ExtremeRavens

Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers’ availability for Saturday’s wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers remains uncertain. Coach John Harbaugh said Monday that Baltimore’s leading pass catcher is “day to day” after suffering a right knee injury Saturday in the regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns. He declined to provide further specifics, saying only that the injury is not season-ending. Flowers suffered the injury early in the second quarter of Saturday’s win after Browns linebacker Mohamoud Diabate landed on his right knee after a 12-yard catch-and-run. He was helped to his feet by the training staff and limped to the sideline before going into the medical tent and eventually the locker room. He did not return. Losing the second-year receiver for the game would be a blow to what was the NFL’s No. 1 offense this season. Flowers led the Ravens in catches (74) and yards (1,059) to go with four touchdowns. He was also the fastest player in team history to reach 100 career receptions, the first Baltimore wide receiver to top 1,000 yards in a season since Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in 2021 and became the organization’s first at the position to be selected to the Pro Bowl. Flowers has five 100-yard receiving games this season, including in the Ravens’ Dec. 21 win over the Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium, when he had five catches for 100 yards, including one that went for 49 yards. 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

The NFL postseason is here. The Ravens won the AFC North for the second straight year and secured at least one home playoff game — Saturday night against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. We want to hear from you: how far do you think Baltimore will advance in this year’s postseason? After you vote, tell us what you think by clicking the comments button and we might publish your take in The Baltimore Sun. The Baltimore Sun reader poll is an unscientific survey in which website users volunteer their opinions on the subject of the poll. To read the results of previous reader polls, click here. View the full article

The Ravens enter the NFL playoffs on a four-game winning streak, using a late-season surge to win the AFC North for the second straight season. They’ll open postseason action Saturday at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a division rival with a recent history of success against Baltimore. Pittsburgh enters Saturday’s showdown riding a four-game losing streak, as the Steelers struggled over the final month of the regular season. The woes include a 34-17 loss in Baltimore on Dec. 21. How will this week’s matchup play out? Baltimore Sun reporters Brian Wacker, Childs Walker and Sam Cohn answer questions about the Ravens’ defensive improvement, Lamar Jackson’s recent play and challenges the Steelers present. What is Baltimore’s biggest concern heading into the playoffs? Wacker: If Zay Flowers were to miss any time that would be a major concern, given that he is their most dependable and versatile pass catcher among a thin wide receiver corps. Otherwise, it’s likely cornerback Brandon Stephens, who probably isn’t a concern in the wild-card round but could be the deeper the Ravens go in the playoffs when they will face elite quarterback play. In the playoffs, teams tend to pick on a weakness and exploit it and Stephens has been victimized a good bit this season. Baltimore could move Marlon Humphrey outside more often to help, but that would hurt the defense inside, where Humphrey has been one of the best defenders in the league. Walker: Zay Flowers’ knee injury could remove an irreplaceable playmaker from the league’s most efficient offensive. It’s not as if the Ravens would lose all their juice without their top receiver. They were still plenty explosive when he was off the field this season. Rashod Bateman and Isaiah Likely are also capable of turning short passes into chunk gains. But you never want to go into a playoff game without one of your 10 most important guys, and the Ravens face that possibility, at least for the wild-card round. Cohn: Baltimore’s biggest concern revealed itself in the second quarter Saturday evening when Zay Flowers clutched his right knee. He has proven to be a clear No. 1 receiver. He became the first Ravens wide receiver selected to the Pro Bowl thanks to his 1,000-yard season on 74 catches. Without question, his absence — however long, for however serious the injury — is Baltimore’s biggest concern. He hasn’t missed a game across two years in the NFL. But this is why they’ve touted the strength of their “pick-your-poison offense,” right? What is the Ravens’ biggest challenge facing the Steelers for a third time? Wacker: In facing the Steelers there is the ever-lurking specter of recent success not to mention divisional familiarity. Sure, the Ravens beat Pittsburgh the last time the two teams met a few weeks ago in Baltimore, but before that the Steelers had won eight of the previous nine. Their most recent contest was also much tighter than the final 34-17 final score would indicate and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin knows how to defend and get in the head of Lamar Jackson. Plus, all the pressure will be on Jackson and the Ravens after they rolled to the division title with four straight wins and Pittsburgh limped into the postseason with four straight losses. Walker: There will be real anxiety around a rematch with the Steelers, even though the Ravens were a superior team this season and a vastly superior one over the last four weeks. On paper, Pittsburgh doesn’t have any real offensive or defensive advantages over the Ravens, but Mike Tomlin’s team has a gift for dragging its high-flying AFC North rival into low-scoring games defined by mistakes and weird bounces. The Ravens got the better of the turnover battle in a 34-17 win over the Steelers four days before Christmas, but who’s to say the ball will roll their way this time? Pittsburgh has won eight of its last 10 matchups with Baltimore and will come to town believing an upset is possible, especially if Flowers is out of the equation. They would never say so, but this can’t be the opponent the Ravens would have ordered up. Cohn: Voodoo magic. The Ravens are the better team on paper. But Pittsburgh – as you’ve read here plenty of times – has had Baltimore’s number in eight of the last 10 meetings, thanks to coaching mastery and a few quirky, decisive plays. These are two teams that know each other very well. Even if Flowers isn’t healthy for Saturday’s game, the Ravens are playing better football in all three phases compared to their wild-card opponent. They should win – full stop. That said, which team has more on the line, the one with Super Bowl expectations riding a four-game win streak or the one who played themselves out of a division title, winless over the last month? Will Lamar Jackson carry over his regular-season play to the postseason? Wacker: This is the best version of Jackson we’ve seen yet, so it stands to reason that most of that will carry over to the playoffs as well. If you look at Jackson’s career as a whole rather than in a vacuum, there’s been a progression. It might not have been as fast as fans or the man himself would like, but it’s there. It also helps tremendously to have Derrick Henry. He’s a running back that makes a difference, especially this time of year, and one who can take some of the load and pressure off Jackson. Walker: He’ll be good. He’s a more precise, confident passer than ever before and a more confident general of coordinator Todd Monken’s offense. It also helps that he can hand the ball to Derrick Henry when the Ravens need a change of pace. Just keep in mind that the Ravens will play only very good defenses from here on out, probably in frigid settings. So don’t expect perfect passer ratings. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for 41 touchdowns and just four interceptions in the regular season. