ExtremeRavens

A smile stretched across Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s face as running back Derrick Henry extended a congratulatory hand, while sporting a freshly unpacked AFC North champions T-shirt and hat. The two men were inside the locker room at M&T Bank Stadium, where the victorious scent of cigar smoke still hung in the air. Moments later coach John Harbaugh handed out a series of game balls, one of which went to Jackson for a historic regular season. Henry nudged the quarterback to make a speech. Jackson, whom Baltimore signed to a five-year, $260 million contract before the 2023 season, was brief. “We gotta lock in, ’cause it’s go time,” he said. “A lot of us have been here plenty of times, and we ain’t finish. So, let’s just get started right now.” The job, as Jackson said later in his news conference, was still “undone.” For all his records and accolades over the past seven seasons and the Ravens’ accomplishments in that span, the only measure remaining that matters is the draft night promise of a Super Bowl title that he made to the city the day the organization selected him in 2018. So far, Jackson has failed to maintain his same level of play in the postseason; the Ravens are just 2-4 in the playoffs and have never reached a Super Bowl with him at the helm. Perhaps it’s fitting that to get there this year, Baltimore will have to go through its most bitter nemesis, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Mike Tomlin — the only NFL coach with a longer tenure than Harbaugh — in an AFC wild-card game Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium. It marks the just the fifth time, and first since 2015, that the teams have met in the playoffs, but time hasn’t softened the rivalry. “There’s a history of epic plays and epic finishes on both sides that just adds to the lore that is the rivalry between Baltimore and Pittsburgh,” Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, right, said. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) “I don’t know if I have any one particular moment that makes me hate those guys,” said Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who is the team’s longest-tenured player and lone holdover from their last playoff meeting. “I think it’s a slow burn over a number of years. It’s one little thing here. One bigger thing there. One play that gets made, one play that doesn’t get made. For whatever reason you remember those. You hold onto them. That makes it a little more personal. … It all kind of adds up into one big, emotional experience. “To sum it up in a word, it’s intense. There’s a lot of emotion, lot of energy that goes into any football game. But you talk about two teams that are very familiar with one another, that have had great players on both sides, playing at the highest level in games with the highest stakes. There’s a history of epic plays and epic finishes on both sides that just adds to the lore that is the rivalry between Baltimore and Pittsburgh.” That history, be it against the Steelers or in the postseason, has not been kind to the Ravens in recent years. Baltimore rallied to a division title for a second straight year with four straight victories to ultimately set up Saturday’s game. And along the way, Jackson became the first player in NFL history to throw for more than 4,000 yards and run for more than 900 in the same season. He is again an NFL Most Valuable Player candidate, an award he has already won twice, and a first-team All-Pro. But in Jackson’s six playoff games, he has thrown six interceptions and lost three fumbles. Until 2015, Pittsburgh had also won three straight playoff games against the Ravens, including the 2009 AFC championship game. And until the Ravens’ most recent victory over the Steelers on Dec. 21, Pittsburgh had won eight of the previous nine regular-season matchups, though Jackson did not play in more than half of those games. Even when he has, it’s often been a struggle, which has largely been true of his postseason performances as a whole. “I’m just too excited, that’s all, too antsy,” he said of his past playoff foibles. “I’m seeing things before it happens like, ‘Oh, I have to calm myself down.’ Being more experienced, I’ve found a way to balance it out.” That remains to be seen, particularly against a familiar foe that has often vexed if not frustrated the Ravens into mistakes. “I think everybody had their guy that they wanted to just punch in the mouth,” said former Baltimore running back Jamal Lewis, whose biggest adversaries were vaunted defenders Larry Foote, James Farrior and Joey Porter Sr. “We just hated each other.” Lewis remembers one year stiff-arming a Steelers defender and bouncing into space. Then he put his mitt into Porter’s face mask, driving him to the ground. There’s a picture of Lewis standing over his most hated rival like Muhammed Ali above Sonny Liston, and he still sends that picture to his Steelers fan friends as a reminder. AP photoFormer Ravens running back Jamal Lewis and former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter exchange words after a play. “I think everybody had their guy that they wanted to just punch in the mouth,” Lewis said. (AP file) It goes both ways, of course. On an episode of “Hard Knocks” last month, Joey Porter Sr. lounged at home explaining to his son and current Steelers defensive back, Joey Porter Jr., “It’s way more intense than anybody can speak on.” Porter Sr. went on to say he’s heard all about Baltimore’s famous crabs. “I ain’t never had it,” he deadpanned. Tucker didn’t hold back in his response to the moment. “Joey Porter was a great player,” he said. “But I don’t [care] what he has to say.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens have 6 named All-Pro, including first-team QB Lamar Jackson Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers wild-card round staff picks: Who wins Saturday in Baltimore? Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens’ offensive line holds the key to victory vs. Steelers | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Where do Lamar Jackson, Gunnar Henderson seasons rank in Baltimore history? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers wild-card round betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Former NFL safety Rod Woodson is perhaps best positioned to explain how both teams view one another. He spent from 1987 to 1996 with the Steelers. He also played for the Ravens from 1998 to 2001 and is the team’s radio color commentator. “They’re very similar in the way they like to play,” he said. “They like to run, like to beat you up, like to get after the quarterback. “The organizations are very similar.” It’s a rivalry that, as former Ravens receiver Qadry Ismail said, is “just different,” particularly when it comes to the postseason. “It sticks with you if you lose” to the Steelers, he said. “It’s like … we lost to them?!” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

Lamar Jackson is an All-Pro again. The Ravens quarterback beat out Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen with 30 first-place votes to Allen’s 18 to make The Associated Press All-Pro first team for the second straight year and third overall. Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (7) and current New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (4) are the only quarterbacks to earn more nominations in the Super Bowl era. Jackson, who was also an All-Pro in 2019 and 2023 when he was also named NFL Most Valuable Player both years, was one of six Baltimore players selected. Joining him are fullback Patrick Ricard (first time), middle linebacker Roquan Smith (third time) and slot cornerback Marlon Humphrey (second time). Two other Ravens made the second-team: running back Derrick Henry and safety Kyle Hamilton. Though Henry received two first-place votes, he was beaten out by NFL rushing leader and Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley. Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph and Green Bay Packers standout Xavier McKinney — who rank first and second in the league in interceptions, respectively — were the top two safeties chosen over Hamilton. Among the Ravens, Jackson’s historic season stood out the most. He became the first player to pass for more than 4,000 yards and run for more than 900 yards in the same season. His 41 touchdown passes were second-most behind only the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow while throwing just four interceptions, and his passer rating of 119.6 was also tops in the league and fourth-best in history. Jackson, who led the league in passing yards per attempt and whose 915 rushing yards were tops among quarterbacks, also led the Ravens to a 12-5 record, the AFC North title and the No. 3 seed in the conference. Henry, meanwhile, was second in the NFL in rushing with 1,921 yards in his age 30 season and his 5.9 yards per carry were the highest of his nine-year career. Ricard was the one often helping clear the way for the majority of those yards along with helping pave the way for the league’s top rushing attack. Henry’s 16 rushing touchdowns also tied for most in the league and were a single-season franchise record. He was also first or second in runs of over 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards and his 87-yard touchdown in a Week 4 blowout of the Buffalo Bills was the second-longest run among backs this season. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers wild-card round staff picks: Who wins Saturday in Baltimore? Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens’ offensive line holds the key to victory vs. Steelers | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Where do Lamar Jackson, Gunnar Henderson seasons rank in Baltimore history? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers wild-card round betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | Last time Steelers came to Baltimore for a playoff game, it ended with a plane crash at Memorial Stadium Humphrey, who had a bounce back eighth season after an injury-plagued 2023, had the third-most most interceptions in the league with a career-high six this season. He nabbed 26 first-place votes at the slot position and joins a defensive backfield that includes Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II and Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. Smith, who is the emotional leader of a Ravens defense that over the past two months of the regular season was one of the best in the NFL, had the second-most tackles (154) in the league and was one of only three players with at least 150 tackles, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Hamilton, meanwhile, has been the lynchpin in the secondary for a defense that allowed a league-low 261.7 yards per game and just 15.4 points per game since Week 11, which is 10.1 points fewer than they averaged surrendering over the first 10 weeks. Not coincidentally, that is when Baltimore started deploying the the third-year former first-round pick at deep safety more often. A national panel of 50 media members casts ballots for the honors. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Here’s how The Baltimore Sun sports staff views the outcome of Saturday’s wild-card game between the Ravens (12-5) and Steelers (10-7) at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore: Brian Wacker, reporter Ravens 23, Steelers 16: With Zay Flowers out, the Ravens’ offense becomes less explosive. The Steelers are also healthy after being without a handful of key players, including safety DeShon Elliott and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, the last time these teams met. Still, Lamar Jackson is playing his best football at a time of year when it matters most, and having Derrick Henry (along with a now healthy Justice Hill) makes a difference compared to previous playoff games. If things get ugly and sloppy, though, that will likely spell trouble for Baltimore. But the Ravens’ offense still has enough firepower to outscore what has been a struggling Steelers offense that will have its problems against an ascending defense. Childs Walker, reporter Ravens 27, Steelers 19: Zay Flowers won’t play, and that’s a big deal, but not such a big deal that the Ravens won’t survive without their Pro Bowl wide receiver. They’ll still have the dominant playmakers on the field in Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, and in Rashod Bateman and Isaiah Likely, they have pass catchers gifted enough to replace much of Flowers’ production. If Jackson plays close to the peaks he reached this season and avoids turnovers, Pittsburgh’s sputtering offense won’t keep up. The Steelers have the pass rush and the big-play capability to make this a closer game than the point spread would suggest. We’ve seen them upend superior Ravens teams in the past five years. They just won’t score quite enough on a cold night in Baltimore. Mike Preston, columnist Ravens 28, Steelers 14: The only chance the Steelers have is if their defensive front dominates. Pittsburgh has enough talent on the outside in linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith to keep quarterback Lamar Jackson in the pocket. If the defensive tackles can maintain lane integrity, Jackson will struggle as he has in the past against Pittsburgh. Offensively, the Steelers have to cut down on turnovers because the team with fewer in the previous two meetings this season has been victorious. Overall, this is probably too high of a mountain for Pittsburgh to climb. The Ravens have a cold-weather answer in running back Derrick Henry and they will be able to cut off Pittsburgh’s short passing game. Look for the Ravens to double up on Steelers receiver George Pickens on the outside. C.J. Doon, editor Ravens 23, Steelers 20: I’m surprised to see the Ravens favored by more than a touchdown. Baltimore is the better team on paper, no doubt, but it hasn’t exactly covered itself in glory against its biggest rival. Pittsburgh won the first matchup at home, then had a chance to drive for the game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium before Russell Wilson threw a pick-six. Not exactly dominant from Lamar Jackson and company. Here’s a quick history lesson: 29 of the 37 matchups between John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin have been one-score games, and more than half have been decided by three points or fewer. All these teams do is play nail-biters. I’m not expecting that to change anytime soon, especially with the pressure of the postseason ramped up. In a fun reversal from Week 11, it’s Justin Tucker who saves the day for the Ravens this time around. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens’ offensive line holds the key to victory vs. Steelers | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Where do Lamar Jackson, Gunnar Henderson seasons rank in Baltimore history? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers wild-card round betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | Last time Steelers came to Baltimore for a playoff game, it ended with a plane crash at Memorial Stadium Baltimore Ravens | How Ravens offense could look without WR Zay Flowers Tim Schwartz, editor Ravens 28, Steelers 21: This should be the Derrick Henry show. The Ravens have to remember what happened in the AFC championship game last year when they abandoned their running game — and therefore their identity. The Steelers won’t be able to keep up offensively with Baltimore, but the home team needs to make sure of that by limiting Pittsburgh’s time of possession and controlling the clock and pace of the game. Lamar Jackson hasn’t been shy about taking off on scrambles lately, and now is the time to be his most dynamic self and show no hesitation when a hole opens up. Not having Zay Flowers will make this offense far less explosive — all the more reason to rely on the NFL’s best backfield duo and do what they do best. Bennett Conlin, editor Ravens 27, Steelers 14: The Ravens are the better team, and they’re playing like it. While Baltimore enters the postseason on a four-game winning streak, the Steelers own a four-game losing streak that includes a defeat in Baltimore. Mike Tomlin is a great coach who deserves endless credit for his ability to avoid losing seasons, but Pittsburgh’s leader is hardly a playoff behemoth (8-10 overall in the postseason). Pittsburgh didn’t have an answer to Derrick Henry a few weeks ago. Will they Saturday? A playoff victory over a longtime rival should offer a boost of confidence to Lamar Jackson and company ahead of potential matchups with the Bills and Chiefs. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13. View the full article

When the Ravens lost their first two games this season, some thought the team didn’t know how to use running back Derrick Henry, who had only 31 carries for 130 yards in those contests. They were wrong. This season has only been partially about Henry, but more about the five guys in front of him: tackles Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten, center Tyler Linderbaum and guards Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele. This group will determine the winner of Saturday’s wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the Ravens’ five losses this season, their offensive line was outplayed. All of those defeats were against teams with strong defensive fronts, specifically outstanding linebackers and tackles. That’s vintage Pittsburgh. In Week 16, the Ravens dominated Pittsburgh in a 34-17 win, but the Steelers were without injured starters Larry Ogunjobi, a defensive tackle, and safety DeShon Elliott. In addition, outside linebacker T.J. Watt was slowed with an ankle injury he suffered the week before against Philadelphia, and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. got hurt and left the game in the second quarter. Henry rushed for 162 yards on 24 carries that day, and backup Justice Hill had two carries for 30 yards. On Saturday, the Steelers will be healthy again, and they are familiar with both Henry (1,921 rushing yards, 5.9 per carry) and Jackson (915, 6.6). “I think one thing, I think when you see ’em a lot, it helps, right?,” said Ryan Clark, who played safety for the Steelers from 2006 through 2013 and is now an analyst for ESPN. “When you see them two times a year, it doesn’t feel as fast, it doesn’t feel as foreign. You got to think about some of these other teams, they only see them every couple of years. The Steelers get to see it pretty consistently.” Maybe that’s why the Steelers have won eight of the past 10 games against Baltimore, but there is another reason. They have the ideal group to go against Jackson with athletic outside linebackers in Alex Highsmith (six sacks) and Watt (11 1/2), and they are bullish on the inside with tackles Cameron Heyward, Keeanu Benton and Ogunjobi. Maintaining lane integrity is important in allowing Jackson not to step up in the pocket. Pittsburgh is the only team that Jackson has thrown more interceptions (nine) than touchdown passes (eight) against. “I think when you have the outside linebacker play that the Pittsburgh Steelers have throughout history, it’s just been a position of dominance for this team,” Clark said. “I think they do their best to force the football out of Lamar’s hands if it’s a zone read or zone option. They want to see him give up the ball. “So you have T.J. attacking Lamar, putting hands on and being physical with them when they rush the passer. Obviously they’re great on the outside, but you have someone like Cam in the middle anchoring the interior of that defense. So I just think from a front five standpoint, this team is really built in a way to corral Lamar as much as any team is. And I think you have a coach in Mike Tomlin who can truly relay the ways in which you want to play against them.” Stopping the Ravens, though, is another matter. There were a lot of questions surrounding the offensive line entering training camp, but a lot of those have subsided throughout the year. The Ravens’ offensive line has helped open huge holes for running back Derrick Henry, who rushed for nearly 2,000 yards in the regular season. (Kim Hairston/Staff) The Ravens are No. 1 in total offense, averaging 424.9 yards per game, and No. 1 in rushing offense (187.6). They are No. 1 in red zone offense (inside the opponents’ 20-yard line), scoring touchdowns 74.2% of the time, and No. 3 in third-down efficiency at 48.2%. But here is the rub. Like most offenses, the Ravens are built off the running game. When things are going well, they have a strong play-action passing game and opposing defenses are slowed by those run-pass option plays. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Where do Lamar Jackson, Gunnar Henderson seasons rank in Baltimore history? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers wild-card round betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | Last time Steelers came to Baltimore for a playoff game, it ended with a plane crash at Memorial Stadium Baltimore Ravens | How Ravens offense could look without WR Zay Flowers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens playoff guide: Everything you need to know before kickoff When the Ravens lost, Henry couldn’t run. He had only 46 yards against Kansas City, 84 against Las Vegas, 73 against Cleveland, 65 against Pittsburgh and 82 against Philadelphia. Jackson has been sacked only 24 times because of his ability to evade rushers, but hit 57 times. The Ravens’ offensive line has made significant improvements, but Pittsburgh is ranked No. 12 in total defense, allowing 326.7 yards per game, and No. 6 in rushing defense (98.7). Something has to give. A lot is predicated off the Ravens’ running game. “There’s nothing like being able to turn around and comfortably hand the ball off,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. “That’s the start of everything you do. It’s hard to control the game if you can’t run the football. Let’s just say that. You control the game with physicality. You control the game with being able to run the football, especially in weather conditions, and it sets everything else up that you do, so that’s critical. “That’s not just us. That’s everybody, so [I’m] looking forward to Saturday.” Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

