fan has the number 52 jersey on, which is my personal favorite.” The main focus of the mural shows a fan descending into the city with balloons that spell out the team’s name. The balloons are meant to give a sense of nostalgia and the carefree tendencies of children, Lawson said. It also depicts other prominent landmarks in the city, including the courthouse, Fresh Market, The Rec Room and Johnny Unitas Stadium. “I thought that was the perfect icing on the cake because John Unitas was a Baltimore Colt as well,” Lawson said of the Hall of Fame quarterback. “And he resided in Towson, too.” As for the process of actually creating the art, it’s a laborious one that took 18 days to complete. It started with Lawson coming up with a concept, sketching it out by hand then drawing it into an Adobe software program to digitize it. From there, he presents the imagery to the client and gathers supplies. For this mural, Lawson began by painting the entire background baby blue, then projecting his image at night onto the wall, where he painted in the buildings and clouds. But the balloon letters that spell out Ravens, as well as other smaller elements, had to be painted freehand. He also applied two coats of paint so the mural would stand up to the weather and used an anti-graffiti coating that prevents it from being marked up and protects it from the sun’s ultraviolet light. “It gives us a chance to do something new in areas we might not always visit,” Lukin said. “We do caravans for purple Fridays but can’t get everywhere. This gives us a flag in the sand in these areas.” Already, there are plans in the works for another mural to be painted, potentially in Howard County, next spring. And officials from Salisbury have reached out expressing their interest in one being painted there as well. Meanwhile, the Ravens will begin the first of their $430 million in renovations to M&T Bank Stadium in 2024, a process that will take place incrementally over the next three years. One possibility among them is adding the artists’ work from the murals. “I could definitely see a world where we’re starting to build relationships with artists across state,” Lukin said. “It would be great to bring their artwork to the stadium at some point.” It’s a prospect that Lawson said would be a dream. “I would definitely love to be a part of it,” he said. “I’m definitely going to put my proposal in to see if there’s any space for more art because I think that always makes the spaces more vibrant and more inviting.” View the full article