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Cohn: It’s hard to imagine the MVP candidate not carrying this play into the postseason. A few weeks ago, Jackson said he doesn’t buy into the notion that teams can get hot at the right time heading into the playoffs. “That went out the window after [the AFC championship], for me,” he said. Well, I buy into it. The newly minted all-time quarterback rushing leader and first player in NFL history to reach 4,000 passing yards and 800 rushing yards in the same season looks ready as ever to do it when it matters most. The Ravens’ defense has been the best in the NFL since Week 11; will that continue in the playoffs? Wacker: This isn’t a dominant, all-time defense, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be given the Ravens’ offensive capabilities. It is, however, a very good unit with talent and experience at every level. There’s also a rhythm and confidence among the group, from much-improved communication to substitutions and packages that have pressured or at least kept opponents in check to a reliable pass rush. The real test, however, will come on the road against the Bills and Chiefs if they face them. Walker: It might not be the best defense in the playoffs, but the Ravens also don’t seem likely to be shredded as they were over the first 10 weeks. They’ve figured out their player rotations and communications in the secondary, with Kyle Hamilton quietly stepping forward to become their most important defender. They’re also healthy upfront, with pass rushers capable of menacing quarterbacks from various angles. In recent weeks, they’ve answered coordinator Zach Orr’s call for more takeaways that lead directly to points. Opponents will try to pick on cornerback Brandon Stephens, but this is a defense without a glaring weakness, and that’s a good place to start this time of year. Cohn: In a way, this defense feels better equipped for the postseason than last year. It’s cliche but they are battle tested. “All the people we had to prove wrong,” Odafe Oweh said Saturday night, “we proved ourselves right.” Oweh said prior to the Week 11 turnaround, they were trying to replicate last year rather than embracing this new group under a first-year defensive coordinator. It seems they’ve shed any identity crisis, made the necessary schematic and personnel changes, and are primed to keep rolling into the postseason. The Ravens’ defense has performed at an elite level over its final six games of the season. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) To get to the Super Bowl, Baltimore will likely have to beat the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs on the road. Can they? Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | READER POLL: How far will the Ravens advance in the playoffs? 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 Baltimore Ravens | 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 35-10 win over the Cleveland Browns Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens need unsung hero Zay Flowers to thrive | COMMENTARY Wacker: Look at it this way: The Ravens hammered the Bills early in the season in Baltimore and were a big toe away from potentially beating the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the season opener. Baltimore has only gotten better since then. Of course, so have Buffalo and Kansas City. But with a historic offense and an ascending defense, the Ravens, assuming they are healthy, have all the talent and ability to compete with and beat either of those teams. The only question is will they finally put it all together when the stakes are the highest. Walker: Sure. They spanked the Bills early in the season. They were an inch away from either winning or going to overtime in Kansas City. There’s no reason for them to be intimidated by either matchup. In fact, the Ravens’ upside is the highest of any team in the AFC. They can win a brawl or a shootout. No one has stopped them from moving the ball. They’ve stopped surrendering explosive plays. Skepticism will surround this team until it wins a heavyweight playoff matchup, but the arsenal is in place. Cohn: Can they? Sure. But it’s hard for me to confidently say they will until they go beat Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium. That feels like the final boss (even if it’s a game shy of their ultimate goal). The Ravens thumped Buffalo in Week 4 and their defense is far better now than it was back in September. But amidst the thorny MVP discourse pitting Jackson and Josh Allen, we seem to forget (ignore? deflect?) the Chiefs’ nearly undefeated record. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

The matchup is finally set. The Ravens will take on the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round this weekend at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore secured the No. 3 seed and a home playoff game with its division-clinching win over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, while Pittsburgh dropped to the No. 6 seed following its loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night and the Los Angeles Chargers’ victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon. Here’s what you need to know about the Steelers this season: The ‘stench’ of losing is hard to wash off Just a few weeks ago, the Steelers were on top of the world (well, at least the AFC North). How quickly things can change. With a deflating 19-17 loss to the Bengals on Saturday night, they have dropped four straight. It’s their longest losing streak to end the season since 1998 and makes them just the third team to enter the playoffs riding a skid of at least four games. “We have a complete team,” defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said after Pittsburgh defeated the Browns in Week 14 to improve to 10-3 and move two games ahead of Baltimore for the AFC North lead. There was genuine belief then that the Steelers could contend for the conference title. But that victory was followed by a humbling 27-13 loss to the in-state rival Philadelphia Eagles, then a 34-17 defeat at the hands of the Ravens in Baltimore. A matchup against the Chiefs on Christmas Day, the Steelers’ third in 11 days, ended in a 29-10 rout. It marked the first time Pittsburgh had lost three consecutive games by 14-plus points since Weeks 5-7, 1998. Saturday night against the Bengals — who needed a win to keep their faint playoff hopes alive — was a chance at redemption, coach Mike Tomlin said. “Certainly, they’re a motivated group trying to play their way into this tournament, but certainly we’re a motivated group, to be quite honest with you,” he said. “We got to get the stench of the last few performances off of us, and there’s no better way to do that than a home divisional win versus a formidable group going into the tournament, and so that’s our mentality as we stand here today.” Try as they might, the Steelers failed to erase a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit. Now they enter the playoffs reeling. Pittsburgh’s recent playoff history is troubling In Tomlin’s first three seasons as coach, the Steelers went 5-2 in the postseason. That included a Super Bowl title — the team’s sixth — and two conference championships. Since then, Tomlin is 3-7, including five straight playoff losses. Pittsburgh’s last postseason win came in the divisional round over Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs, 18-16, in January 2017 on the strength of six field goals by Chris Boswell. It’s a strange outcome for a coach who many consider to be among the best of all-time. Tomlin has famously never had a losing season in his 18-year tenure, though his ability to drag a mediocre team into the playoffs has left him short-handed when going up against much tougher competition. Russell Wilson, left, and the Steelers are limping into the postseason while Lamar Jackson, right, and the Ravens are riding a four-game winning streak. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) The Steelers’ offense has been one of the league’s worst The Steelers can win without scoring a lot of points. Just ask the Ravens. But it’s not an effective postseason strategy. After Saturday’s loss, Pittsburgh has scored 17 or fewer points in four straight games, which is tied for its longest streak since 2003. Arthur Smith’s offense was particularly mediocre against the Bengals, averaging just 3.3 yards per play while going 4-for-12 on third down. Russell Wilson completed just 17 of 31 passes for 119 yards, a woeful average of 3.4 yards per attempt. George Pickens had just one catch for 0 yards on six targets and showed more aggression toward fans in the stands than Bengals defenders. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren combined for 57 yards on 18 carries. The Steelers’ offense entered Week 18 ranked 17th in defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA), behind the Atlanta Falcons (who recently benched Kirk Cousins for rookie Michael Penix Jr.) and Jacksonville Jaguars (who have been starting Mac Jones with Trevor Lawrence out for the season). The Ravens’ defense hasn’t been exceptional this season, but it has to feel good about this matchup, especially with how things have been trending lately on both sides. The Steelers have had Lamar Jackson’s number Whether it’s the “Terrible Towels” or the defensive strategy, the Steelers have often gotten the best of Jackson during his NFL career. Overall, Pittsburgh has won eight of its past 10 matchups against Baltimore, though Jackson has not been on the field for many of those games. Because of illness, injury or rest, the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player has made just six starts against the Steelers, going 2-4. Relative to his career numbers, Jackson has been a turnover machine against Pittsburgh, fumbling eight times (three lost) while throwing nine interceptions. He’s been sacked 23 times against the Steelers, second-most against any team behind the Browns, whom he’s played five more games against. The Ravens have averaged just 19.8 points per game in Jackson’s starts against Pittsburgh, well below expectations for what has been one of the league’s top offenses with him under center. In Week 11, Jackson completed just 48.5% of his passes, threw an interception and finished with his second-worst QBR of the season (56.4) in an 18-16 loss in Pittsburgh. But he flipped the script in Week 16, throwing three touchdown passes in a 34-17 win in Baltimore. Has Jackson finally exorcised those demons? We’ll find out. The Ravens have a checkered playoff history vs. Pittsburgh The Steelers not only lead the overall series between the division rivals, 36-26, but have a 3-1 advantage in the postseason. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens to face Steelers in wild-card playoff game in Baltimore Baltimore Ravens | 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 35-10 win over the Cleveland Browns Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens need unsung hero Zay Flowers to thrive | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens players shocked and thrilled after DT Michael Pierce’s first interception Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 35-10 win over Browns However, Baltimore got the last laugh. The teams last met in the playoffs in January 2015, a 30-17 win by the Ravens in the wild-card round behind two touchdown passes from Joe Flacco and three field goals by Justin Tucker. An interception by Terrell Suggs, a pick and a fumble recovery by Darian Stewart and two sacks from Elvis Dumervil helped the defense stifle Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant. Pittsburgh rolled to comfortable wins over Baltimore in their first two playoff meetings: a 27-10 victory in the January 2002 AFC divisional round and a 23-14 win in the January 2009 AFC championship game that ended John Harbaugh’s first season as coach. That game turned on a 65-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes, and though the Ravens clawed back to cut the lead to 16-14 with just under 10 minutes to go, safety Troy Polamalu returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown to seal the victory as Pittsburgh went on to win the Super Bowl over the Arizona Cardinals. 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’ first-round playoff opponent is a familiar foe. Baltimore will play the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium in next weekend’s wild-card round. The date and time for the game have yet to be announced by the NFL. The matchup was set after the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Raiders in Las Vegas on Sunday to secure the No. 5 seed in the AFC and the Steelers lost, 19-17, a day earlier to the Bengals in Cincinnati. The victory by the Chargers means they will travel to Houston to face the No. 4 seed and AFC South champion Texans. The Steelers dropped to the No. 6 seed to set up a return date with the third-seeded Ravens, who trailed Pittsburgh by two games in the AFC North with four to play but won out to capture the division title on Saturday. It will also mark the third meeting between the two heated division rivals this season. The Steelers won the first, 18-16, in mid-November at Acrisure Stadium, while the Ravens handily won their most recent showdown, 34-17, three weeks ago in Baltimore. Now, they will square off in the postseason for the first time since 2015. Playoff history The Ravens and Steelers have played just four times in the postseason. The Steelers won each of the first three meetings — all in Pittsburgh — in 2002 in the divisional round, in 2009 in the AFC championship game and in 2011, again in the divisional round. In their first playoff meeting, Pittsburgh dominated, building a 20-3 lead en route to a 27-10 blowout as Baltimore was held to 150 total yards and 1-of-18 on third down. It wasn’t until seven years later that they finally met again in the playoffs, this time with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Again the Steelers’ defense was the difference as the Ravens were held to 184 yards and turned the ball over five times, with Troy Polamalu’s 40-yard interception of a Joe Flacco pass for a touchdown in the fourth quarter the decisive blow in a 23-14 victory. In the 2010 season, Baltimore and Pittsburgh both finished 12-4, but the Steelers won the AFC North thanks to a better divisional record. In the divisional round showdown, the Ravens built a 14-7 first-quarter lead but the offense was again shut down. Baltimore was held to a paltry 126 yards, turned the ball over three times and scored just 3 points in the second half on its way to a 31-24 defeat. Finally, the Ravens snapped the streak in 2015 with a commanding 30-17 wild-card win in Pittsburgh. It was a victory that Baltimore fans remember fondly, with quarterback Joe Flacco completing 18 of 29 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns, including one in the fourth quarter to backup tight end Crockett Gillmore to put Pittsburgh away. The defense was also stifling, forcing three fourth-quarter turnovers, including an interception by linebacker Terrell Suggs, and sacking Ben Roethlisberger five times. Lately This time, of course, Baltimore will get Pittsburgh at M&T Bank Stadium, where the Ravens were 6-2 during the regular season with their only losses being in Week 2 to the Las Vegas Raiders and in Week 13 to the NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles. Those half-dozen victories at home also included a 34-17 handling of the Steelers, a victory that clinched a playoff berth and was the second of four straight wins to close out the regular season en route to capturing the AFC North title. In that game, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes, while cornerback Marlon Humphrey scored on a fourth-quarter interception return to help seal it. Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey’s returns an interception for a touchdown in a game against the Steelers earlier this season. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) It also ended a four-game losing streak against Pittsburgh, which had won eight of nine against Baltimore up to that point, including earlier this season in Pittsburgh, where the Ravens played an ugly-mistake filled game. Now, though, it’s the Steelers who have looked ugly, losing four straight to limp into the playoffs. During that span, they’ve been one of the worst teams in the NFL, averaging 14.25 points, 146.5 yards passing and 112.5 yards rushing. Pittsburgh has also scored just two total touchdowns in its last four games, is 19 of 48 on third down and twice has been held to 74 yards or less on the ground. Still, for all of Baltimore’s success this season, the Steelers have historically been a tough opponent. They also know all the pressure will be on the Ravens, who enter the playoffs perhaps the hottest team in the league and with the expectation of a deep playoff run. What they’re saying On Saturday, Jackson became the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 4,000 yards and rush for at least 800 yards in the same season. Running back Derrick Henry set a franchise-record for rushing touchdowns in a season. Outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh became the first Ravens duo to produce double digits in sacks in the same season since Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil in 2014. None of that matters now, because with little else to accomplish this team and most notably Jackson will be judged on postseason performance, something the team is acutely aware of. “Starting off 0-2, just looking at how things was happening with us – just battling adversity, people just doubting us and just this turnaround we’ve had,” Jackson said. “I’m very proud of my team. We battled and we got the job done, but the job is undone.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | 5 things to know about the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens’ wild-card round opponent Baltimore Ravens | 5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 35-10 win over the Cleveland Browns Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens need unsung hero Zay Flowers to thrive | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens players shocked and thrilled after DT Michael Pierce’s first interception Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 35-10 win over Browns Added coach John Harbaugh: “We played all of the teams in the playoffs — we played them all when they were all playing really well — but they’ve been getting better as well, so we understand it gets better, it gets tougher, but so do we.” Last season, Baltimore reached the AFC championship game for the first time in more than a decade before falling flat at home against the Chiefs. Now, the Ravens will likely have to win multiple road games if they are to get to the Super Bowl. In many ways, their season is just beginning. “This is why I came here,” Henry said. “We got the first goals done — to win the division — and [there’s] still much more we need to accomplish.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