The history of Baltimore sports is filled with star players and stellar seasons. But what Baltimore fans witnessed from their superstars in 2024 was historic. Gunnar Henderson, the fierce and young shortstop of the Orioles, put up one of the greatest seasons in the history of a storied franchise with 17 Hall of Fame players. Lamar Jackson, the athletic and affable quarterback of the Ravens, is in the midst of not just one of the best seasons by a Baltimore athlete, but one of the most impressive campaigns from a signal caller in NFL history. From Brooks Robinson to Cal Ripken Jr. and Johnny Unitas to Ray Lewis, Charm City isn’t lacking in superstars. With 13 Most Valuable Player Awards between the Colts, Ravens, Orioles and Bullets, Baltimore fans have witnessed their fair share of dominant campaigns. But for Jackson and Henderson to do so in the same year hasn’t happened in Baltimore in nearly six decades. It was 1967 the last time two bona fide superstars — one Oriole, one Raven/Colt — in the primes of their careers put up excellent seasons like what Baltimore fans witnessed in 2024 with Jackson and Henderson. That year, Unitas won his third and final MVP award, while Robinson put up 7.7 wins above replacement for the third best season of his career. While Henderson finished fourth in American League MVP voting, his numbers would have been worthy of winning the award in many other seasons. The 23-year-old hit .281 with an .893 OPS and 37 home runs. His 9.1 WAR by Baseball-Reference’s estimation marks the third-best season in Orioles history, behind only Ripken’s two best campaigns. Jackson might also miss out on winning his third NFL MVP Award despite having numbers good enough to take home the award, as Buffalo Bills signal caller Josh Allen is the betting favorite to win it. The 28-year-old Jackson threw for 41 touchdowns and only four interceptions to lead the Ravens to another AFC North title. He also became the first quarterback in NFL history with at least 4,000 passing yards and 800 rushing yards in the same season. His 119.4 passer rating this season ranks fourth all-time, behind only Aaron Rodgers (2011 and 2020) and Peyton Manning (2004). One common thread between Henderson and Jackson is the emotion they show when they fail — the frustration with themselves if they don’t meet their own lofty expectations. That’s perhaps why they’ve both led their teams to consecutive playoff appearances, marking the first time Baltimore’s football and baseball teams have done so since the Colts and Orioles in 1970 and 1971. “They’re just made a little bit differently,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said in December when asked about Henderson. “There’s no satisfaction. You see when he doesn’t do something well, there’s a little bit of emotion behind it. Because he doesn’t think he should ever make a mistake. That’s what drives him the most. That’s why he is such a good player.” But where do their 2024 campaigns stack up among the best seasons in Baltimore sports history? Here are 12 of the other best. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson made a strong case to win his third NFL MVP Award in 2024. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens runs the ball for a touchdown during the third quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Dec. 25, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens holds a football cake after a win over the against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on Dec. 25, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images) Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson fell just short of winning the AL MVP Award in 2024. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson grabs a grounder and fires across the diamond to get Bobby Whitt Jr. during game 2 of the wild-card series against the Royals held at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Gunnar Henderson runs on orange carpet during pregame opening day ceremonies at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Show Caption1 of 6Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson made a strong case to win his third NFL MVP Award in 2024. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Expand Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas, 1959 After winning the “Greatest Game Ever Played” over the New York Giants in the 1958 NFL Championship, Unitas followed that up with his first of three MVP Awards. He led the Colts to a 9-3 record, passing for a league-high 2,899 yards and 32 touchdowns, and another championship in a rematch with the Giants. Colts wide receiver Raymond Berry, 1960 Berry led the league in receiving touchdowns with 14 in 12 games in 1959 to finish fifth in MVP voting, but his best season came the next year when he caught 74 passes for 1,298 yards and 10 touchdowns. Extrapolated across a modern 17-game season, Berry’s 1960 season would have amounted to 105 receptions for 1,839 yards and 14 touchdowns. Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson, 1964 Robinson had already established himself as a solid hitter and an elite defender, but he emerged as one of baseball’s best players in 1964. He hit .317 with a league-best 118 RBIs, a career-high 28 homers and 8.1 WAR to win his first and only AL MVP Award. Orioles outfielder Frank Robinson, 1966 Two years after Brooks won the award, Frank did the same in his first season in Baltimore. He won the AL Triple Crown, leading the Junior Circuit in batting average (.316), home runs (49) and RBIs (122) to help lead the Orioles to their first World Series title. Bullets center Wes Unseld, 1969 Unseld joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only rookies in NBA history to win the MVP Award. Four years before the Bullets moved to Washington, Unseld was named the NBA’s best player, averaging 13.8 points and a whopping 18.2 rebounds per game. Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer, 1975 Palmer won the AL Cy Young Award three times in a span of four seasons between 1973-76, but his 1975 campaign was his best. He set career highs in wins (23), shutouts (10) and WAR (8.4) as he posted an AL-best 2.09 ERA across 323 innings. Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., 1983 After winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 1982, Ripken was voted as the AL’s best player in 1983 as he helped lead the Orioles to their third and most recent World Series title. Ripken hit .318 and led the AL in runs (121), hits (211), doubles (47) and WAR (8.2). Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., 1991 The peak of his illustrious career, Ripken posted a whopping 11.5 WAR in 1991 to win his second and final MVP. He hit 34 homers and led the AL in total bases as he hit .323 with a career-best .940 OPS. Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, 2000 Lewis has half a dozen seasons that could be classified as his best, but his stardom reached a peak in 2000 when he won his first NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award and led the Ravens to their first Super Bowl title. Lewis tallied 137 tackles, three sacks and 14 tackles for loss in the heart of a defense considered one of the best in NFL history. Related Articles Sports | Ravens vs. Steelers wild-card round staff picks: Who wins Saturday in Baltimore? Sports | Mike Preston: Ravens’ offensive line holds the key to victory vs. Steelers | COMMENTARY Sports | Capital Gazette boys and girls high school Athlete of the Week (Dec. 30-Jan. 4) Sports | UCBAC to undergo division realignment this spring, some coaches skeptical Sports | Orioles, reliever Andrew Kittredge reportedly agree to one-year, $10 million deal Ravens running back Jamal Lewis, 2003 Nine players in NFL history have rushed for 2,000 yards in a season, including Lewis in 2003. The bruising running back totaled 2,066 yards — averaging 129.1 per game — and rushed for 14 touchdowns. Ravens safety Ed Reed, 2004 His first of five All-Pro seasons, Reed won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in his third NFL season. He led the league in interceptions (nine) and interception return yards (358) while totaling 78 tackles, 17 passes defended and three forced fumbles. His 106-yard interception return touchdown that year is the second-longest in NFL history, behind only his 107-yarder in 2008. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, 2019 He’s rivaling it this season, but Jackson’s breakout sophomore campaign is one of the best by a quarterback in NFL history. Despite being pegged as a run-first quarterback out of college, Jackson led the league in passing touchdowns (36) and QBR (83.0) to lead the Ravens to a 14-2 record. Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer. View the full article

For football fans, the next few days are a dream. The NFL playoffs kick off Saturday with six games in three days, including the Ravens’ home wild-card game Saturday night against the Steelers. Before that, the College Football Playoff semifinals take place Thursday and Friday night, with four well-known programs competing for spots in the national title game serving as the ideal appetizer. Many of the postseason games are expected to be hard-fought battles — both college showdowns have point spreads within a touchdown, as do four of the six NFL games — but betting oddsmakers aren’t expecting a one-possession Baltimore-Pittsburgh game that we’ve grown used to in recent years. “It’s an aberration to have this spread this high,” said Johnny Avello, DraftKings’ director of sports operations. What are the odds? Baltimore is nearly a 10-point favorite Saturday, as it has home-field advantage and beat a slumping Pittsburgh team by 17 points in the most recent meeting. Power rankings across sportsbooks and sports analytics sites view the Ravens as one of the NFL’s best teams, and that’s reflected in Saturday’s spread. Spread: Ravens by 9 1/2 (DraftKings) Total: 43 1/2 points Moneyline: Ravens -485, Steelers +370 While the Ravens’ moneyline has fairly short odds, bettors are still flocking to back the Ravens to win. According to bet tracking site Pikkit, nearly 91% of tracked moneyline bets on the platform are on the Ravens. Using the Ravens’ moneyline in a parlay has been popular this week at DraftKings, according to Avello. “The bettors just don’t have a lot of faith in the Steelers right now,” Avello said. Baltimore’s Super Bowl path Baltimore’s Super Bowl path, if it beats the Steelers, could include road games against the Bills and Chiefs. That’s a gantlet for John Harbaugh’s team just to make the Super Bowl. Barring upsets, Lamar Jackson will need to beat two of his elite quarterback peers to reach his first Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ postseason schedule looks extremely favorable compared with the Bills and Ravens, with Kansas City perhaps only needing to beat the Texans or Chargers to advance to the AFC championship game. “I’m not saying it’s a guaranteed win,” Avello said, “but it’s a softer game for their first game, and then the Ravens and the Bills have to go up against each other … [the Chiefs’] path to get [to the Super Bowl] is much easier than anybody else’s.” The odds reflect that, with Kansas City’s Super Bowl odds (+350) the shortest of any team in the AFC. Only the Detroit Lions (+285) have shorter odds than the Chiefs to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Interestingly, Baltimore holds shorter Super Bowl odds (+550) than the Bills (+650), even though the Ravens would have to play at Buffalo if both teams win this weekend. The Bills are a perfect 8-0 at home this season, but they did lose by 25 points in Baltimore earlier this season. “There’s still a ways to go,” Avello said, cautioning that the projected Bills-Ravens matchup isn’t set in stone. Buffalo seemingly has the tougher wild-card round matchup — although neither is all that scary on paper — as it hosts a Denver team that is 5-2 over its last seven games. The Broncos are playing solid football, while the Steelers are 2-5 in their past seven contests with three double-digit losses during that span. If Buffalo and Baltimore successfully avoid upsets, the two favorites to win MVP (Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen and Jackson) will square off for a spot in the AFC championship game. While Jackson holds the edge over Allen in several statistics, including touchdown passes (41 to 28), passing yards (4,172 to 3,731) and rushing yards (915 to 531), Allen (-450) is the betting favorite to win MVP. Both quarterbacks would gladly trade the individual accolade for a trip to the Super Bowl. Will the Ravens lean on their star running back? Baltimore’s offense is at its best when the offensive line opens holes for running back Derrick Henry and Jackson. Despite the Steelers’ stout run defense — the unit is one of seven NFL defenses to give up fewer than 100 rushing yards per game this season — Baltimore ran for 220 yards against Pittsburgh on Dec. 21. Henry accounted for 162 of those, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Last time Steelers came to Baltimore for a playoff game, it ended with a plane crash at Memorial Stadium Baltimore Ravens | How Ravens offense could look without WR Zay Flowers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens playoff guide: Everything you need to know before kickoff Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers won’t play in wild-card game Saturday vs. Steelers Baltimore Ravens | READERS RESPOND: Here’s how far fans think Ravens will advance in NFL postseason With typical winter temperatures expected — the temperature should hover around or below freezing Saturday night — the Ravens would be wise to lean on Henry against a seemingly overmatched opponent and limit the potential for Pittsburgh’s defensive line to create strip sacks or tipped passes leading to turnovers. Two of Lamar Jackson’s four interceptions have come against the Steelers, and Baltimore was fortunate to pounce on a fumble by Jackson in the December meeting. Zay Flowers’ knee injury might also persuade the Ravens and offensive coordinator Todd Monken to lean more heavily on the rushing attack. Baltimore is particularly adept at leaning on Henry in the second half of games this season, an ideal plan Saturday if it can build a lead. In the first half, Henry averages 5.1 yards per carry. In the second half, that average climbs to a whopping 6.4. Baltimore acquired Henry for games like Saturday’s, hoping the bruising runner is the missing piece for an elite offense’s playoff struggles. “We know what’s at stake, and we know what we’ve got to do to get where we need to go,” Henry said. Henry won’t admit it publicly, but giving him the ball might be the simple solution to the team’s postseason struggles with Jackson. The former Titan has eclipsed 100 rushing yards in three consecutive games and rushed for 150 yards or more in three of his seven career playoff games. On DraftKings, bettors can take Henry to go over 100 rushing yards at -115 odds. When pairing Henry to go over 100 yards with the Ravens’ moneyline to generate a same-game parlay, the odds climb to +100. The same parlay on FanDuel has -102 odds and it’s -110 at BetMGM. Best bet: Derrick Henry over 100 rushing yards parlayed with Ravens moneyline, +100 on DraftKings Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Bennett Conlin at bconlin@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/BennettConlin. View the full article