Despite a ragged performance by their league-best offense, the Ravens clinched a repeat AFC North crown with a 35-10 win against the overmatched Cleveland Browns. Here are five things we learned from the game: It was no aesthetic treasure, but the Ravens accomplished what was necessary How else for this ugly duckling of a game to end than with the Ravens sideline swarming 355-pound nose tackle Michael Pierce after the first interception — yes, interception — of his career? Pierce’s knees-first slide at the end of his rumble to glory looked like it came straight from the imagination of a confused, delighted 10-year-old. It was a moment of supreme levity to punctuate the Ravens capturing their second consecutive AFC North title and home-field advantage to start the playoffs. An odor of cigar smoke lingered in the postgame locker room, a reminder of the difficulties they had pushed behind them to rally from two games back in the division with four to play. The Ravens outscored their closing quartet of opponents 135-43. “We’ve gone through so much,” veteran pass rusher Kyle Van Noy said, alluding to the team’s 0-2 start, the deaths of offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris and 2012 postseason hero Jacoby Jones, the sobering memories of falling short a year ago. The Ravens earned their celebration — a “hat and T-shirt game” they called it — even if it came as a result of their wobbliest performance in more than a month. This team has played gorgeous, fast, fluid offense for much of the regular season. Not so on Saturday against a miserable Cleveland team with as much of its first string on the sideline as in the game. “We weren’t clean in this game,” coach John Harbaugh said. The Ravens goofed around a bit at the start, with Lamar Jackson overthrowing Mark Andrews by a half-stride on a potential touchdown and Zay Flowers dropping a pass on third down. They failed to come away with points on a red-zone possession later in the first quarter when the Browns stuffed Andrews on third-and-short and Jackson couldn’t find Derrick Henry on an improvised fourth-down dump-off. They failed again on fourth down late in the second quarter when Browns cornerback Cameron Mitchell knocked the ball from Andrews’ grip at the Cleveland 23-yard line. The Baltimore offensive line, with Ben Cleveland and Andrew Vorhees filling in for a “really sick” Patrick Mekari, got knocked around much of the evening by a Browns front seven that came to play. That the Ravens still covered the widest point spread of this NFL season spoke to their explosiveness and to the Browns’ toothlessness. It takes quite an offense to play sloppily and still roll up 437 yards, but that’s the Ravens’ advantage going into the postseason. With Jackson and Derrick Henry (138 rushing yards against Cleveland to push his season total to 1,921), even their C+ game is formidable. Pair this yardage machine with a defense that’s now creating turnovers and points and you have a team that can beat any opponent in any setting. Can they muster something close to their best for another four games and hoist the Lombardi Trophy in New Orleans in February? That’s the standard by which this team will be judged and the issue to which the Ravens had already turned their attention a half hour after dispatching the Browns. “I’m cool with what’s going on today,” Jackson said. “But my mind is on something else.” Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers left Saturday’s game against the Browns with a knee injury. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) The Ravens’ worst fears were realized when Zay Flowers limped off the field It was the one sight the Ravens could not bear in a game like this, with the result not in doubt and the playoffs a week away. They had been remarkably healthy all year. Just one more game, and they’d be set to chase a Super Bowl with their whole team. Flowers did what he always does on the play in question, juking and fighting for every bit of ground. The problem was that after everyone else got up, he remained on the ground, writhing as he gripped his right knee and shin. Three days after he made his first Pro Bowl, with his status as Jackson’s most dynamic target secure, Flowers struggled to walk off the field on his own. He went to the blue medical tent and then the locker room, a significant portion of the Ravens’ offensive potency going with him. Harbaugh said he couldn’t offer much update after the game other than to say the injury is “something he has a chance to be OK with.” The turnarounds come so quickly at this time of year that even a two-week injury, no big deal in September, could force the Ravens to recalibrate their offense for do-or-die games. Flowers is that important, not just as a downfield target but as the guy who can take a 5-yard flick and turn it into a clutch first down or touchdown. Rashod Bateman stepped up after his teammate left the game, making defenders miss with quicksilver moves after the catch. Tight end Isaiah Likely, a yards-after-catch monster in his own right, would also be asked to do more if Flowers, the first Pro Bowl wide receiver in franchise history, cannot go. The Ravens have dubbed themselves a “pick your poison” offense for a reason, but they’d be less deadly without potion No. 4 at Jackson’s disposal. An MRI on Sunday will reveal more, and nervous days await as the team finally confronts the specter of a costly injury. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson completed his most impressive regular season to date. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Take a moment to savor what Lamar Jackson did this season Think back 30 years, when different rules and different types of quarterbacks governed the NFL. Think how wonderful and absurd this statistical line — 4,172 passing yards, 41 touchdown passes, four interceptions, 915 rushing yards — would have looked on the back of a football card. Jackson and a few others have bent the game in recent years, creating highlights that would have felt like the work of aliens in 1994 or even 2004. “I mean, that’s pretty unbelievable,” Harbaugh said after running through his quarterback’s accomplishments. “What else needs to be said? There’s nobody like Lamar Jackson.” Josh Allen might deny Jackson a third NFL Most Valuable Player Award despite Jackson’s statistical superiority in most categories. That’s irrelevant to the awe other great players feel watching No. 8 on a daily and weekly basis. “Every game, his will, his fight, he’s after perfection,” Andrews said. “His will to win games and be on point, to be him, to be Lamar, and even elevate that from week to week is truly unbelievable.” What happens next will play an outsized role in determining how we remember Jackson’s season. But it’s worth setting our playoff obsession aside for a moment to take in his majesty. How often in a lifetime spent rooting for one city’s teams do you get to watch an all-time great in his absolute prime? Look at it from the perspective of an 80-year-old Baltimorean. You saw Johnny Unitas’ unruffled command in the waning moments of the “Greatest Game Ever Played.” You watched Frank Robinson breathe fire into the Orioles’ first World Series winner and Brooks Robinson wave his magic glove in 1970. You glimpsed Earl “The Pearl” Monroe spinning at the Civic Center, Cal Ripken Jr. catching the final out in 1983. Ray Lewis showed a middle linebacker could still become the NFL’s central figure in a new century. Ed Reed turned interceptions into art. Michael Phelps made winning gold medals seem almost routine. We’ve had a good run in this town, but you can count the ones we’ll never forget on your fingers and toes. Jackson is on the list, and it’s possible we’ll never see him string together 17 better regular-season games than the ones he just played. Whatever he does in the playoffs will fuel another year of discourse, but don’t let it obscure that we’re watching something beautiful. Ravens rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins intercepts a pass and heads toward the end zone for a touchdown in the first quarter Saturday. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) It was fitting that Nate Wiggins’ pick-six jumpstarted the Ravens For more than half the season, they were the Achilles heel that might undermine a Super Bowl contender. The Ravens’ secondary could not figure out how to prevent explosive gains or avoid killer penalties. Opponents’ passing yards piled up at humiliating rates. No lead felt safe. Wiggins, the team’s 2024 first-round draft pick, wasn’t the chief culprit, but he played his part, dropping interceptions and drawing yellow flags. He was a typically erratic rookie — brilliant against mighty Buffalo one week, amateurish against Cincinnati the next. Safeties Kyle Hamilton and Ar’Darius Washington have deservedly received much of the credit for the team’s defensive turnaround over its final seven games. Marlon Humphrey made momentous plays to flip a pair of divisional games, earning his fourth Pro Bowl trip. None of it would work as well if the Ravens could not trust Wiggins alone on the perimeter against the deadliest pass catchers in football. Gone are the wild week-to-week performance swings. His soundness helps Humphrey to be a star in the slot. For all his good work, Wiggins had not made a ton of splashy plays before he read Cleveland quarterback Bailey Zappe’s eyes and snared his pass with nothing but empty field ahead. Wiggins glided 26 yards to pay dirt, flinging his arms out wide to celebrate his first career interception. “He had a couple other ones in his hands that he was frustrated with earlier in the season, so we’ve been on him a little bit,” Harbaugh said. “He’s established himself as a starter. I think he’s playing great ball.” Wiggins missed the Ravens’ Oct. 27 loss to the Browns, one of many dispiriting performances by a pass defense that couldn’t get its act together. This time, he struck a blow from which Cleveland never truly recovered. So much growth in so little time with so much on the line. Gar McLamb holds his son, Charlie, 8, on his shoulders after the Ravens clinched the AFC North title. (Lloyd Fox/Staff) Now, the real season begins We heard it before this team was even assembled, when the wounds from the Ravens’ AFC championship loss to the Chiefs were still raw. Nothing they — Harbaugh, Jackson, any of the organization’s core figures — could do in the regular season would quiet those who believe the Ravens don’t show their best in the legacy-defining games of January. That wasn’t strictly true. The past 17 games told us that Henry could elevate an offense from very good to best in Ravens history, that Jackson could reach the pantheon as a pure passer. We saw Zach Orr and his top players pull together a quality defense after 10 weeks of “crushing” failures. But the big story has not changed since that final, bitter whistle blew on 2023. The Ravens need to win over the next five weeks or we’ll look back on them with disappointment in 20 years. Jackson needs to play as well in the postseason as he has in the regular season, or his glowing statistics and MVP trophies will feel more hollow than he’d want. Arrayed against the Ravens are familiar enemies. The Steelers drag them into tense, ugly games more consistently than any opponent. The Bills eliminated them in 2020 and feature a quarterback, Josh Allen, every bit as miraculous as Jackson. The Chiefs are simply the standard, the foe even Baltimore veterans acknowledge they have not solved. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens need unsung hero Zay Flowers to thrive | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens players shocked and thrilled after DT Michael Pierce’s first interception Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 35-10 win over Browns Baltimore Ravens | Ravens 2025 schedule: Home vs. Rams, road vs. Chiefs highlight slate Baltimore Ravens | Ravens defend AFC North title, clinch home playoff game with 35-10 win over Browns Any or all of them could stand in the way. The Ravens’ last Super Bowl win was so satisfying in part because that veteran team finally knocked off Peyton Manning and Tom Brady’s Patriots on the way to the biggest stage. Twelve years later, they have the talent and the playoff scar tissue to write a similar ending. The chance they all wanted is here. Van Noy didn’t leave his house for a week after the loss to Kansas City last January. As much as he knows the Ravens’ focus has to be on next week, on hosting a hungry wild-card opponent, recent history is unavoidable. “We would all be lying if we said we haven’t been thinking about it,” Van Noy said. “In my career, you’re getting closer to the end, and those chances, you don’t want them to slip. I’ve thought about it all offseason, training. We as a group during training camp, it’s been on everybody’s mind. We haven’t forgot about that, and we hope we can correct that mistake.” Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. Wild-card round Steelers/Chargers at Ravens TBA TV: TBA Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM View the full article

Wide receiver Zay Flowers has become the unsung hero of the Ravens’ offense. National analysts want to make quarterback Lamar Jackson or running back Derrick Henry candidates for the NFL Most Valuable Player Award, but Flowers is the player who makes this offense work. So, after he went down with a knee injury after a 12-yard gain in the second quarter of Saturday’s 35-10 win against the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens breathed a collective sigh of relief when coach John Harbaugh said that the injury is not believed to be serious. “It’s something that he has a chance to be OK with, but we’ll probably have more details after an MRI tomorrow morning,” Harbaugh said. Now, what exactly does that mean? It’s hard to tell with Harbaugh when it comes to injuries. He’ll say anything that will give him an advantage over his opponent, so Flowers might be walking around with an air cast one day and then receive special healing from a priest the night before the game. But here’s one thing that can’t be discounted: This isn’t the same offense without the 5-foot-9, 175-pound Flowers. He is the symbol for the modern-day passing game, even though former Ravens coach Ted Marchibroda used the 5-7, 183-pound Jermaine Lewis in the mid-1990s the same way offensive coordinator Todd Monken uses Flowers now. It’s hard to get a handle on Flowers because opposing defenses can’t get their hands on him. He’s like a magician. Poof, he is over here. Poof, he is over there. Only Houdini had more moves. Before Saturday’s game, Flowers led the team in receptions with 73 for 1,047 yards and four touchdowns and was recently named the team’s first Pro Bowl wide receiver. The Ravens used him in the slot to match up with a No. 3 safety or cornerback. Advantage, Ravens. They could use him outside or in motion, where cornerbacks or safeties have trouble getting their hands on him off the line of scrimmage. The Ravens can use him as a runner on jet sweeps or fake an end-around with him. He gives the offense a lot of options. Jackson showed concern about the injury after the game. “Yes, I was hurt. I was hurt,” he said. “Yes, we [are] going [to] see what happens come tomorrow or whenever [Flowers has] to do his X-ray or whatever tomorrow.” Because of his speed, Flowers is also the player who opens up the middle of the field. When the Ravens go three receivers to the right or left, they have liked to drag tight end Mark Andrews back across the formation because those three, especially Flowers, draw attention. With Flowers, teams have to honor his speed. He also draws a lot of double teams, which leaves Andrews and Rashod Bateman one-on-one on the outside. Even if Flowers is slowed by the knee injury, it could make a difference in this offense. Jackson did give an endorsement of Bateman, who had five catches for 76 yards and a touchdown against the Browns. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens players shocked and thrilled after DT Michael Pierce’s first interception Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 35-10 win over Browns Baltimore Ravens | Ravens 2025 schedule: Home vs. Rams, road vs. Chiefs highlight slate Baltimore Ravens | Ravens defend AFC North title, clinch home playoff game with 35-10 win over Browns Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 35-10 win over Cleveland Browns “I’m not surprised. I’ve been seeing what ‘Bate’ was capable of doing and we just got a glimpse,” Jackson said. “I’m not [going to] toot his horn. We’ve got things to do. We’ve got things to do. I already knew what type of player he was — we all knew; we see him every day. But we just got something to do; we’ve got things to finish.” Two other things set Flowers apart from any other receiver on this roster. He has great speed, and the ability to make a big play from anywhere on the field. He is averaging 14.3 yards per reception, which is why the Ravens want him to touch the ball as often as possible. He also has eight carries for 47 yards; only Jackson averaged more per carry (6.6) entering Week 18. So, with no Flowers, teams can double-team Andrews or Bateman outside the red zone. With no Flowers, Jackson loses his biggest weapon on the Ravens’ best play: Jackson scrambling around and then throwing to Flowers because few cornerbacks can stick with him longer than three or four seconds. He is a defense’s nightmare and the Ravens’ dream. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

The consensus inside the home locker room at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday night, with everyone wearing hats and T-shirts repping an AFC North division title and the distinct smell of victory cigars filling the musty air, was confusion. Maybe even downright bewilderment. But joy, nonetheless. “I saw someone catch it, I was like, ‘Wait, that’s a big guy,’” offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley said, recalling his view from the near sideline. Cornerback Brandon Stephens was in the play, too, but a few yards back. “I just saw he had the ball,” Stephens started to laugh. “He was running — or whatever he was doing.” When the nimble 6-foot, 355-pound Michael Pierce dropped back into shallow coverage, Cleveland Browns third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe tossed him a layup. The defensive tackle corralled his first career interception, took one peek upfield, and awkwardly dropped to the grass. The big man’s interception sealed a game that was by all means already in hand, a 35-10 win over the Browns that crowned Baltimore division champs for the second straight year and guaranteed the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. But the moment that coach John Harbaugh called “the most crazy, amazing play in NFL history” left anyone watching stunned. A perfect what-just-happened way to end the regular season. “That was probably the last thing we all thought was gonna happen on that play,” Stephens said. Linebacker Roquan Smith asked Pierce why he didn’t chug for 20 more yards. “Nah, not today,” Pierce told him. It’s only Jan. 4 but Smith said it’s easily the funniest thing he’s seen in 2025. “There’s a long history of turning big guy interceptions into memes,” Pierce said. “So at the risk of ruining a career play like that for myself, it was time to go home. The bus was out of gas.” This is a defense that has had its feet to the fire for much of the season. They were last in the league in pass defense. Working out kinks under a first-year coordinator. And they were the primary issue in losses that should have been wins. A few personnel changes and an integral team meeting shifted the narrative. Since Week 11, they’ve been one of the best defenses in the NFL. In the meeting, cornerback Marlon Humphrey encouraged his team to celebrate collectively with each momentum-tilting highlight. It was a full-team effort when Pierce intercepted Zappe. Everyone on the sideline was doing the defense’s signature celebration: jumping up and down, waving their hands. A few coaches sprinted up the field out of pure uncertainty. Kyle Van Noy said his knees hurt from watching Pierce try to go down but wasn’t surprised to see the whole bench clear for the “grab-your-lunch-pail” type of guy who spent six weeks on the injured reserve with a calf injury. Ravens defensive lineman Michael Pierce, who rarely drops into coverage, catches his first career interception. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) With 30 seconds left in the regular season, the Jumbotron found Humphrey. He flashed a toothy grin and waved politely looking directly into the camera. Then it panned to Pierce, the late-game hero. The fans still weathering sub-freezing conditions shouted as loudly as they had all evening. Pierce gave a pretty smile and wave while his teammates jumped around laughing like kids at the park. “I was cold,” Odafe Oweh said. “I was bundled up! I took all that off and jumped on the field to congratulate him. I was scared I was gonna get a penalty. But at that point, I don’t think anyone really cared. It was just elation for Mike.” Pierce was the latter of a game bookended by interceptions. First career interceptions, at that. Midway through the first quarter, Zappe tried lofting a ball to his right. That one was turned around by rookie first-round draft pick Nate Wiggins. Both Van Noy and Ar’Darius Washington pointed upfield like they knew immediately. Wiggins must’ve been licking his lips. “He’s a big part of what we’re doing,” Harbaugh said. “He’s established himself as a starter. He’s been playing great ball. He had a couple other ones in his hands that he was frustrated with earlier in the season so we’ve been on him a little bit. Everyone talking about getting that first pick. To get it and take it back to the house, that’s a nice way to start.” His teammates don’t know the satisfaction of a pick-six so early in their careers. Marlon Humphrey’s first house call came earlier this season, his eighth year in the NFL. Marcus Williams took three years. Tre’Davious White, in his seventh year, is still seeking his first. Brandon Stephens doesn’t have one through four seasons. Arthur Maulet and Ar’Darius Washington haven’t gotten to the end zone, either. By that logic, Wiggins is well ahead of schedule. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens need unsung hero Zay Flowers to thrive | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens report card: Position-by-position grades for 35-10 win over Browns Baltimore Ravens | Ravens 2025 schedule: Home vs. Rams, road vs. Chiefs highlight slate Baltimore Ravens | Ravens defend AFC North title, clinch home playoff game with 35-10 win over Browns Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 35-10 win over Cleveland Browns Saturday’s interception-turned-touchdown still felt past due for the season he’s had: 13 pass deflections, which leads all rookies, and 32 combined tackles. He’s now one of four rookie defensive backs with a pick-six. Week 3 vs. Dallas, he ripped the ball loose from CeeDee Lamb’s grasp in the red zone. Conversely, he left a pair of takeaways on the table and is credited with two dropped interceptions this season. Wiggins’ impressive rookie campaign is proof of why, back in July, Humphrey bestowed the nickname “Nasty Nate.” “I guess I play nasty defense,” a bashful Wiggins said at the time. He wanted it on the record that was not a self-proclaimed nickname. And he was adamant the compliment wasn’t yet official, then still months from his NFL debut. “It might get official. We don’t know yet.” Flash forward six months, now on the tail end of his first professional season, and he can now say he’s earned that nickname. “I feel like I’ve done my part so yeah,” Wiggins said. “He threw it right to me and I just had to show off my speed. It felt like everything released. Took [18] weeks so it’s been a long time but it felt good.” It was a feel-good day for the defense. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

Here’s how the Ravens (12-5) graded out at every position after a 35-10 win over the Browns on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore that clinched a second straight AFC North title: Quarterback Lamar Jackson missed some receivers early and throughout the game, but he threw some good passes as well, including a 30-yard strike to tight end Mark Andrews in the third quarter. But overall, it was not a sharp game by Jackson or the offense, even though Jackson rushed nine times for 63 yards. He left quite a few of his receivers vulnerable to hits with questionable passes, completing 16 of 32 attempts for 217 yards and two touchdowns. A lot of Jackson’s stats were the result of Cleveland’s poor defense, which seemed to give up in the second half because the Browns had no offense. Grade: C- Running backs The Ravens used Henry very little in the first half and Jackson seemed more like the primary ball carrier. The Ravens went to Henry more in the second half, and he finished with 138 yards on 20 carries, including a long of 43 yards. The Ravens had more of a running game when Henry was teamed up in the backfield with fullback Patrick Ricard, and the Ravens left little doubt about their intentions. The Ravens need to get more out of their star running back, who, like Jackson, stayed in the game too long. Grade: C Offensive line Even without starting defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, the Browns held the Ravens’ running game in check early in the game, though Cleveland was down to its No. 3 and No. 4 starting tackles. The Ravens will always struggle against teams with a dominant front four. This group’s forte is run blocking, and when the Ravens can’t find that groove, they have