As the clock ticked down on a lopsided football game that was anything but memorable, Baltimore Colts season ticket holder Jim Ripken experienced an unforgettable close call. Ripken, then 30, was pondering an early exit when he noticed a low-flying plane hovering over Memorial Stadium as the Pittsburgh Steelers were enjoying the final moments of a 40-14 rout on Dec. 19, 1976. That was the last time the Steelers competed in an NFL playoff game in Baltimore — a drought that will end Saturday night when Pittsburgh plays the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium at 8 p.m. Ripken was attending the game with his brother-in-law Butch Cougle and sitting in the upper deck in row 13 when the blue-and-white Piper Cherokee became a distraction as it flew above the stadium. The lopsided score meant most of the crowd of 60,000 fans had left the game, which might have saved dozens of lives. Moments after the final whistle, the plane, flown by fired MTA bus driver Donald N. Kroner, crashed into the mostly empty upper deck near the seats where Ripken, who had already headed to the exit ramp, had just watched the Colts lose. “I don’t think we even got out of the stadium before the guy hit,” said Ripken, a lifelong Baltimore resident who is a retired steel plant manager and a distant cousin to Cal Ripken Jr. “He hit — best I can tell — not much more than 100 feet from where our seats were. I looked at the photos and was like ‘holy crap,’ I’m glad we got out of there.” The crashed plane still had fuel in its tank and sheared off its left wing, which scattered debris in the upper deck and injured three Baltimore police officers, according to a report by the Evening Sun. Kroner, who also went by the nickname Blue Max, was pulled from the wreckage and amazingly was not seriously injured. Police found a roll of toilet paper, a can of yellow spray paint and a can of spray snow inside the cockpit, The Evening Sun reported. Kroner also had written a note to Colts’ quarterback Bert Jones that said: “To Bert Jones, QB, from Blue Max. Good luck, you B-more Colts.” The late Vince Bagli, then a popular TV sportscaster, was shocked by the incident. “I was walking down to the Colts’ dressing room and heard this rumbling sound,” Bagli told The Baltimore Sun at the time. “I thought someone had rolled a garbage can down the ramp until I looked out and saw the plane sitting upstairs.” Kroner was charged with malicious destruction of property, reckless flying and violating the law that prohibits flying over the stadium, according to The Sun report. Three days later, he was taken to Baltimore City Hospital, now Johns Hopkins Bayview, for a psychiatric evaluation. It wasn’t Kroner’s first brush with the law. The Baltimore Sun reported that Kroner had been arrested by Baltimore County Police earlier that month and charged with reckless flying, littering and making a bomb threat against Bill Pellington, a former Colts player who owned a Timonium restaurant. Kroner was apparently angry about being thrown out of the restaurant. As a result, he flew his plane over Pennington’s restaurant roof to drop rolls of toilet paper and a bottle on the roof. For his antics at Memorial Stadium, Kroner was sentenced to two years in prison. However, he served only three months, but his pilot’s license was revoked, according to The Sun. “I didn’t try to kill anybody or kill myself,” he said at the time. “I’m sorry it happened. I can’t see out of my right eye from being hit by a pipe while in city jail. I’ve never been in trouble before and will never be in trouble again.” Fallston resident Mike Tich was an 11-year-old fan attending that game with his father. They were sitting in the lower bowl and would have been looking directly at the plane wreck from the other side of the stadium. “We were getting destroyed so we decided to leave a little early,” said Tich, now a Ravens season ticket holder. “I remember hearing about it on the radio. It was unimaginable, something I couldn’t even comprehend back then.” As for Ripken, he will never forget the day he might have cheated death. “This airplane was slowly circling around toward the end of the game, and we didn’t think all that much of it at first,” Ripken said. “You typically saw airplanes flying overhead with signs and what have you. But as it got close to the end, the guys started coming down lower and lower and lower. We were trying to figure out what he was trying to do. It looked like he was crazy, or just stupid.” Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@baltsun.com or on X as @ToddKarpovich. View the full article

There is no definitive illustration for what the Ravens’ offense will look like without their top wide receiver, Zay Flowers, for Saturday night’s wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team’s leader in receptions (74) and yards (1,059) and the organization’s first Pro Bowl selection at the position was on the field for at least 71% of the offense’s snaps in 12 of Baltimore’s first 15 games this season. His 116 targets were also 44 more than the next closest player, fellow receiver Rashod Bateman, and 47 more than Lamar Jackson’s longtime security blanket, tight end Mark Andrews. Flowers also did not miss a meaningful game last season, playing in the first 16 before he and several other starters sat out the regular-season finale. So how will not having Flowers impact the NFL’s top offense in terms of yards per game and the first in history to pass for more than 4,000 yards and run for more than 3,000? “We’ll move guys around,” coach John Harbaugh said Thursday. “Guys will play spots based on the game plan and the ball will go where it goes based on the way it unfolds in terms of how they play us. “We’ve got a lot of weapons, and Lamar will distribute [the ball] the way he sees fit.” Still, not having his top target could slow things down for what was the league’s third-highest scoring team at 30.5 points per game. The chemistry between Jackson and his fellow South Floridian makes makes Flowers a trustworthy target. He has the speed to separate and stretch defenses, and his quickness makes him (outside of Jackson) perhaps the team’s most elusive player. Zay Flowers is the Ravens’ leader in receptions (74) and yards (1,059) and the organization’s first Pro Bowl selection at the position. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) While the Ravens view Flowers’ absence as a loss but not a crushing one with a “next man up” mantra, there is a lack of quality depth behind him. Next in line is Bateman, whose 756 yards and nine touchdowns are career highs with his 45 catches one shy of his personal best. The numbers are not surprising given his elite route running, ability to separate and good hands. But in two games against Pittsburgh this season, he had just three catches for 44 yards, though one of those did go for a touchdown in their most recent meeting last month. He also dropped a pass in the end zone in the Ravens’ loss at Pittsburgh last season. After him, though, the production at receiver falls off sharply. Nelson Agholor, who hasn’t played since suffering a concussion in a Week 15 win over the New York Giants, has 14 catches for 231 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. Tylan Wallace, whose time has been divided between special teams and receiver, has 11 catches for 193 yards and one score. Devontez Walker, a rookie fourth-round draft pick out of North Carolina, has played sparingly, appearing in just nine games with just 57 snaps on offense, though he did score a touchdown on his one catch this season. Diontae Johnson, whom the Ravens acquired from Carolina Panthers before the trade deadline, had just one catch for 6 yards before being suspended and released. Still, Bateman is confident he and others can fill the void. “I don’t think it changes anything,” he said of being without Flowers. “The No. 1 goal is to go out and make plays, and that’s what we’re looking forward to doing, and I think that’s what we’ll do.” Asked what he needs to do to be successful against a Steelers defense that ranks 25th in passing yards (228) allowed per game and 20th in yards per pass (7.1), he said, “Just be myself. Don’t go out there and do anything that I haven’t done or try to be anything extra.” Bateman also acknowledged the offense “might look a little different.” That will likely mean leaning on tight ends Andrews (55 catches, 673 yards, 11 TDs) and Isaiah Likely (42 catches, 477 yards, six TDs), along with perhaps more heavy packages involving fullback Pat Ricard and perhaps tight end Charlie Kolar to go with a ground attack that churned out a league-best 3,189 rushing yards, led by running back Derrick Henry’s 1,921 and NFL-best 16 rushing touchdowns. Henry had 138 rushing yards and two scores in last week’s win over the Cleveland Brows and 162 against Pittsburgh last month. Over the past three games, he has averaged 149 on just over 23 carries for an average of 6.3 yards per carry. Jackson has also run for 172 yards and a touchdown on 22 attempts in that span, an average of 7.8 yards per carry. The return of Justice Hill could help, too. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens playoff guide: Everything you need to know before kickoff Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers won’t play in wild-card game Saturday vs. Steelers Baltimore Ravens | READERS RESPOND: Here’s how far fans think Ravens will advance in NFL postseason Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ ‘ageless wonder’ Kyle Van Noy is having a career year Baltimore Ravens | Can weatherproof RB Derrick Henry be the difference in Ravens’ playoff destiny? Before missing the past two games following a concussion suffered during the Ravens’ most recent game against the Steelers, he averaged 4.85 yards on 228 carries and 9.1 yards on 42 catches. In Week 11 in Pittsburgh, he had four catches for 28 yards on seven targets and had four other games in which he caught at least four passes. Baltimore could also perhaps deploy the speedy Keaton Mitchell more in the offense, too, as he continues to work his way back from last season’s season-ending knee injury. Though he has played sparingly in the offense since his return in November, the running back proved capable and dangerous before the injury, averaging 8.4 yards per carry and 10.3 yards per reception last season. However it looks, though, it likely will take several players to fills the gaps Flowers’ absence presents. “I think we’re all capable of making plays,” Hill said. “Obviously Zay is a big loss, he’s a special player and hopefully he heals up and we get him back here before a little run. “But I’m ready to play.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. UP NEXT Wild-card round Steelers at Ravens Saturday, 8 p.m. TV/Stream: ABC, Prime Video Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM Line: Ravens by 9 1/2 View the full article

It all comes down to this. The Ravens begin their quest for a third Super Bowl championship this weekend when they take on the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Here’s everything you need to know before kickoff. What time is the Ravens’ game? And how can I watch? The Ravens vs. Steelers playoff game kicks off Saturday at 8 p.m. The game will be streamed live on Prime Video and Twitch and will also be broadcast locally on ABC (WMAR; Chs. 2, 7) in the Baltimore area. It’s the first time Prime — which hosts “Thursday Night Football” during the regular season — will exclusively broadcast an NFL playoff game. Last season, NBC’s live streaming service Peacock hosted the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Miami Dolphins in the wild-card round. Veteran play-by-play announcer Al Michaels and NFL/college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit will have the call, with Kaylee Hartung serving as the sideline reporter. Host Charissa Thompson and analysts Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andrew Whitworth and Richard Sherman will provide coverage before, during and after the game. Taylor Rooks will contribute features, with Albert Breer sharing news and notes from around the league. Coverage on Prime begins at 7:30 p.m. For those seeking an alternative to the traditional broadcast, Prime Video will stream a playoff edition of Prime Vision with Next Gen Stats. The broadcast features AI-powered innovations, on-screen graphic overlays, vantage points from TNF’s High-Sky and All-22 camera angle and in-game reports from analytics expert Sam Schwartzstein. Will the Ravens win? Baltimore is a 9 1/2-point favorite, according to most sportsbooks. The Ravens (12-5) are riding a four-game winning streak and claimed the AFC North title over the Steelers (10-7), who ended the regular season with four straight losses. Pittsburgh’s offense has been slumping of late, while the Ravens’ defense has been ascending. Baltimore has allowed roughly 10 points per game during its current streak, while the Steelers have averaged just over 14 points during their skid. Russell Wilson has struggled to rediscover his midseason form, George Pickens is feuding with fans on the sideline and Najee Harris could be playing his last game with the team that picked him in the first round. Outside of a worrisome knee injury to wide receiver Zay Flowers, everything is pointing in the Ravens’ favor. But when longtime coaches Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh face off, the games are almost always close. In 37 meetings between the two, including three playoff games, the Steelers are 21-16 (though they have won eight of the past 10). Twenty-nine of those games have been decided by one score, while 19 have been won by three points or fewer. How did the Ravens get here? After starting 0-2, Baltimore won 12 of its final 15 games to finish 12-5 and claim the No. 3 seed in the AFC. While that record is worse than last year’s 14-3 finish that claimed the conference’s top seed and first-round bye, there’s a chance that this year’s team could finally get over the hump. Ravens running back Derrick Henry nearly ran for 2,000 yards during the regular season. (Kim Hairston/Staff) Behind quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, the Ravens’ offense has been one of the best in the league. Jackson finished a career year by becoming the first player in league history to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 900 yards and the first to throw 40 or more touchdown passes and four or fewer interceptions, putting him in contention to win his third NFL Most Valuable Player Award. Henry, meanwhile, finished second in the league with 1,921 rushing yards and set a single-season franchise record with 16 rushing touchdowns at the ripe old age of 31. Along the way, the Ravens went 4-2 against the AFC North and 7-3 against teams that reached the postseason, including statement wins over the Buffalo Bills (35-10 in Week 4), Washington Commanders (30-23 in Week 6), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (41-31 in Week 7), Denver Broncos (41-10 in Week 8), Los Angeles Chargers (30-23 in Week 12) and Houston Texans (31-2 in Week 17). If the Ravens win Saturday, who will they play next? Baltimore’s most likely playoff path runs through Buffalo and Kansas City. With a Ravens win Saturday and a Bills win over the visiting Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon, Baltimore will head north for a divisional-round matchup against No. 2 seed Buffalo next weekend. In that scenario, the winner of the Texans-Chargers game will take on the Chiefs, who finished a league-best 15-2 during the regular season and earned the first-round bye. If the Ravens win and the Broncos upset the Bills, Baltimore would host the Texans-Chargers winner at M&T Bank Stadium, while Denver travels to face its AFC West rival Kansas City. Ravens running back Derrick Henry helped lead his team to a 35-10 win over Buffalo earlier this season. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) A Ravens-Bills matchup would be particularly tasty, pitting the top MVP candidates against one another in a playoff rematch. Buffalo eliminated Baltimore, 17-3, in the divisional round Jan. 16, 2021, in a game played before just 6,772 fans because of COVID-19 restrictions in Western New York. If the Ravens get past the Bills this time, they would most likely play at Kansas City in a highly anticipated rematch of last season’s AFC championship game — a 17-10 Chiefs win in Baltimore. There’s a slim chance the Ravens could host the conference title game as well. If Kansas City loses its divisional round matchup, the winner of that game — either the Texans, Chargers or Broncos — will be seeded lower than the Ravens and travel to Baltimore. When is the Super Bowl? Should the Ravens win the AFC, they’ll face the NFC champion in Super Bowl 59 on Feb. 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on FOX. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers won’t play in wild-card game Saturday vs. Steelers Baltimore Ravens | READERS RESPOND: Here’s how far fans think Ravens will advance in NFL postseason Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ ‘ageless wonder’ Kyle Van Noy is having a career year Baltimore Ravens | Can weatherproof RB Derrick Henry be the difference in Ravens’ playoff destiny? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers absent from practice again; RB Justice Hill returns How is the rest of the playoff field shaping up? According to Vegas Insider, the Detroit Lions are the favorites to win the Super Bowl at +250 odds, followed by the Chiefs (+350), Ravens (+600), Bills (+600) and Philadelphia Eagles (+700). The Texans and Steelers, at +1,000, are the biggest longshots. Here’s a quick look at the top contenders: Detroit Lions (15-2, No. 1 seed in NFC): Injuries – most notably to star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson – have taken their toll, but the Lions have kept winning anyway. Buoyed by wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, tight end Sam LaPorta and running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montomgery, quarterback Jared Goff has led one of the league’s most effectives offenses, while coordinator Aaron Glenn’s defense is coming off its most impressive performance yet in an NFC North-clinching win over Minnesota. Kansas City Chiefs (15-2, No. 1 seed in AFC): Kansas City is seeking to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowl titles. Although two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes posted pedestrian stats this season relative to his lofty standards, the Chiefs have won a record 16 straight one-score games. At this point, it’s not just luck. Buffalo Bills (13-4, No. 2 seed in AFC): Josh Allen has put together one of his best seasons, accounting for 40 touchdowns (28 passing, 12 rushing) while throwing a career-low six interceptions. After Buffalo traded Stefon Diggs and lost Gabe Davis to Jacksonville, Khalil Shakir has become the leading receiver while running back James Cook has blossomed into a star. But with a leaky defense, especially against the run, Allen will need to don his Superman cape to get the Bills into the Super Bowl. Philadelphia Eagles (14-3, No. 2 seed in NFC): The addition of running back Saquon Barkley – who became the ninth player to eclipse 2,000 rushing yards in a season – has turbo-charged an offense that also features two of the best wide receivers in the league in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. The defense has also taken a massive step forward under coordinator Vic Fangio. The only question is whether quarterback Jalen Hurts – who just returned from a concussion this week – is capable of leading his team to a title. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

Ravens Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers will not play in Saturday’s wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, coach John Harbaugh announced Thursday. Filling the void left by Baltimore’s leading receiver will also be a collective effort. “We’ll move guys around,” Harbaugh said. “Guys will play spots based on the game plan and the ball will go where it goes based on the way it unfolds in terms of how they play us. “We’ve got a lot of weapons and Lamar [Jackson] will distribute [the ball] the way he sees fit.” Flowers suffered a sprained right knee early in the second quarter of Baltimore’s AFC North-clinching win over the Cleveland Browns last week, left the game and did not return. He also did not practice this week and was seen with a substantial brace on his knee in the locker room after being on crutches at the start of the week. According to a source with direct knowledge of the situation, the injury is significant enough that his availability for a potential divisional round playoff game next weekend could also be in question. Harbaugh said only that Flowers is “locked in” on his rehabilitation and that he would see how he looked next week. Not having the second-year receiver is an obvious blow to what was the NFL’s top offense this season. Flowers led the Ravens in catches (74) and yards (1,059) to go with four touchdowns and accounted for more than 25% of the team’s targets from Jackson, who has quickly developed a chemistry with the fellow South Floridian. Flowers had five catches for 100 yards in the most recent meeting between the Ravens and Steelers last month, which Baltimore won, 34-17, at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens’ next-best wide receiver is Rashod Bateman, who has 45 catches for a career-high 756 yards and nine touchdowns. But the group is thin beyond Bateman with Nelson Agholor, Tylan Wallace, rookie Devontez Walker and Steven Sims the only other receivers on the roster. It’s also likely that Baltimore will call up a receiver from the practice squad for Saturday’s game, though there hasn’t been a lot of production from the group outside of Flowers and Bateman. Agholor has just 14 catches for 231 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games and hasn’t played since Baltimore’s Week 15 win over the New York Giants after suffering a concussion in that game. Wallace, who has split time between special teams and receiver, has 11 catches for 193 yards and one score. Walker, a fourth-round pick out of North Carolina, has appeared in just nine games with just 57 snaps on offense, though he did have a touchdown on his lone catch this season. Still, Harbaugh insists it won’t affect the game plan. “We still got all our plays that we run,” he said. “Guys will be doing them that we feel are best suited to do different jobs in this game against the opponent we’re playing.” That could mean the Ravens will rely even more on tight ends Mark Andrews (55 catches, 673 yards, 11 TDs), who has caught a touchdown pass in each of the past six games, and Isaiah Likely (42 catches, 477 yards, 6 TDs). They can also lean on what was the league’s top rushing attack, led by Derrick Henry’s 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns. Justice Hill is also back after being out since the Ravens’ game against the Steelers last month with a concussion followed by illness. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens playoff guide: Everything you need to know before kickoff Baltimore Ravens | READERS RESPOND: Here’s how far fans think Ravens will advance in NFL postseason Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ ‘ageless wonder’ Kyle Van Noy is having a career year Baltimore Ravens | Can weatherproof RB Derrick Henry be the difference in Ravens’ playoff destiny? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers absent from practice again; RB Justice Hill returns Hill, along with potentially the speedy Keaton Mitchell, gives the Ravens another receiving threat as well. “Justice is an experienced player,” Harbaugh said. “He’s been in these games before. He’s really versatile in terms of what he can do skill set-wise. He can take some of those jobs that Zay does — he’s in the backfield, he’s out of the backfield. “It gives you a lot of options with Justice.” This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

We asked readers how far they think the Ravens will advance in this year’s NFL postseason. Here are the results from our online poll: Super Bowl win — 55% (484 votes) AFC championship game loss — 17% (151 votes) Divisional round loss — 11% (100 votes) Super Bowl loss — 9% (75 votes) Wild-card round loss — 8% (69 votes) Here’s what some fans have told us (answers have been edited for clarity and grammar): My head tells me that it is very difficult to get to the Super Bowl, much less win it. But my heart tells me that this Ravens team can go all the way. The heart wins! Go Ravens! — Sean Tully Super Bowl or bust … It’s our time. Vastly improved defense will keep us in the game! Let’s Go RAVENS! — Irv Anyone who thinks the Ravens will make it to the Super Bowl just is not being realistic. Let’s be real; this team is good but certainly not great right now. HOWEVER! Who cares about being realistic! SUPER BOWL CHAMPS HERE WE COME RA RA RA RAVENS — Jim Parker Depending on who they play in the AFC championship, they could get to the big game. AFC vs. Bills (Ravens lose) AFC vs. Kansas City (Ravens win). Super Bowl against the Eagles would be interesting, but I will go with the Ravens, 30-27, thanks to improved DEFENSE. — Frank Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens playoff guide: Everything you need to know before kickoff Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers won’t play in wild-card game Saturday vs. Steelers Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ ‘ageless wonder’ Kyle Van Noy is having a career year Baltimore Ravens | Can weatherproof RB Derrick Henry be the difference in Ravens’ playoff destiny? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers absent from practice again; RB Justice Hill returns Hoping for a Super Bowl win. Every 12 years — 2000, 2012, 2024. Yep, it’s time again. Go Ravens! — Harry M I’d love to see the Ravens win it all. They have the team to do it and they’re peaking at the right time. That said, it requires them to play clean throughout the playoffs and a little bit of luck. They have a great shot if they don’t get in their own way. The penalties have to be kept to a minimum, and no procedural penalties like illegal formation or man downfield. Getting off to fast starts is key, but if they don’t, they have to stick with the game plan. I feel sometimes they get too cute and abandon the run game. Even if the other team is stuffing the run early, it will eventually pay off, keep pounding the run game to set up play action. When the Ravens play well, they can beat any team in the league. — Terrance Morrison Ravens will lose to the Rookie of the Year, quarterback Jayden Daniels of the Commanders, a team Gov. Wes Moore, Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Sen. Ben Cardin unanimously agreed should be able to flee Maryland for D.C. — Robin Ficker The Baltimore Sun reader poll is an unscientific survey in which website users volunteer their opinions on the subject of the poll. To see results from previous sports polls, go to baltimoresun.com/sportspoll View the full article

Walking off the field at M&T Bank Stadium after a late December win, Chuck Smith told Kyle Van Noy he had a present for him. Van Noy was already in the shower by the time Smith got inside, so he hung it up in the outside linebacker’s locker and slipped upstairs to see his family. While most of Van Noy’s teammates had lingered, still wearing parts of their uniform with tape on their feet and fingers after finally besting the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, Van Noy was quick to throw on his gift. Reporters and TV cameras swarmed the 33-year-old after a career night: 1 1/2 sacks in a convincing win that inducted him into an exclusive club. With his right hand, Van Noy slid his overcoat back. His youthful smile looked down at his new “Double Digit Sack Club” hoodie, courtesy of his pass rush coach. “A lot of people wrote me off last year,” Van Noy said, “and I believe I’m playing at a Pro Bowl level.” The Pro Bowl alternate finished the regular season with 12 1/2 sacks, fourth most in the NFL. The “ageless wonder,” as Roquan Smith calls him, reaching a career high in Year 11 as the sixth-oldest outside linebacker in the NFL is beyond what Baltimore could have hoped this season. It didn’t quite get off to the start anyone had in mind. In the third quarter of the Ravens’ season opener in Kansas City, a dogpile toppled Van Noy and fractured his orbital socket in two places. His former teammate, Tom Brady, a legendary quarterback-turned-broadcaster, said during the Steelers game that he “basically played with a broken face.” Van Noy was back for Baltimore’s Week 2 home opener and sacked Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew twice. Then came two more in Dallas. He was up to six in four games after twice pulling down Bills quarterback Josh Allen on “Sunday Night Football.” Van Noy was playing like he had something to prove. The man who plays every season that way, constantly carrying a chip on his shoulder, he said, had a little extra juice coming into his second year (first full season) in Baltimore. “People were talking about somebody else [not] coming back and not so much me,” Van Noy told The Baltimore Sun. “That just gets added to my shoulder to just go out there and prove each and every time I’m on the football field, I’m one of the best.” Van Noy didn’t say his name explicitly but insinuated that he felt slighted by the way Jadeveon Clowney’s 9 1/2 sacks leaving in free agency dominated offseason discourse. There wasn’t much thought given to Van Noy building on his nine sacks in 14 games. History said it probably wouldn’t happen. Only three players age 33 or older have managed 12-plus in a single season since 2000. The most recent was J.J. Watt in 2022. Add Van Noy to the list. He has the hoodie to prove it. Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, right, strips the ball from Bills quarterback Josh Allen in a Ravens victory earlier this season. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) “He comes upstairs as soon as I’m leaving,” Chuck Smith said, “he has a jacket on and he had the shirt on. Man, I went crazy. … There’s thousands of NFL players that wanna be a double-digit sack man. He’ll carry that the rest of his life. And I understand how bad he wanted to do it. Being told that he can’t do this certain skill when you know you can all those years.” Chuck Smith started a new tradition that night. Double-digit sack guys get the all-black hoodies. He’ll have to retroactively get one for Nnamdi Madubuike’s breakout 13-sack 2023 season. Odafe Oweh got his after Week 18. He looked at it fondly postgame and said he’s either framing it or never taking it off. Those guys keep Van Noy feeling young. But ask Chuck Smith, age has nothing to do with it. “Age has to do with the way the body matures,” he said. “There are certain guys who don’t have to have a lot of skill when they’re big bruisers. But when you think of guys who get a lot of sacks — the guy in Cleveland [Myles Garrett], the guy in Pittsburgh [T.J. Watt] — they got skill.” Being in the right situation helps too. Van Noy’s previous stops haven’t empowered him to rush the quarterback the way Baltimore’s staff does. Compared to his time in Los Angeles or with New England, the Ravens give him much more freedom to be a designated pass rusher. To put hands on the quarterback. To use his wealth of knowledge in new ways. It’s permeated to the rest of the pass rush group. He’s the old head helping mentor a room of youngsters. Earlier this season outside linebacker Tavius Robinson noticed Van Noy studying a single sheet of paper. “What is that?” a 26-year-old Robinson asked. Van Noy made a habit of consolidating an entire week’s worth of notes into a single-page Friday study guide. So Robinson started following his lead. “That’s definitely helped me a lot. It’s allowed me to play faster,” he said, having finished the regular season above expectations with a career-high 3 1/2 sacks. “I’m excited to squeeze as much information as I can while he’s here.” Oweh can relate. The first few seasons of his career, he’d experiment with best practices to take care of his body. Oweh leaned on the team’s strength staff during the season then tried his own workouts with individual trainers in the offseason. The trial and error approach — sometimes lifting just to lift — left him injury prone and performing below capacity. Then he started to mimic Van Noy. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Can weatherproof RB Derrick Henry be the difference in Ravens’ playoff destiny? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers absent from practice again; RB Justice Hill returns Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: Will the defense dominate Russell Wilson? | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Who will Saturday’s frigid cold favor as Ravens face Steelers in playoffs? Baltimore Ravens | Increased security planned for Ravens-Steelers playoff game Van Noy doesn’t lift as much during the season but, as Oweh said, he’s methodically tailoring every movement to pass rushing. It’s helped elongate his success. “You should lift in a way that pertains to your position,” Oweh said. That means more dips and bends rather than rigid force. The 26-year-old Oweh just wrapped a career year, joining Van Noy in the double-digit club by corralling Browns quarterback Bailey Zappe in the regular-season finale. Oweh stood up and flashed all 10 fingers. Then he shrugged and smiled with a sense of relief for a mark he’d been chasing relentlessly. He probably owes Van Noy a thank you note. “Kyle, he’s like a football guru,” Madubuike said. “He knows so much about the game. He knows so much about secondary and all [this] stuff. Me and ‘Dafe’ are like, ‘Huh, how’d you know that?’ Or like, ‘How’d you pick up on that?’ He’s just so knowledgeable about the game of football.” Van Noy found the fountain of youth and it led to a career year as a high-impact player for one of the best pass rushes in the NFL. But his success and his approach have left an indelible mark on the rest of the group. “I think he’s been a great example for, not only those guys in the outside linebacker room,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said, “but for our whole defense and for our whole team, that no matter how long you’ve been playing, no matter what people say, if you do things the right way, it’s going [to] work out for you.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

Les Miles had a saying back when Todd Monken worked as his receivers coach at LSU. “There’s nothing like being able to turn around and comfortably hand the ball off to the running back,” Miles would tell his staff. It wasn’t Monken’s favorite sentiment, given that he was in charge of the Tigers’ passing game. But thinking back almost two decades from his current vantage as Ravens offensive coordinator, he acknowledged: “There’s something to that.” The peace of mind from those handoffs is that much greater when the running back taking the ball is Derrick Henry. As the Ravens prepare to begin another postseason on a chilly Saturday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, thoughts of past disappointments — particularly last year’s AFC championship game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs — are never far off. Monken, with the most productive ground attack in the sport, infamously called just 16 running plays in that 17-10 defeat. Why should traumatized fans believe the story might turn out differently this time around? That answer starts with the ageless, 6-foot-2, 247-pound speeding bullet who now wears purple and black. The Ravens have paired several very good backs with Lamar Jackson to terrific, record-setting effect. But to put it plainly, none of those guys were Derrick Henry — a first-ballot Hall of Fame lock who’s playing as well as he ever has at age 31. Henry just finished averaging a career-high 5.9 yards per carry. He forced more missed tackles, gained more yards after contact and reeled off more runs of 20-plus yards than any back in the league, per Pro Football Focus. Those digits only begin to capture his significance going into a rivalry game against a punishing defense that would love nothing more than to crush the Ravens’ Super Bowl hopes. When tensions rise and temperatures plummet, Miles’ words to his old LSU staff ring most true. Ravens teammates figure no one on the other side is going to look forward to tackling Henry. “I don’t believe anybody likes hitting in the cold,” Jackson said. “Not even the defenders like hitting in the cold, I believe, especially with a 250-pound, all-muscle running back running downhill at you. I wouldn’t want to do it. But it’s great for us.” The Steelers received a taste of Derrick Henry four days before Christmas when he plowed through the heart of their proud defense for 162 yards on 24 carries. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky recently went so far as to say the Steelers would rather see Jackson, the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, with the ball than Henry. Throughout his career, Henry has grown more efficient as the season grinds on, averaging nearly a yard more per carry in December than in September. The 2019 Ravens were on the wrong end of his playoff masterpiece, as Henry ran for 195 yards to spur the Tennessee Titans to a stunning upset of the AFC’s No. 1 seed. He picked up 139 of those in the second half, acting as a one-man rally killer. Is it true that defenders want no part of a human locomotive like him when it’s 26 degrees, the National Weather Service’s forecast low for Saturday night? “It’s getting cold now, so things are going to hurt a little bit more,” Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike said. “Thank God I’m not on the other side. He’s going to do his thing, and guys better be ready.” Henry offers a weatherproof solution to the problems presented by postseason football. “I think physicality travels,” Monken said. “There’s no question you can’t control wind, rain, snow, whatever it happens to be. You’re going to need to convert in short-yardage situations when the games are really close. … That’s why we’ve been really good in the red zone — that physicality [with] Derrick and then Lamar as the playmaker.” The Steelers received a taste four days before Christmas when Henry plowed through the heart of their proud defense for 162 yards on 24 carries. He followed up with 147 in Houston and 138 in the AFC North clincher against Cleveland, tripling down on his reputation as an end-of-year menace. “I’m very excited that Derrick is on my team, and he’s bruising other guys throughout the AFC right now,” linebacker Roquan Smith said. “He’s a big man, and once he gets going, it’s going to be a long night for a lot of people.” A skeptic might counter that the Ravens’ run game is no more statistically potent than it was in 2019, when they set a single-season record for rushing yards, or 2020, when they again led the league in yards per game and yards per attempt and closed the regular season with a 404-yard bludgeoning of the Cincinnati Bengals. In neither case were the Ravens ultimately able to dictate the flow in elimination games. Their running backs at the end of those seasons were Mark Ingram II, Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins. Talented as they were, Jackson bore a heavy burden as the team’s offensive commander and primary ball carrier. Can one “King Henry” be the difference in unlocking Jackson’s path to the Super Bowl? That was the hope when general manager Eric DeCosta signed him to a two-year, $16 million deal in the offseason. DeCosta actually wanted him at the trade deadline last season, figuring Henry might be the final jewel on a team that was already headed for the AFC’s top playoff seed. The signing has more than paid off, with Henry and Jackson amplifying one another’s talents at the heart of the most efficient offense in Ravens history. That said, another great regular season wasn’t the aim. Now’s the time for Henry to pay true dividends. Ravens coach John Harbaugh did not mince words on the subject. Asked Monday if Henry brings a different element that his teams have not had in recent years, Harbaugh answered “yes” and did not elaborate. “It’s great to have a great back,” he said later in his news conference. Derrick’s “obviously running really hard and really physical and downhill. Our guys are blocking well, and there’s other elements to the offense that allows that. If you look at his career, he’s definitely not getting first contact as early as he has often time in his career — that’s been great. All those things have come together well, and it’s going to be a big part of our approach in the playoffs.” With No. 22 in the game, it’s difficult to imagine the Ravens turning away from their ground attack to the degree they did in their AFC championship loss, though Henry’s role diminished at times when they played from behind early this season. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ ‘ageless wonder’ Kyle Van Noy is having a career year Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers absent from practice again; RB Justice Hill returns Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: Will the defense dominate Russell Wilson? | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Who will Saturday’s frigid cold favor as Ravens face Steelers in playoffs? Baltimore Ravens | Increased security planned for Ravens-Steelers playoff game The man himself is least likely to say he’ll be the one to set this version of the Ravens apart. Henry isn’t one for sweeping narratives or grand proclamations. “I’m not going to get into all of that,” he said Tuesday. “I just wanted to come here to make an impact and be an adding piece to this offense, to this team, to help them get to where they want to go, and this week is a first step.” Leave it to Monken to put a colorful spin on what what his former boss, Miles, said all those years ago. “It’s kind of a smoke break for your quarterback,” he said of having a back like Henry. “There’s not much processing. You can just turn around and hand the ball off, and there’s not a lot of reading it, throwing it, protection. I can hand the ball off, and that’s big. That’s really big.” Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article