problems pass blocking. Grade: C- Receivers The Ravens gave an average effort. They dropped quite a few passes but also bailed Jackson out with a couple of strong catches. The Ravens lost slot receiver Zay Flowers to a knee injury early in the second quarter, and that was significant. Andrews had four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown, while Rashod Bateman had five for 76 yards and score. Regardless, Jackson and this group were out of sync. A better effort will be needed in the postseason. Grade: C- Defensive line The Ravens stymied the Browns’ running game, which was without injured starter Nick Chubb. Starting running back D’Onta Foreman had few holes and finished with only 27 yards on 10 carries. He had no room on the inside, and the Ravens closed the gaps on the outside as well. Tackles Nnamdi Madubuike had four tackles. The play of the game belonged to nose guard Michael Pierce, who intercepted a pass from Bailey Zappe in the fourth quarter. Pierce slid and went down after the pick, but it’s highly unlikely the 355-pound man was going to motor 80 yards for a touchdown. The Ravens were consistent in maintaining lane integrity, leaving Zappe few holes to step up in the pocket. Grade: A Linebackers The Ravens’ game plan was simple from the start. They stacked the line of scrimmage with linebackers Roquan Smith, Chris Board and Malik Harrison and dared the Browns to beat them. Zappe couldn’t. Smith finished with 10 tackles and blitzed often. The defensive line was successful in keeping the Browns off the inside linebackers. The Ravens had three sacks and five quarterback hurries but were far from dominant. Zappe lacked the proper arm strength to throw outside the numbers. Grade: B Secondary Rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown midway through the first quarter. The Ravens’ cornerbacks had no problems shadowing Cleveland receivers, even though the Browns had some open players in the middle of the field. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (five tackles) played well, and so did safeties Ar’Darius Washington (four tackles) and Kyle Hamilton (three). Cornerback Brandon Stephens had some good moments but still needs to turn around and find the ball. He did finish with three tackles. Grade: A- Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston: Ravens need unsung hero Zay Flowers to thrive | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens players shocked and thrilled after DT Michael Pierce’s first interception Baltimore Ravens | Ravens 2025 schedule: Home vs. Rams, road vs. Chiefs highlight slate Baltimore Ravens | Ravens defend AFC North title, clinch home playoff game with 35-10 win over Browns Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 35-10 win over Cleveland Browns Special teams Jordan Stout had four punts for an average of 44.8 yards, including a long of 70. The Ravens had Keaton Mitchell returning kickoffs, and he returned one for 47 yards. Justin Tucker didn’t have any field goal attempts, but there should have been several opportunities. It would have been interesting to see him perform, even though he has kicked well lately. Rookie safety Sanoussi Kane had a big hit on a kickoff return, and Wiggins also played well on those units, but Kaden Davis did break a 40-yard return for the Browns. Grade: B+ Coaching There is a popular theory in Baltimore that the Ravens play down to their competition, but they simply got too cute against the Browns. Instead of gambling on fourth down, there were times when they could have easily kicked field goals to build comfortable leads, but they got too cute. Instead of trying pass plays, just run the ball. Coach John Harbaugh also kept his starters in the game way too long, a sign that he was more interested in building up statistics than avoiding injuries to his players. He kept throwing on the Browns late in the game, and Henry was in way too long. That’s a shame. In fact, it’s ridiculous. The Ravens also had 10 penalties for 83 yards. It was a disappointing effort by a team from which much more is expected. Grade: D- Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article

The 2024 NFL regular season is almost over, which means most of the 2025 matchups are set. For the Ravens, who defeated the Cleveland Browns on Saturday to win their second straight AFC North title, that means playing a first-place schedule for the second year in a row. In addition to their six games against the AFC North — three at home and three away against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals — the Ravens will face the AFC East, NFC North and the champions of the AFC South, AFC West and NFC West. Under the NFL’s scheduling rotation, the Ravens will host the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Los Angeles Rams. They’ll play road games against the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs. AFC teams will have the extra home game in 2025. In overcoming an 0-2 start to finish 12-5, Baltimore went 7-2 against teams currently projected to make the playoffs this season, with the only losses coming against the AFC West champion Chiefs and NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles. If the Bengals defeat the Steelers on Saturday night, just four of the Ravens’ 2024 opponents will finish below .500. Next season could be just as difficult, with the NFC North loaded with three of the best teams in the conference and the AFC East expected to improve after disastrous campaigns from the Jets, Patriots and Dolphins. The 2025 slate includes some juicy quarterback matchups opposite Ravens star Lamar Jackson. The Bills’ Josh Allen is neck-and-neck with Jackson in the NFL Most Valuable Player race this season, while Joe Burrow has been on the fringe of that discussion after leading the Bengals to a late-season surge behind eye-popping numbers. Chiefs star and two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes has been one of Jackson’s biggest rivals since the two became full-time starters in 2018 and is seeking a record third straight Super Bowl title. And the last time the Rams visited Baltimore was an instant classic, with Jackson outdueling Matthew Stafford before Tylan Wallace returned a punt for the game-winning touchdown in overtime in 2023. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens defend AFC North title, clinch home playoff game with 35-10 win over Browns Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 35-10 win over Cleveland Browns Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers injures knee vs. Browns, is ruled out Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns live updates: Postgame reaction and analysis from Baltimore’s 35-10 win Baltimore Ravens | AFC North title isn’t the only thing at stake for Ravens in Week 18 The Packers’ Jordan Love, Texans’ C.J. Stroud and Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa are among the most exciting young quarterbacks in the league, while the Patriots’ Drake Maye and Bears’ Caleb Williams are looking to bounce back from up-and-down rookie seasons – potentially with a new coach and offensive coordinator in place. Mike Vrabel – who led the Tennessee Titans to a stunning win over the top-seeded Ravens in January 2020 – is rumored to be a candidate to replace Jerod Mayo in New England, while Chicago could attract anyone from 38-year-old Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to 73-year-old former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. There is also plenty of quarterback uncertainty. The Browns will likely replace Deshaun Watson after securing one of the top picks in the draft – perhaps Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders – while the Steelers could decide to move on from Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Aaron Rodgers might retire after two disastrous seasons with the Jets, while Sam Darnold might not return to Minnesota if the Vikings want to get 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy on the field sooner than later. There has also been speculation that the Rams could trade Stafford if coach Sean McVay decides to retire, although that appears unlikely. After playing in five prime-time games in 2024 – as well as three standalone games outside of the normal Sunday afternoon window – the Ravens are likely to command the spotlight once again next season when the full schedule is announced in May. And if they get their way, they could be hosting the Thursday night season opener in Baltimore after winning their third Super Bowl title. Ravens 2025 opponents Home: Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Patriots, Jets, Bears, Lions, Texans, Rams Away: Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Bills, Dolphins, Packers, Vikings, Chiefs 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