Justice Hill improved his chances of playing in Saturday’s AFC wild-card round against Pittsburgh. Zay Flowers did not. Hill, who suffered a concussion against Pittsburgh on Dec. 21, then was set back by illness, returned to the field Wednesday without a red noncontact jersey. The backup running back practiced in full. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken said the Ravens anticipated Hill’s return for Week 18, but the sickness hindered his ability to get through concussion protocol. Flowers, a second-year receiver on the heels of his first Pro Bowl selection, missed a second consecutive practice after injuring his right knee during Saturday’s win against Cleveland. Coach John Harbaugh said Monday the injury was not season-ending but that Flowers would be listed as day-to-day. He has not practiced this week. Flowers’ designation for Saturday’s game won’t come out until Thursday, but a definitive ruling might not land until closer to kickoff. There was, however, some positive news for Baltimore’s defense. All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton (knee) popped up on the injury report as a limited participant Tuesday. He was full go Wednesday and told reporters after practice that he’d be good to go for Saturday. “It’s a one week life that we’re living right now,” Hamilton said. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: Will the defense dominate Russell Wilson? | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Who will Saturday’s frigid cold favor as Ravens face Steelers in playoffs? Baltimore Ravens | Increased security planned for Ravens-Steelers playoff game Baltimore Ravens | 2025 NFL mock draft: First-round projections after Week 18 Baltimore Ravens | ‘Hard Knocks’ episode 6 recap: Ravens’ John Harbaugh motivates with fiery speech Wide receiver and return specialist Deonte Harty was also back in the fold this week. Harty hadn’t practiced since Week 6 because of a knee injury but was designated for return from the injured reserve and fully practiced Tuesday. The former Archbishop Curley star was absent Wednesday because of personal reasons. Pittsburgh’s injury report is clunkier, but the Steelers are healthy overall. Illness sidelined defensive tackle Cameron Heyward and kicker Chris Boswell. Tight end MyCole Pruitt (knee) had a setback from being limited Tuesday to missing Wednesday’s practice. Guard Mason McCormick (hand) was limited for a second straight day, and offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo was back to the practice field after a rest day Tuesday. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston will answer fans’ questions in the middle of each week throughout the Ravens’ season. After beating Cleveland to win the AFC North, Baltimore (12-5) stays home to host the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The Ravens are 1-1 against the Steelers this season, losing in Pittsburgh but winning, 34-17, in Baltimore on Dec. 21. Here’s Preston’s take on a handful of questions from readers: (Editor’s note: Questions have been edited for length and clarity.) In your estimation, does the Ravens’ defense throttle and frustrate Russell Wilson so much that Justin Fields comes in to spark Pittsburgh’s offense? — Ed Helinski from Auburn, New York Ed, I think you are getting a little ahead of yourself. Throttle? The Ravens? Come on, man. The last time I checked, the Ravens had the No. 31 ranked pass defense in the NFL, allowing 244.1 yards per game. I think they will be able to get some pressure on Wilson because of a weak offensive line, and the Ravens will probably double-team outside receiver George Pickens. I think Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin will use Fields in certain situations, but I’m not sure Fields will come in as a potential savior. The Steelers struggle offensively, but Fields isn’t the answer, at least not in this game. Any idea which officiating crew will be doing the game Saturday? The Ravens always seem to get a crew that either favors the visitors, or one that throws a flag every time someone sneezes! — James Lahman James, I would assume the coaches from both teams are aware of the officiating crews. It’s an advantage to know the types of penalties each crew favors, and assistant coaches from both teams will let their respective position groups know. For example, if one crew likes to call a lot of pass interference penalties, the secondary coach will be on alert. I don’t agree with your assessment about crews being flag happy for visiting teams when they play in Baltimore. The Ravens have been consistent as far as being one of the most penalized teams in the NFL regardless if they have been home or on the road. The responsibility is on both the coaches and the players. Usually in the postseason, officials allow players to be more physical and crews cut down on the penalties. Remember, these are the best officiating crews in the NFL. These groups drew high marks and have earned the right to officiate games in the postseason. One of if not the biggest successes of the Ravens’ offensive line this year is the play (and durability) of Ronnie Stanley. With his impending free agency, do you think the Ravens will address this before he hits the open market? Do you think he will take less knowing the situation he has in Baltimore versus proving himself on a new team? — Dan from Elkton, Maryland I can’t answer that right now because it’s hard to predict what will happen on the open market, especially for left tackles. I will say Stanley, 30, has made significant improvement over his past couple of seasons. He stayed around and worked out consistently in Baltimore during the offseason, and it showed during the various minicamps. The lower half of his body was more defined as he added muscle tone. In the past, Stanley didn’t participate in the offseason minicamps. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers absent from practice again, RB Justice Hill returns Baltimore Ravens | Who will Saturday’s frigid cold favor as Ravens face Steelers in playoffs? Baltimore Ravens | Increased security planned for Ravens-Steelers playoff game Baltimore Ravens | 2025 NFL mock draft: First-round projections after Week 18 Baltimore Ravens | ‘Hard Knocks’ episode 6 recap: Ravens’ John Harbaugh motivates with fiery speech With Stanley, part of the improvement was a pride issue. When players get a certain age, they know they have to prepare harder and longer during the offseason, which Stanley did. He wanted to get back to his previous Pro Bowl level. It didn’t hurt that the Ravens restructured his deal last March, lowering his base salary from $11 million to $3 million but providing incentives to earn some of the money back. He has worked well with several of the young offensive linemen, including rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten. Now, what happens with him in the offseason, I don’t know, but he has played well. He’s not the Ronnie Stanley of old, but also not an old Ronnie Stanley. What in the world happened to Marcus Williams this year? He’s only 28 and should be in the prime of his career. — Clarke Fox Players get old and their bodies take a beating. It’s only a matter of time before they show signs of decline. Williams suffered several injuries throughout the past few years, and he just wasn’t going to be super aggressive anymore. That’s why he has been a healthy scratch in recent weeks. Does that mean he can’t go somewhere else and play? I’m not certain, but sometimes a change in environment is good for a player. I’m pretty sure he’ll be released when this season is over, but you are correct. Twenty-eight is a young age, even for an NFL player. Have a question for Mike Preston? Email sports@baltsun.com with “Ravens mailbag” in the subject line and it could be answered in The Baltimore Sun. View the full article

The Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers will face tough weather conditions when they meet in an AFC wild-card game Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium. Fox Weather meteorologist Ian Oliver predicts about 1 to 2 inches of snow before the game, but that might not be the worst of it. The skies could be clear for the 8 p.m. kickoff, but frigid conditions are expected when temperatures are predicted to fall to 26 degrees with wind chills in the teens. The wind gusts could reach 15 miles per hour, affecting how well the teams can throw the ball and impact kicks. “It’s a matchup that has AFC North written all over it, obviously, but the snow itself looks to be in and out before the kick,” said Oliver, who also hosts a podcast called Storming the Field where two meteorologists discuss the risk of weather impacts on NFL games. “It doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the most pleasant tailgate of all time, but it’s nothing these two teams don’t know all about.” Despite the tough conditions, Oliver expects the players to embrace the challenge because it is a playoff game and the stakes are so high. “In the postseason, it’s a whole different bag of worms,” Oliver said. “The cold and the breeze will have more of an impact than the snow at this point. That’s what the forecast trends are leaning toward.” The Ravens and Steelers split the regular season meetings. Pittsburgh won 18-16 at Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 17. The Ravens won the most previous matchup 34-17 at M&T Bank Stadium on Dec. 21 when temperatures dipped below freezing. Jason La Canfora, a longtime NFL journalist and the co-host of Inside Access on 105.7 FM, contends the brutal weather conditions could favor the Steelers. The Ravens’ top wide receiver, Zay Flowers, is dealing with a knee injury and his status is uncertain. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers absent from practice again, RB Justice Hill returns Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: Will the defense dominate Russell Wilson? | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Increased security planned for Ravens-Steelers playoff game Baltimore Ravens | 2025 NFL mock draft: First-round projections after Week 18 Baltimore Ravens | ‘Hard Knocks’ episode 6 recap: Ravens’ John Harbaugh motivates with fiery speech “The Ravens should be able to move the ball on Pittsburgh a multitude of ways, so any intense wind or snow would be to their detriment making them potentially more dimensional and predictable than they would otherwise be,” La Canfora said. “The Steelers passing game had already shriveled up and in the last meeting. Short and intermediate passes to the middle of the field worked best for them – running back Jaylen Warren caught all five of his targets mostly wide open for nearly 50 yards – so I don’t think it would limit them nearly as much. “And if Zay Flowers is out, too, it might further constrict the scope of an offense that was historic in its balance in the regular season.” Oliver said the “X” factor will be the Ravens’ 6-foot-3, 247-pound running back Derrick Henry, whose bruising style of play will be difficult for the Steelers to contain, especially late in the game. “That’s why Derrick Henry is in Baltimore … he wanted a [Super Bowl] ring,” Oliver said. “I would say advantage Ravens.” Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@baltsun.com or on X as @ToddKarpovich. View the full article

The Ravens’ wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night will have increased security in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in New Orleans this month that killed 14 people and injured dozens more. The Maryland Stadium Authority has not been made aware of any specific or credible threat impacting M&T Bank Stadium or the upcoming game, according to MSA Vice President for Public Safety and Security Vern Conaway Jr. Nonetheless, fans attending Saturday’s game could notice an increase in police presence and security measures around the stadium. The MSA would not disclose how many more police officers and security personnel will be dispatched to the area. “We are constantly monitoring national and international events and use each of these horrific incidents as an opportunity to reassess our own security plans with our public safety partners,” Conaway said during the MSA’s monthly meeting on Tuesday. “I avoid publicly discussing the specifics of our game-day security measures so it does not undermine the effectiveness of our efforts.” Since his report last month, Conaway said the Ravens had two home games — against the Steelers (Dec. 21) and Browns (Jan. 4) — and there were not any reports of safety or security issues. On New Year’s Day, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, was killed by police after a deadly rampage in a pickup truck on Bourbon Street in New Orleans killed at least 14 people and injured dozens more. The violence is being investigated as an act of terrorism inspired by the Islamic State group, according to multiple reports. Authorities believe the New Orleans attacker acted alone. Last week, the U.S. Naval Academy and Naval Support Activity Annapolis also tightened security measures following the recent acts of violence. During the fall, the Ravens did have some security issues with drones flying over the stadium during games. According to data provided by the MSA, there were eight temporary flight restriction violations and unauthorized drone flights during the five Ravens regular-season games of the 2024-25 season. There have been no reports of drone incidents since those opening games. Last month, the federal government prohibited drone activity above and around Northwest Stadium in Landover for the annual Army-Navy Game. Federal law restricts unmanned aircraft systems, such as drones, from flying at or below a three-mile radius of any stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 or more people during games for the National Football League, Major League Baseball, NCAA Division I football and major motor speedway events, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Now, state and Baltimore police are being especially cautious with such a high-profile game Saturday night. The Baltimore Police Department said it will continue to use large city vehicles and deploy additional public safety measures for the game such as hard barriers, interior and exterior safety mitigation, and “host unified command with allied law enforcement agencies for large-scale events and a multitude of cameras and other technology.” “[Baltimore Police Department], in coordination with local, state and federal partners, is constantly evaluating emerging threats and working to ensure security, particularly around large events like this weekend’s Ravens game,” Baltimore Police spokesperson Lindsey Eldridge said. “In coordination with the Mayor’s Office, we are approaching these matters with the utmost priority and will continue to do so in the wake of incidents around the country.” Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@baltsun.com or on X as @ToddKarpovich. View the full article

Doing a mock draft this time of year is silly. That doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. Along with the exact order of all 32 picks, there are so many questions around the league that will determine April’s selections. Not surprisingly, most of them involve quarterbacks. Is the Deshaun Watson era over in Cleveland? Is Aaron Rodgers going to retire? Will any veterans get traded or cut? How many new coaching and front office hires will there be? Even when we get those answers, this draft is shaping up to be an unpredictable one. Opinions are split on the quarterback class, which lacks high-end talent at the top. There will not be much clarity until teams start making selections April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It should make for a fascinating few months of debate. Let’s dig in. Here are The Baltimore Sun’s predictions for the first round (Note: picks 1-18 are official after conclusion of regular season; picks 19-32 are projected via Tankathon): 1. Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, QB, Miami The Will Levis experiment is officially over in Tennessee. Coach Brian Callahan gets a young quarterback to build around in the 6-2, 223-pound Ward, who has made a meteoric rise from a Wing-T high school offense to FCS Incarnate Word to Division I all-time touchdown passes leader. 2. Cleveland Browns: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado The Browns have a chance to mitigate some of the Watson disaster by drafting a quarterback on a cheap rookie deal. The 6-1, 198-pound Sanders has all the requisite star power to become the face of the franchise. Colorado’s Travis Hunter is perhaps the best player in the draft. (Thomas Simonetti/For The Washington Post) 3. New York Giants: Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado What do the Giants do if both top quarterbacks are off the board? Take the best player available. Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner, has a chance to be a Pro Bowl selection at cornerback or wide receiver. The question is whether the 6-foot, 181-pound prospect can play both positions at the next level. 4. New England Patriots: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona The Patriots already have a promising young quarterback in Drake Maye. Whoever replaces coach Jerod Mayo needs to build the best team around him. There’s a strong case to pick an offensive lineman here, but the 6-5, 210-pound McMillan is a unique talent at a position of need. 5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan The priority for returning general manager Trent Baalke should be fixing the defense. The 6-3, 320-pound Graham is a game-wrecker who could form a fearsome trio alongside Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. 6. Las Vegas Raiders: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State How badly do the Raiders want a quarterback? A trade up is certainly possible, but it will be costly. Perhaps this is a landing spot for a veteran? Either way, the running game needs to improve. The 5-9, 215-pound Jeanty is a budding star who is worth the price. 7. New York Jets: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan It’s a fool’s errand to predict what the Jets and Rodgers will decide this offseason. Regardless, it makes sense for the new regime to simply pick the best player. The 6-2, 200-pound Johnson can form a lockdown pairing alongside Sauce Gardner. 8. Carolina Panthers: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State Bryce Young put any doubts about his future to rest with a tremendous finish to the season. Now the Panthers can focus on improving the rest of the roster, starting with the defense. Wearing the same No. 11, the 6-3, 250-pound Carter looks like a Micah Parsons clone. 9. New Orleans Saints: Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia The Saints are hard to figure out given the questions at quarterback and coach, not to mention an always bloated salary cap. When in doubt, give New Orleans a long, athletic pass rusher. The 6-5, 265-pound Williams fits the bill. 10. Chicago Bears: Will Campbell, OT/G, LSU Is there any other decision here? The Bears need to do a better job of protecting Caleb Williams, and that starts with improving the offensive line. The 6-6, 319-pound Campbell played left tackle in college but could kick inside to guard. 11. San Francisco 49ers: Kelvin Banks Jr., OT/G, Texas A lost season because of injuries gives the Niners a rare chance to reset. The 6-4, 325-pound Banks could step in immediately at guard before taking over at left tackle once Trent Williams decides to retire. 12. Dallas Cowboys: Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M Outside of Parsons, the Cowboys’ defensive line has been disappointing, to say the least. The 6-6, 290-pound Stewart can line up inside or outside and provide some punch up front. 13. Miami Dolphins: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia With Jevon Holland and Jordan Poyer entering free agency, the Dolphins will need a new starting safety. The 6-1, 205-pound Starks is an instinctive and physical player who can become the leader of the secondary. 14. Indianapolis Colts: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan If the Colts are committed to Anthony Richardson, they need to give him every possible tool to succeed. The 6-5, 245-pound Loveland is a matchup nightmare with his size and speed. 15. Atlanta Falcons: James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee The Falcons have ranked 31st or worse in sacks in three of the past four seasons. The 6-4, 245-pound Pearce might not have the size or strength to be an every-down player, but his length and athleticism should make him a legitimate pass-rushing threat. 16. Arizona Cardinals: Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri Give Marvin Harrison Jr. a running mate and watch this offense take off. The 5-11, 210-pound Burden can thrive in the role Greg Dortch has occupied in Arizona with his ability to win from the slot and pick up yards after the catch. 17. Cincinnati Bengals: Jalon Walker, LB/EDGE, Georgia If Tee Higgins doesn’t return, wide receiver becomes a top priority this offseason. But the Bengals’ defense is what ultimately cost them a playoff spot. The 6-2, 245-pound Walker can help solidify a weak linebacker room while providing some pop as a pass rusher. 18. Seattle Seahawks: Cameron Williams, OT/G, Texas The Seahawks need to do everything they can this offseason to improve the offensive line. The 6-5, 335-pound Williams is raw, but he has all the physical traits to become a star. 19. Houston Texans: Wyatt Milum, OT/G, West Virginia The Texans can’t let C.J. Stroud play another season behind a bad offensive line. The 6-6, 317-pound Milum was one of the nation’s most dominant blockers this past season and can help shore up the projection at guard or right tackle. 20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M Coach Todd Bowles’ defense should be looking for pass-rush upgrades. The 6-4, 280-pound Scourton didn’t quite live up to expectations with the Aggies after a dominant 2023 season at Purdue, but he’s a young, versatile player with plenty of room to grow. Penn State’s Tyler Warren is one of the top tight ends in the draft. (Barry Reeger/AP) 21. Denver Broncos: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State Imagine what coach Sean Payton could do with a tight end who also plays quarterback? Oh, right, we’ve already seen it with Taysom Hill. The 6-6, 255-pound Warren is a much better pass catcher and blocker who could help take the offense to the next level. 22. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama This would be a fascinating pairing. The 6-1, 225-pound Milroe has a lot of room to improve as a passer, but his rushing ability, big arm and play-making instincts would make him an intriguing rival to the two-time Most Valuable Player in Baltimore. 23. Los Angeles Rams: Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State The Rams could use a long-term option at tackle with Alaric Jackson hitting free agency and Rob Havenstein turning 33 in May. Assuming he’s fully recovered from his torn ACL, the 6-5, 310-pound Simmons has star potential. 24. Green Bay Packers: Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina The Packers could move on from Jaire Alexander, who has missed 10 or more games in three of the past four seasons and is coming off knee surgery. The 6-2, 200-pound Revel has his own injury concerns after tearing his ACL, but he fits the Green Bay mold with his size and speed. 25. Los Angeles Chargers: Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan Giving coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter a former Wolverine just makes too much sense. The 6-3, 340-pound Grant fits the team’s identity with his high motor and relentless pursuit. 26. Washington Commanders: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State Olamide Zaccheaus and Noah Brown have had nice seasons in Washington, but Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin deserve a better No. 2 wide receiver. The 6-1, 203-pound Egbuka has been quietly productive playing behind some big stars in Columbus. Oregon offensive lineman Josh Conerly Jr. could be what the Ravens need. (Kyusung Gong/AP) 27. Ravens: Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon Left tackle Ronnie Stanley’s future will be the most important offseason development in Baltimore. Even if he returns, the Ravens should plan ahead. The 6-4, 315-pound Conerly might need time to develop, but the payoff could be huge with the former five-star prospect. 28. Philadelphia Eagles: Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall It’s almost always the offensive or defensive line for the Eagles in the first round. The 6-4, 248-pound Green burst onto the scene this season with a nation-leading 17 sacks while earning a stellar 90.1 Pro Football Focus grade against the run. Related Articles NFL | ‘Hard Knocks’ episode 6 recap: Ravens’ John Harbaugh motivates with fiery speech NFL | Ravens vs. Steelers scouting report for AFC wild-card round: Who has the edge? NFL | Mike Preston: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is the X factor vs. Ravens | COMMENTARY NFL | Sleep, film and focus: How Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has prepared for playoff run NFL | 10 numbers that defined the Ravens’ 2024 regular season 29. Buffalo Bills: Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss Buffalo’s defense has been terrible against the run this season, particularly its interior linemen. The 6-3, 300-pound Nolen could be a steal after a breakout season with the Rebels that showed off his five-star potential. 30. Minnesota Vikings: Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon When Jerry Tillery (career 49.2 PFF grade) is playing nearly 500 snaps at defensive tackle, you know it’s time to seek reinforcements. The 6-5, 310-pound Harmon is a disruptive force as both a run defender and pass rusher. 31. Detroit Lions: JT Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State This is a match made in heaven. The Lions need another edge rusher opposite Aidan Hutchinson and get one in the 6-4, 269-pound Tuimoloau, who fits their culture with his toughness, energy and consistency. 32. Kansas City Chiefs: Jonah Savaiinaea, OT/G, Arizona Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid can seemingly win with anyone, but the Chiefs need to find a solution at left tackle (and could lose Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith in free agency). The 6-5, 330-pound Savaiinaea is versatile, giving Kansas City options to build its best five. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article

The Ravens are back on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” for the first time since the venerable series’ 2001 premiere season, this time sharing each hour with their AFC North neighbors. The sixth episode of this in-season look at the division debuted Tuesday night, placing a spotlight on Ravens coach John Harbaugh as he motivated his team for a division-clinching victory over Cleveland, processed Zay Flowers’ knee injury and delighted in Michael Pierce’s valedictory interception. From now until the end of the season, we’ll recap each episode, highlighting striking moments, memorable characters and tasty Ravens-related nuggets. Key Ravens scene Harbaugh opened the episode with a bit of NFL fire and brimstone as he prepared his team for its regular-season finale against the Browns. The Ravens might have been favored by 20 points, but he wasn’t about to let them forget they lost to Cleveland, 29-24, on the last weekend in October. Biblical vengeance belongs to the Lord, Harbaugh began in the team auditorium. “But I do believe in football, you play a team in the division twice for a reason. Would you agree? So if we play ’em twice for a reason, and they beat us the first time, vengeance is yours, man. We are going to put the gas, the pedal down. We are going into this game to win everything. Win every play, win every series, win every catch, win every throw, win every interception. Win everything.” It was the fullest glimpse in the series to date of Harbaugh as motivator, and he kept it up later in the week. “Can you imagine how terrible, how disastrous, how awful it would be if they came into our stadium and beat us and took our championship away?” he told players as game day neared. “You can’t even fathom it. It sucked enough the last time when they embarrassed us.” He did not want the Ravens taking anything for granted with a second straight division title so close to their grasp. “And then,” Harbaugh said, “the real season starts.” Other Ravens tidbits The episode delivered a closeup of Flowers clutching his knee and gasping in pain after he went down at the end of a catch and run in the first half against Cleveland. “Aw [crap]. He’s hurt,” Harbaugh said into his headset. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” “It’s his right knee, but I think the big ligaments are OK,” team physician Dr. Andrew Tucker said after quickly examining Flowers on the field. We know now that Flowers is day-to-day, with his availability for the Ravens’ playoff opener against the Steelers in question. Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers injured his right knee in the second quarter of Saturday’s game against the Browns. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) “Hard Knocks” captured the terrible juxtapositions of NFL life, because two days earlier, Flowers had embraced general manager Eric DeCosta after learning he’d made his first Pro Bowl. “The first time I ever saw you, I knew you would,” DeCosta told Flowers. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey, meanwhile, made his fourth Pro Bowl, bouncing back from an injury-marred 2023. “You said you believed in me,” he reminded Harbaugh as they chatted mid-practice. “Did I text you that?” Harbaugh replied. Humphrey nodded. “Now, all of a sudden you’re in the Pro Bowl, and everybody believes in you,” Harbaugh said. “Remember who’s been with you since the beginning.” “I do,” Humphrey said. “I do.” We saw teammates joking with running back Derrick Henry about turning 31 on the day of the Browns game. Ancient as that might seem to some of them, Henry seemed unperturbed. “I feel like I’m 25 years old,” he said. In the late stages of the Ravens’ win over the Browns, Harbaugh said it might be time to sit Henry if the offense picked up another first down. On the next play, the future Hall of Fame running back sprinted 43 yards for a touchdown. Problem solved. Ravens running back Derrick Henry rushed for two touchdowns in a Week 18 win over the Browns. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Lamar Jackson shared his deep respect for Browns defensive end Myles Garrett. Asked by a coach which edge defender gives him the most trouble with zone reads, Jackson did not hesitate, laughing as he demonstrated a few of Garrett’s mind-bending moves. “He’s different,” Jackson concluded. In a Ravens-heavy episode, “Hard Knocks” also profiled tight end Mark Andrews, showcasing how he manages his Type 1 diabetes and interacts with young fans dealing with the same condition. We also saw plenty of Andrews’ telepathic connection with Jackson, which has developed over seven seasons. “Just getting started,” Andrews said. Best non-Ravens scene With the Ravens and Steelers already in the playoffs and the Browns long gone from contention, the Bengals were the team left to sweat out the last weekend of the season. They had already won four in a row to give themselves an unlikely chance at the No. 7 seed. They needed to beat Pittsburgh. They needed the New York Jets to upset the Miami Dolphins. And most improbably of all, they needed the Kansas City Chiefs, resting all their key players, to knock off the Denver Broncos. “Hard Knocks” captured the ecstasy in the Cincinnati locker room after the Bengals did their part with a gritty win over the Steelers. “All you guys did was dig deep, lean into each other and put yourself in position, man, to sit on your couch tomorrow, watch like a fan and pray to God that we get into this thing,” coach Zac Taylor told his players. “Because you deserve it.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | 2025 NFL mock draft: First-round projections after Week 18 Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers scouting report for AFC wild-card round: Who has the edge? Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is the X factor vs. Ravens | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Sleep, film and focus: How Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has prepared for playoff run Baltimore Ravens | 10 numbers that defined the Ravens’ 2024 regular season You just knew the episode would conclude with scenes of the Bengals watching their fate reside in others’ hands. Taylor viewed the games on a big screen in his office. Wide receiver Andrei Iosivas and tight end Mike Gesicki gathered with a few friends and loved ones, expressing genuine hope that the Chiefs, with nothing to play for, would show some fight. Both the coach and his players fell silent, the life draining from their faces by the minute, as they realized it wasn’t meant to be. The Bengals had created compelling football theater and convinced plenty of people they were the team No. 2 seed Buffalo wouldn’t want to see in the wild-card round. But that spot would belong, instead, to the Broncos. The episode ended without a final comment from Cincinnati, because what else was left to say? Episode MVP With so many Ravens scenes in the episode, Harbaugh served as the touchpoint, delivering his big speech to open the show and commenting on all the twists and turns of an AFC North championship week. Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article

The Ravens handled the woeful Browns, 35-10, to clinch a repeat AFC North title. The Steelers fell to the Bengals to finish their regular season on a four-game losing streak. Who will have the advantage when these enduring rivals meet in the wild-card round of the playoffs Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium? Ravens passing game vs. Steelers pass defense Lamar Jackson finally played well against the Steelers in the Ravens’ 34-17 win on Dec. 21, completing 15 of 23 passes for 207 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. It was hardly Jackson’s gaudiest passing line in a magnificent season that could land him his third NFL Most Valuable Player award, but it represented significant progress against the opponent that has bothered him more than any other. This time, Jackson might have to do it without Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers, who led the team with five catches for 100 yards in the December victory over Pittsburgh. Flowers hurt his knee in the regular season finale against Cleveland. Coach John Harbaugh said the injury isn’t season-ending, but that might just mean Flowers could make it back for the divisional round or the AFC championship. If he’s unable to go, wide receiver Rashod Bateman (16.8 yards per catch, nine touchdowns) and tight end Isaiah Likely (11.4 yards per catch, six touchdowns) would need to step into bigger roles. Tight end Mark Andrews has caught a touchdown pass in six straight games, so he’ll be Jackson’s first look in the red zone no matter what. The Ravens easily led the league in yards per play and passing DVOA, indications of just how efficient they are with and without Flowers on the field. They scored touchdowns on a league-best 74.2% of their red-zone possessions and ranked No. 3 in third-down efficiency. It’s an offense that both moves in chunks and finishes drives. The Ravens will try to keep rolling against a Pittsburgh defense that will be healthier than it was in the last meeting, with only starting cornerback Donte Jackson uncertain to play because of a pinched nerve in his back. Defensive end Larry Ogunjobi and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. will be back in the lineup. It’s all about the pass rush for this defense, which features three dangerous edge rushers in T.J. Watt (11 1/2 sacks, 27 quarterback hits, league-best six forced fumbles), Alex Highsmith (six sacks in 11 games) and Nick Herbig and one of the sport’s interior superstars in venerable defensive tackle Cam Heyward (eight sacks, 11 passes defended). The Ravens did a good job limiting that crew to one sack and no quarterback hits in December. The best way to gouge Pittsburgh is by operating quickly, which isn’t always Jackson’s modus operandi. Will the Ravens try to force tempo, or will they simply trust their quarterback’s instincts on when to extend plays and look downfield? The Steelers lead the league in takeaways, and veteran ballhawk Minkah Fitzpatrick took advantage of miscommunication between Jackson and Bateman for an interception that could have loomed large in the December matchup (had Marlon Humphrey not immediately answered with a pick-six). The Steelers rank No. 2 in third-down defense, so the Ravens will need to avoid third-and-long. Vulnerable as this defense looked during a four-game losing streak to close the season, that stretch belied how dangerous Pittsburgh still is. EDGE: Ravens Steelers passing game vs. Ravens pass defense When the Steelers rolled through the middle of the season, quarterback Russell Wilson’s efficiency on deep balls, especially to wide receiver George Pickens, was a major reason. That weapon has largely disappeared from Pittsburgh’s arsenal over the last four weeks, with Wilson throwing just four touchdown passes and two interceptions during the losing streak that cost the Steelers an AFC North title. Wilson averaged a season-high 11.29 yards per attempt in a Dec. 1 win over the Bengals. He plummeted to 4.8 yards per attempt in the regular season finale against Cincinnati. Pickens (15.3 yards per catch) did not play in the last game against the Ravens, and his injury was initially viewed as the reason for the dip in explosiveness, but he caught just four passes on 13 targets for 50 yards after returning on Christmas. If the Steelers can’t get Pickens going, Wilson won’t have much chance to scare the Ravens. Tight end Pat Freiermuth (653 yards, seven touchdowns) and wide receiver Calvin Austin III are solid, but they’re not going to take the top off a defense. Wide receiver Mike Williams hasn’t factored heavily since Pittsburgh picked him up at midseason. Wilson’s best bet might be to pick on Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens with his patented moon balls, hoping to draw a downfield interference call or two. Because Wilson holds the ball as he probes for deep targets, the Ravens — second in the league with 54 sacks — will have chances to get to him, especially given Pittsburgh’s weaknesses on the right side of its offensive line. That starts with edge rushers Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh,, who both reached double digits in sacks, but it was reserve outside linebacker David Ojabo’s pressure that helped set up Humphrey’s crucial pick-six in the last matchup. Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr was prophetic when he said takeaways would be the element to push his improving unit over the top. Humphrey’s interception and safety Ar’Darius Washington’s forced fumble on Wilson near the goal line were arguably the biggest plays in the win over Pittsburgh. Rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins got in on the pick-six fun against Cleveland. The Ravens’ defense went from one of the worst in the league over the first 10 games to one of the best over the last seven, a transformation that coincided with them inserting Washington as a starter and pulling Pro Bowl safety Kyle Hamilton back from the line of scrimmage. Their reconfigured secondary stopped bleeding explosive plays, a trend the Ravens will need to continue Saturday given Wilson’s tendencies. The Steelers rank 29th in red-zone efficiency and 15th on third down. EDGE: Ravens Ravens running game vs. Steelers run defense The Ravens went right at the Steelers with Derrick Henry in December, hammering them for 220 rushing yards, 63 more than anyone else managed against Pittsburgh all season. That was after they largely abandoned the run in the second half of their 18-16 loss in Pittsburgh. It would be a shock if Henry (1,921 yards, 5.9 per carry, 16 touchdowns) isn’t a major part of the game plan Saturday given Flowers’ possible absence and the predicted frigid temperature at M&T Bank Stadium. Jackson managed just 22 yards on nine carries in the win over the Steelers, but the Ravens did find success going to third-down back Justice Hill as a change of pace. Hill has missed the last two games with a concussion and illness but is expected back Saturday. Jackson, of course, remains a unique weapon, having led the league at 6.6 yards per carry and passed Michael Vick as the most prolific running quarterback in league history. Ravens running back Derrick Henry figures to be an important part of the game plan Saturday against the Steelers, given his recent success against Pittsburgh and the expected cold temperatures. (Kim Hairston/Staff) Pittsburgh will try to present stouter resistance to Henry with help from hard-hitting safety DeShon Elliott, who did not play against his former team in the last meeting. Former Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen will also be amped up to play better than he did in that defeat. It will be interesting to see how much the Ravens lean on zone-concept runs to create space for Henry. Pittsburgh’s top pass rushers, Watt, Heyward and Highsmith, also excel against the run, with Watt just as apt to strip a running back as Jackson. Fumble luck went the Ravens’ way when they beat the Steelers three weeks ago, but they need to keep the ball off the ground. EDGE: Ravens Steelers running game vs. Ravens run defense The Steelers quietly ran well with 117 yards on 24 carries in their loss in Baltimore. Pittsburgh always goes back to the ground (fourth in the league in attempts), even when its efficiency (4.1 yards per carry) isn’t great. Najee Harris (1,043 yard, four per carry) is the No. 1 option, but the Ravens will also see plenty of Jaylen Warren, who dipped from 5.3 yards per carry last year to 4.3 this year. The Steelers’ success on early downs will be key to the game, because they’re not built for third-and-long. The Ravens allowed the fewest yards per game and per carry in the league, and they’ll have all their key run defenders Saturday, including nose tackle Michael Pierce, who played just 13 snaps in the last meeting. Leading tackler Roquan Smith struggled in that game, and he’ll need to be sharper to prevent Harris and Warren from hurting the Ravens early. It’s a tribute to Hamilton and Washington that the Ravens have improved so much on the back end without sacrificing their physicality against the run. EDGE: Ravens Ravens special teams vs. Steelers special teams The Ravens averted disaster when they recovered a pair of special teams fumbles in the last meeting with Pittsburgh. They’re still sorting out their return game, though Steven Sims has been the starting punt returner since the Ravens claimed him off waivers, and Keaton Mitchell ran a kickoff back 47 yards against Cleveland. Justin Tucker, 1-for-3 on field goals in the loss in Pittsburgh, has not missed in the Ravens’ four wins since their bye week. Will he be tested on a clutch kick in potentially difficult weather conditions Saturday? The Ravens certainly can’t count on Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell missing. He made 41 of 44 field-goal attempts this season, including 13 of 15 from 50 yards and beyond. Punter Corliss Waitman has also excelled since he stepped in for inured Cameron Johnston. The Steelers have averaged just 23 yards per kickoff return while allowing 28.9 yards per kickoff return, but that’s the only weakness in an excellent special teams group. EDGE: Steelers Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | 2025 NFL mock draft: First-round projections after Week 18 Baltimore Ravens | ‘Hard Knocks’ episode 6 recap: Ravens’ John Harbaugh motivates with fiery speech Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is the X factor vs. Ravens | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Sleep, film and focus: How Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has prepared for playoff run Baltimore Ravens | 10 numbers that defined the Ravens’ 2024 regular season Ravens intangibles vs. Steelers intangibles Did Jackson and the Ravens cast off their Pittsburgh albatross by surviving a few tense moments to win by 17 in December? Or is the Steelers’ 8-2 record over the last 10 games in the rivalry still a source of anxiety for the AFC North champions. Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin have banged heads for 17 years, matching up more than any coaches since Curly Lambeau and George Halas, so there won’t be a lot of tactical surprises. Will the Ravens find an offensive flow without Flowers? Or will the Steelers ugly things up as they have in so many close wins over Baltimore? The Ravens earned home-field advantage and deserve to be favored (though perhaps not by 10 points) after racing past the slumping Steelers over the last four weeks of the regular season. If late-season form is telling, they’ll win comfortably. But Tomlin will spend the week telling his players no one believes in them and that they’ve always stood up to the Ravens in difficult moments. The Ravens, meanwhile, know the venom that will spew toward Harbaugh and Jackson if they again come out flat as playoff favorites. The psychological layers in this one are fit for a Russian novel. EDGE: Even Prediction If Flowers can’t play, that’s a big deal, but not such a big deal that the Ravens won’t survive without their Pro Bowl wide receiver. They’ll still have the dominant playmakers on the field in Jackson and Henry, and in Bateman and Likely, they have pass catchers gifted enough to replace much of Flowers’ production. If Jackson plays close to the peaks he reached this season and avoids turnovers, Pittsburgh’s sputtering offense won’t keep up. The Steelers have the pass rush and the big-play capability to make this a closer game than the point spread would suggest. We’ve seen them upend superior Ravens teams in the past five years. They just won’t score quite enough on a cold night in Baltimore. Ravens 27, Steelers 19 Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article

Few in the NFL have a game face as menacing as Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. It’s as if he is back in middle school and the bully took his lunch money, or another student said something bad about his mom. It’s time to fight. The scowl has become part of his persona. “That’s his natural face,” said his older brother, Eddie, a former starting cornerback at Maryland in the late 1980s. “It’s not necessarily welcoming to begin with, but it is his regular face. It’s not like he is pissed or something; he’s pretty flatlined even if he’s very pleased. It’s like all the men in our family being accused of being mean people just because of how we look when there is nothing going on. “But honestly, he is not pissed for the most part. He just looks like that a lot.” Former Steelers cornerback Ryan Clark concurs. “That’s just the way God made his face,” said Clark, who played for Pittsburgh from 2006 through 2013 and is now an ESPN analyst. “He’s fun, he laughs, he jokes, has a good time. He has all the ranges of emotions.” Tomlin is the X factor in the Ravens’ wild-card playoff game against Pittsburgh on Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium. This doesn’t appear to be much of a game on paper — or statistically. The Ravens came from two games behind in the regular season to defend their AFC North title. They have won four straight while Pittsburgh has lost four in a row. The last time the two teams met on Dec. 21, Baltimore physically dominated the Steelers in a 34-17 victory. But it’s the scowl and the attitude behind it that should concern the Ravens. Tomlin, 52, has a 21-16 record against Baltimore, and the Steelers have won eight of the past 10. Tomlin’s defenses have had success against Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is 2-4 in the postseason in seven years. Pittsburgh is the only team that Jackson has thrown more interceptions (nine) than touchdown passes (eight) against. How and why has Tomlin had so much success versus Baltimore? “Man, I can’t tell you that,” Eddie Tomlin said, laughing. “I just can’t.” I have a history with Eddie Tomlin, the CEO and owner of Newsome Park Strategies, a medical device company based in Tidewater, Virginia. I covered him for The Baltimore Sun when he played cornerback for Joe Krivak, the Terps’ late coach, from 1988 to 1991. Back then, Maryland was trying to recover from the death of basketball star Len Bias, who died on June 19, 1986, from cardiac arrhythmia because of cocaine use. Of course, no one knows Mike Tomlin better. They were the only siblings raised together by Leslie and Julia Copeland in Hampton, Virginia, and attended Denbigh High, which has produced many great athletes. Pittsburgh won’t come into this game thinking about a losing streak. Mike Tomlin emphasized that earlier this week, declaring that the Steelers have learned from recent failures. Chiefs coach Andy Reid is good at the X’s and O’s while Mike Tomlin can play the head games. It’s vintage Mike Tomlin. “You don’t straighten the season out, man,” Eddie Tomlin said. “You go out and you play your best football next week. It’s a tournament, and you shoot all your bullets in the tournament. You certainly don’t bring the last four weeks into the stadium on Saturday. I’m sure he has gotten that message across.” Mike Tomlin has spoken about the familiarity of the two teams, but Eddie Tomlin said his brother is also good at delivering messages to his team while at the podium. Mike Tomlin has the classic delivery with the short, choppy words and those faces that looked like he just sucked up some lemon juice. But Eddie Tomlin says it’s a style learned from his uncle Mike, and often his younger brother sounds a lot like a rapper. You can tell there is a lot of brotherly love. Eddie said he never allowed anyone to pick on Mike when they were younger. The two talk several times a week — unless the Steelers lose. Then he has to call his brother on late Saturday nights. Don Wright/APJohn Harbaugh, left, and Mike Tomlin are plenty familiar with each other. (Don Wright/AP) “He has a wit about him that I find funny,” Eddie Tomlin said. “I guess reporters up there [Pittsburgh] don’t like it, but it is what it is. He always has something quick and clean to say about everything. It’s a gift, man. Yet, at the same time, he is delivering a message to his team and he knows they are listening. “He has always been direct, straight and blunt. That’s how he is able to connect with players. These guys have been treated like the pretty girl since they were able to distinguish themselves athletically, and here he is telling them the truth and what they need to do to get better. He has been able to connect with them, and now his program seems to be on autopilot.” Despite the impressive overall record (183-107) and Super Bowl title in two appearances, Mike Tomlin is 8-10 in the postseason and has lost four straight. The Steelers come into Baltimore with a small-ball passing offense led by quarterback Russell Wilson. They have a big-play tight end in Pat Freiermuth and a deep threat on the outside in George Pickens, who is full of drama as he follows in the footsteps of Antonio Brown and Diontae Johnson. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | 2025 NFL mock draft: First-round projections after Week 18 Baltimore Ravens | ‘Hard Knocks’ episode 6 recap: Ravens’ John Harbaugh motivates with fiery speech Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers scouting report for AFC wild-card round: Who has the edge? Baltimore Ravens | Sleep, film and focus: How Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has prepared for playoff run Baltimore Ravens | 10 numbers that defined the Ravens’ 2024 regular season Defensively, the Steelers are sound, especially with T. J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Cameron Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi up front. It will be interesting to see if the Steelers come up with some new wrinkles, such as using backup quarterback Justin Fields in certain situations. The Ravens, meanwhile, are on a roll even though they struggled early offensively against the Browns on Saturday. They could be without slot receiver Zay Flowers but have plenty of other playmakers — Jackson, running back Derrick Henry and tight end Mark Andrews. Defensively, the Ravens have improved over the past month but won’t play a team with a strong passing game until later in the postseason. Pittsburgh’s style is to keep games close and then have their playmakers make plays in the final four minutes. It hasn’t worked in recent weeks, but it did against the Ravens on Nov. 17, an 18-16 Steelers win. “I’d be very surprised if the Steelers win,” Clark said. “I think the Baltimore Ravens are a top-four team in the league. I put them in the same category as the Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles.” If the Steelers pull the upset Saturday night, there will be dark days in Baltimore. If that happens, you can trace it back to the scowl of Mike Tomlin. He finds magic against the Ravens. “I think the Zay Flowers injury is a big deal. If he doesn’t play, it’s a different football team, a different offense,” Clark said. “But if the Pittsburgh Steelers find a way to win, it will be [Tomlin’s] greatest coaching effort in his tenure at Pittsburgh,”. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

It was late October, midway through the Ravens’ season, and Lamar Jackson was nowhere to be seen. Two straight missed practices were cause for curiosity if not concern among the assembled media corps at 1 Winning Drive. The absences were quickly explained away by coach John Harbaugh as mere rest days for a sore knee and back amid a heavy workload of football for the $260 million quarterback in what was expected to be a long season ahead. But behind closed doors there had also been some tough words, Jackson acknowledged, in the days following a sloppy, mistake-filled loss to the lowly, then one-win Browns in Cleveland, and he needed a break physically. “I’m the type of person if I’m well-rested and my body feel good I should be able to do anything,” Jackson told The Baltimore Sun. “I tell coach all the time, if we rest we should be able to do this. He listens, but sometimes he’s the coach and do what he want to do.” Harbaugh and Jackson are two ultra-competitive men driven by the same goal — an elusive Super Bowl title together — and at the top of the sport it’s why small details can carry big importance, particularly when the only thing left to be measured by is the game’s ultimate prize for two all-but-certain future Hall of Famers. It’s part of the reason, for example, that Harbaugh during offseason workouts brought in a sleep specialist to meet with the team. It’s why Jackson’s mother, Felicia Jones, who was on her son’s case following a loss to the Eagles last month for not taking advantage of the running lanes Philadelphia had presented him, will chide him for texting her at 1 a.m., wondering why he isn’t asleep, he said. “Needing sleep wasn’t something that was ever on my mind,” Jackson, who turned 28 on Tuesday, told The Sun. “My mom, she always told me to make sure I’m sleeping.” Now in his seventh year and with the bitter taste of last season’s ugly loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in his first AFC championship game still lingering on his tongue, it’s only one of many changes he has made as he prepares to embark on what he hopes will be a deep playoff run, beginning with Saturday’s wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the regular season, Jackson put together a historic campaign. He became the first player in NFL history to pass for more than 4,000 yards and run for more than 900 yards in the same season. He set the franchise record for touchdown passes in a season (41) while throwing just four interceptions. He led the Ravens to a 12-5 record, another AFC North title and the No. 3 seed in the conference and is again a candidate for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award, which would be his third. But Jackson is just 2-4 in the playoffs and never reached a Super Bowl in his six previous seasons. He has also failed to maintain the same level of play in the postseason with six interceptions and three lost fumbles in six games. Which as usual this time of year begs the question of whether he can turn regular season magnificence into playoff mastery. Teammates say Jackson this year has been more intentional and vocal. “What Lamar has done a good job of is take the years before him and really used them, taught himself what he was bad at what he was good at,” wide receiver Rashod Bateman told The Sun. “I think that shows. A lot of people kind of wonder what he be up to in the offseason, but it shows he works behind closed doors. A lot of us are not shocked, but it’s cool for the world to see.” The importance of being in the second year of offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s system also can’t be overstated. “It’s important for you to understand that he sees the game different than what you may think is the picture,” wide receiver Nelson Agholor told The Sun. “The picture is this, but he has a different picture. The more you start speaking Lamar, and understanding Lamar the more prolific we’ll be.” Coaches have also seen physical improvements on the field and greater command of the offense in the film room. “He made some goals to be quicker on his feet,” quarterbacks coach Tee Martin said. “We made a key point to work on throws outside the numbers, into deeper field zones, outside the numbers, post routes, go routes [and] things of that nature [as well as] on the run [and] scramble throws. Those are things that we intentionally wanted to come into the season to be improved at and better at. So, as you look at his numbers, you look at statistically where he’s at, he’s improved in all those areas. “From protections, from progressions, from knowing what to expect so that he can anticipate and get the ball out – he’s not getting sacked as much, [and] he’s not being flushed as much.” Having Derrick Henry alongside him in the backfield is no small matter, either. Jackson’s eyes widen when asked how significant the future Hall of Fame back has been on him specifically. He let out an audible gasp. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry form one of the NFL’s most productive backfields. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) “He made my job A LOT easier,” Jackson continues. “He makes the offensive line’s job a lot easier because the type of running back he is. When he gets downhill or when he hit the outside he just go, when running backs be dancing, making moves, he gets the ball and just go and that’s keeping our line fresh. “And he just taking the edge off me. I don’t got to run the ball as much.” Monken put it another, more blunt way. “There’s nothing like being able to turn around and comfortably hand the ball off to the running back,” he said. “And some of those times – like we we’re talking about under center – it’s kind of a smoke break for your quarterback. There’s not much processing. You can just turn around and hand the ball off, and there’s not a lot of reading it, throwing it, protection. “That’s really big. You get to exhale a little bit for the quarterback.” Henry’s addition will also perhaps help with Jackson’s anxiousness when the stakes of the games are at their highest. “I’d be just too excited,” he said this week. “Too antsy. I’m seeing things before it happened, like, ‘Oh, I got to calm myself down.’ But just being more experienced, I’ve found a way to balance it out.” He has tried to be tidy in other areas of his life, too, he told The Sun. He came into the season at just over 200 pounds, his lightest weight in years and more than 30 pounds less than what he weighed two seasons ago. It gave him the ability to get out his cuts faster, he said, and has kept him fresher as the season has worn on, which is in stark contrast to last year’s conference championship when he said his legs felt heavier and his speed was not as fast. When he signed on for a Gatorade commercial this year, the childhood appeal and money made it attractive. Other companies have called him, too, but Jackson said that “not all money is good money.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | 2025 NFL mock draft: First-round projections after Week 18 Baltimore Ravens | ‘Hard Knocks’ episode 6 recap: Ravens’ John Harbaugh motivates with fiery speech Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Steelers scouting report for AFC wild-card round: Who has the edge? Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is the X factor vs. Ravens | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | 10 numbers that defined the Ravens’ 2024 regular season “There be a lot of stuff taking place during the season and I be trying to focus on football,” he told The Sun. “I don’t want anything cluttering my mind … I don’t wanna have that on my mind knowing I have 17 weeks, plus playoffs plus the Super Bowl. After the season, it’s cool but during the season I don’t want my mind focusing on anything but football.” He has also continued to listen to his mother. After all, he insists, she knows him better than anyone. She was there from the beginning, the one who guided him through backyard workouts in South Florida and through college, the one he still trusted as he entered the NFL and his most recent contract negotiation and even when to run and when to sleep. “She pretty much said what I need to do,” he told The Sun. “So I said I’m gonna put that in the back of my mind a lot more, and that’s what’s been going on.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The Ravens closed the regular season on Saturday with a 35-10 win over the Cleveland Browns, crowning them AFC North division champs while earning celebratory postgame cigars. It’s been a season full of twists and turns leading them here, days out from a wild-card round matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here are 10 numbers that defined the Ravens’ 2024 regular season: 30 That’s Lamar Jackson’s jersey No. 8 plus Derrick Henry’s No. 22 — the most productive quarterback and running back duo in NFL history. They are the first tandem to reach 4,000 passing yards (4,172) and 40 touchdowns (41) through the air complemented by at least 1,500 yards (1,921) and 15 touchdowns (16) on the ground. Individually, Jackson passed Michael Vick as the NFL’s all-time rushing leader for a quarterback this season. And Henry became the first player to rush for over 1,900 yards in multiple seasons — that’s with a thinner workload than he had in Tennessee. 73.3% By the end of the regular season, Justin Tucker finished more than nine percentage points worse than his previous single-season career-low. His 73.3% field goal rate ranks 32nd in the NFL out of 39 players who have attempted at least one kick this season. It’s been a rough go for the most accurate kicker in the history of the sport. But it’s not all bad. He missed 10 kicks in the first 13 weeks of the season. Nine blew wide left. Eight were field goals and two were extra-point tries. Tucker said the bye week felt like putting himself through a kiln, where he could come out the other side a pretty vase. He immediately regretted the corniness of the metaphor but hasn’t missed a kick since. 9 Nine of Baltimore’s 12 wins this season came against teams with a winning record, the most of any team in the NFL. It’s a long way from where the season started: a toenail loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 and a dismal unraveling vs. the Las Vegas Raiders (one of two losses this season to a team with four or fewer wins). An 0-2 start put their championship aspirations on the back burner. Many wondered whether the shaky two weeks coming up on an unfavorable stretch of games might mean Baltimore’s demise. Oh, how quickly narratives can change. “It was a tough schedule, and we played teams when they were at their best quite often and they were on a roll when we played them,” coach John Harbaugh said. “I thought our guys handled that.” 11 It took 11 weeks for the Ravens defense to figure it out. Through the first 10 weeks of the season, they were ranked 25th or worse in every category sans rushing defense, which they were the NFL’s best. Baltimore has since allowed the fewest yards per game (261.7), net passing yards per game (171.6), yards per play (4.4) and points per game (15.4). The turnaround under rookie coordinator Zach Orr became a major plot point of the season and a crucial development for their postseason aspirations. “[Orr] kept his composure,” linebacker Roquan Smith said. “He was the same guy day in and day out, and he didn’t change at all. I respect that individual, that despite going through adversity, he still had a smile, still had the same energy every single day.” 6 Marlon Humphrey’s six interceptions are the most among AFC players and tied for third most in the NFL. The veteran cornerback is playing at an All-Pro level having forced a few timely turnovers. There was a late-game interception in Cincinnati, a forced fumble against the Bengals, a pick-six vs. the Steelers and a pair of first-half takeaways in Tampa Bay. “I think he’s playing [the] highest-level football he’s probably ever played in his career,” Orr said. Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey recorded six interceptions this season, including one in each game against the Steelers. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) 8 of 9 The question elicited moans, groans and eye rolls heading into Week 16. Players were tired of hearing about having lost eight of their past nine meetings with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens put that to rest with a convincing 34-17 win on Dec. 21. It has been fairly one sided in recent battles between the two longest-tenured coaches in the NFL but Baltimore finished out the regular season on a high note, stealing the division crown from the floundering Steelers. They’ll meet again Saturday night in Baltimore with the season on the line. 1,059 Wide receiver Zay Flowers flashed his potential as a rookie and stamped his prowess as a sophomore. Flowers became the third Raven to eclipse 1,000 yards in a single season and the organization’s first wide receiver to make the Pro Bowl. He also had a five-game stretch with four games over 100 yards receiving. His health will be paramount to a playoff run. 35.1% Year 2 of offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s system has yielded historically impressive results. Baltimore finished the season with the fourth-most efficient offense by DVOA in NFL history — a statistic measuring how well a team performs compared to league average. The Ravens’ 35.1% DVOA trails only 2010 New England, 1982 San Diego, 2007 New England, and they’re one spot ahead of 2018 Kansas City. As as a team, Baltimore finished seventh all-time in total DVOA at 41.4%. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers absent from practice Tuesday; Steelers largely healthy Baltimore Ravens | Bears, Jaguars reportedly seek permission to interview Ravens OC Todd Monken for head coach openings Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers ‘day to day’ after suffering knee injury against Browns Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: How far will the Ravens advance in the playoffs? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens roundtable: Discussing the Steelers, Zay Flowers’ health and more 26% Baltimore left the New York Times’ playoff predictor flickering in the waning weeks of the season. It pegged the Ravens to have a 26% chance of winning the AFC North and 6% odds of hoisting a Lombardi Trophy in February. That was coming out of the bye week, staring down three games in 11 days. After winning all three, the playoff predictor (with some help from the struggling Steelers) said, heading into Week 18, the Ravens had a 95% chance of taking the division and now gives them the fifth-best odds of winning the Super Bowl (10%). 361 For all the positive league-leading numbers, there was one negative the Ravens were among the best at. They were charged with 132 penalties costing them 361 yards – both the second most in football behind the disastrous New York Jets. The season opened with four head-scratching illegal formation penalties in the first half against Kansas City but the Ravens continued to kick themselves, flagged 7.76 times per game. Their worst showing came against the New York Giants, losing 112 yards thanks to 12 penalties. Eight of them came from the defense – a single-game high for any phase. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers emerged in the locker room following Tuesday’s practice in Owings Mills with a fresh haircut but also with a bulky brace on his right knee. As such, Baltimore’s leading receiver and its first Pro Bowl selection at the position did not practice, leaving his status for Saturday’s wild-card playoff game against the Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium uncertain. He also isn’t the only one dealing with a knee injury. Safety Kyle Hamilton (knee) also popped up on the injury report and was limited in practice. The All-Pro and defensive star has been banged up several times this season but has not missed a game. He has also been the lynchpin to a defense that has been the best in the NFL over the final two months of the regular season; his 7.7 yards allowed per completion led all safeties and he totaled a career-high 104 tackles, third-most at the position in the conference. Otherwise, the Ravens are largely healthy. Running back Justice Hill, who hasn’t played since suffering a concussion on Dec. 21 against the Steelers and missed last week because of an illness, was limited. Wide receiver and returner Deonte Harty (knee), whom they designated to return from injured reserve on Monday, fully practiced. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | 10 numbers that defined the Ravens’ 2024 regular season Baltimore Ravens | Bears, Jaguars reportedly seek permission to interview Ravens OC Todd Monken for head coach openings Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers ‘day to day’ after suffering knee injury against Browns Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: How far will the Ravens advance in the playoffs? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens roundtable: Discussing the Steelers, Zay Flowers’ health and more Pittsburgh could be much healthier this time around after missing several players in its previous meeting in Baltimore. The only Steelers who didn’t practice Tuesday were defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (illness) and offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo (rest). Guard Mason McCormick, who fractured a bone in his hand last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, and tight end MyCole Pruitt (knee) were limited. Otherwise, everyone practiced fully, including cornerback Donte Jackson (back), wide receiver Roman Wilson (hamstring), defensive lineman Logan Lee (calf) and offensive tackle Calvin Anderson (goin), all of whom have been designated to return from injured reserve. Linebacker Cole Holcomb (knee), who has been designated to return from the physically unable to perform list, was also a full participant. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

The conclusion of the regular season in the NFL on Sunday night meant that teams could request permission to interview candidates currently employed by other teams for their head coach and/or general manager openings as soon as Monday morning. Unsurprisingly, one of the early names to surface for the current handful of coaching openings is from the Ravens. The Chicago Bears requested permission to speak with Baltimore offensive coordinator Todd Monken, according to NFL Network. The Bears reportedly also sought permission to speak with Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, whose contract is set to expire soon. Monken, 58, is in his second year with the Ravens and was the architect of the league’s most prolific offense this season, with Baltimore becoming the first team to pass for at least 4,000 yards and rush for at least 3,000 yards in the same season en route to leading the NFL in total yards. A year after reaching the AFC championship game, the Ravens finished 12-5 in the regular season, are the No. 3 seed in the conference and will host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round on Saturday night. In-person interviews for head coach candidates currently under contract can’t take place until Jan. 20, though virtual interviews can begin sooner. Coaches with the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions, along with those from teams that did not make the playoffs, can take part in virtual interviews for head coaching jobs three days after the conclusion of their respective team’s regular season. Coaches from teams playing in next weekend’s wild-card round, however, are not permitted to interview for jobs at all until three days after their wild-card game. When Ravens coach John Harbaugh was asked Monday morning during his weekly news conference if he had received any requests to speak with any of his assistant coaches, he was dismissive. “If I had, I wouldn’t probably announce it,” he said. “Maybe, I don’t know, do they put that out? Like, [does] the NFL put that out or whatever?” “So you can get it from the insiders when it happens, I guess.” While it’s still a long way from happening, should Monken get hired by the Bears or another team, it would be the longtime assistant’s first head coaching job in the NFL. His only head coaching experience was with Southern Mississippi from 2013 to 2015. Still, he figures to be a popular candidate. Last year, quarterback Lamar Jackson had career highs in passing yards (3,678) and completion percentage (67.2) and went on to be named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for the second time. This season, he was even better, with 4,172 yards passing, a career-high and franchise record 41 touchdowns and four interceptions. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers ‘day to day’ after suffering knee injury against Browns Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: How far will the Ravens advance in the playoffs? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens roundtable: Discussing the Steelers, Zay Flowers’ health and more Baltimore Ravens | 5 things to know about the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens’ wild-card round opponent Baltimore Ravens | Ravens to face Steelers in wild-card playoff game in Baltimore on Saturday Jackson also became the first player in NFL history to throw for at least 4,000 yards and rush for at least 800 yards in the same season while leading an offense that led the league in yards per game (424.9), third in points per game (30.5) and first in defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA). Last year, Monken interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers and Carolina Panthers. Though he will turn 59 in February — the average age of coaches entering this season was just under 48 years old — he could be an attractive candidate for a Bears team that went 5-12 and had the worst offense in the league with quarterback and 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams. In addition to the work he’s done with Jackson, among others over a long career, he grew up 30 miles outside Chicago in Wheaton, Illinois, comes from a coaching family and has a spirited personality. He also insisted it’s not something he’s worried about right now. “I don’t deal with it,” Monken said last month about the speculation surrounding suitors who could be potentially interested in his services. “I don’t deal with it because it’s got nothing to do with the here and the now, and nobody really knows anyways.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article