It was Christmas night in Houston, but Marlon Humphrey’s wish had yet to be fulfilled. “I want that AFC North,” the Ravens’ uninhibited cornerback said after Baltimore’s blowout of the Texans. “It feels good to get that hat and T-shirt.” Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium, it was delivered amid a joyous but moderate celebration. From 0-2 to a second straight AFC North title. Baltimore (12-5) beat the Cleveland Browns, 35-10, in the regular-season finale on a chilly evening when the outcome was never in doubt. The victory also gives the Ravens the No. 3 seed in the conference, meaning they will play at least a wild-card game at home next weekend against either the Los Angeles Chargers or Pittsburgh Steelers. But the dissection of that rematch — the Ravens split their two games against the Steelers this season and already beat the Chargers once this season — could be put on hold for another day. Saturday’s performance against the Browns (3-14) was a coronation more than a contest. Baltimore’s defense, which has been the best in the NFL the last two months of the regular season, easily stifled a short-handed and lousy Cleveland offense, while Ravens quarterback and NFL Most Valuable Player candidate Lamar Jackson completed 16 of 32 passes for two touchdowns and ran for another 63 yards on nine carries. Derrick Henry added 138 yards rushing, most of which came in the second half, along with two touchdowns, while tight end Mark Andrews and receiver Rashod Bateman had one touchdown apiece and rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins his first career interception, which he returned 26 yards for a touchdown in the opening quarter to set the tone for a long night for Cleveland. It was also a culmination. Ravens tight end Mark Andrews catches a touchdown pass in the second quarter. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) All season long, coach John Harbaugh preached that the team’s goals were to go 1-0 each week then to make the playoffs, win the division, advance through the postseason and win the Super Bowl. “It’s one of our five main goals — to win the division,” Harbaugh said earlier this week. “From a team perspective, it’s a big deal. “That means a lot, especially in the AFC North. It’s a tough division, so winning the AFC North is even a greater accomplishment.” The same could be said about the Ravens’ turnaround. Just two games in, there was an incertitude and apprehension — at least outside the building — over a defense that suddenly and shockingly forgot how to cover and tackle, a shaky offensive line with three new starters and a seemingly endless parade of flags and self-inflicted mistakes that spoke to a lack of discipline. It was one thing to lose to the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs by a toenail at Arrowhead Stadium to open the season. It was another to suffer a bungling loss against a Gardner Minshew-led Las Vegas Raiders team that went on to have one of the worst records in the league. There were also uneasy and difficult moments. At least three players got in significant car crashes toward the end of training camp and the beginning of the season, including tight end Mark Andrews and first-round rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins. Even as the wins started to pile up, questions and doubts persisted. Ravens rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins celebrates his pick-six with fans. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) But Harbaugh, the second-longest tenured coach in the league and in his 17th season at the helm in Baltimore, has been around plenty long enough to know that seasons aren’t won or lost in September and that the season is a marathon, not a sprint. The Ravens’ play demonstrated as much. On offense, Jackson’s play continued to elevate by the week, thrusting him into the NFL Most Valuable Player conversation again. Future Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry became the hammer he had been his first eight years in the league with the Tennessee Titans. Wide receiver Zay Flowers produced the first 1,000-yard season at the position for the franchise since 2021. Along the way, Jackson became the league’s all-time leading rusher at quarterback, breaking Michael Vick’s record, and set a franchise record for touchdown passes in a season with 41 and on Saturday became the first player in history to throw for at least 4,000 yards and rush for at least 800 yards in a season. Meanwhile, Andrews set a team record for career touchdowns and Henry broke the organization’s single-season mark for touchdowns with 16 this season. Andrews also tied wide receiver Torrey Smith for the most touchdown catches in a single season in Ravens history (11) and passed former tight end Todd Heap (5,492) to move into second place all-time in franchise history in receiving yards behind former wide receiver Derrick Mason (5,777). Henry, meanwhile, became the first player in NFL history with three seasons of 15 rushing touchdowns and 1,500 rushing yards. Defensively, coordinator Zach Orr simplified his scheme and substitution packages and since Week 11 no defense was better than Baltimore’s. The Ravens made lineup changes, most notably benching safety Marcus Williams and parting ways with turbulent free agent addition Eddie Jackson in favor of Ar’Darius Washington and deploying All-Pro Kyle Hamilton at safety. They also benched struggling second-year inside linebacker Trenton Simpson in favor of the more experienced rotation of Malik Harrison and Chris Board. Outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh also helped spearhead a pass rush that racked up the second-most sacks in the league coming into Saturday and added to its total with one by each against the Browns. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Instant analysis from Ravens’ 35-10 win over Cleveland Browns Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers injures knee vs. Browns, is ruled out Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns live updates: Postgame reaction and analysis from Baltimore’s 35-10 win Baltimore Ravens | AFC North title isn’t the only thing at stake for Ravens in Week 18 Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns Week 18 staff picks: Who wins Saturday in Baltimore? That gave them 12 1/2 and 10 on the year, respectively, marking the first time that Ravens teammates reached double-digit sacks in a season since Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil in 2014. Baltimore also remained remarkably healthy during its journey (though the status of Ravens receiver Zay Flowers remains unclear after he injured his right knee in the second quarter Saturday and did not return). Despite a gantlet of three games in 11 days last month, the Ravens went from two games back of the division lead at the start of that stretch to division champions for the eighth time in their 29-year history thanks to four straight wins to close out the regular season. They will soak it in, but not for long. The playoffs await, and that’s all that matters for Jackson and company now. Asked earlier in the week if it felt like 2024 was coming to an end, Jackson’s answer was foretelling. “It don’t,” he said. “It feel like the season just getting started.” This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Wild-card round Chargers/Steelers at Ravens TBA TV: TBA Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM View the full article

Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 35-10 win over the Cleveland Browns in Saturday’s Week 18 game at M&T Bank Stadium: Brian Wacker, reporter: This one was over long before rookie cornerback and first-round draft pick Nate Wiggins took his first interception to the house for a 26-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter. The Ravens (12-5), even playing far from their best on Saturday, are infinitely superior to a Browns team whose biggest goal was protecting its draft position and potentially gaining the No. 1 slot in April. The Ravens’ objective, of course, was playing well enough to avoid a colossal upset as well as dodging injury en route to another AFC North title. Losing Zay Flowers to a knee injury in the second quarter, however, will be problematic if he misses significant time. Otherwise, Baltimore outclassed Cleveland (3-14) in about every way possible. Quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Dorian Thompson-Robinson had little chance against the league’s best defense since Week 11. Lamar Jackson along with tight end Mark Andrews and receiver Rashod Bateman, while not putting up monster numbers, did more than enough to make Swiss cheese out of the Browns’ defense. Childs Walker, reporter: The Ravens won the AFC North but watched their best receiver, Zay Flowers, limp off with a knee injury a week before the playoffs. Not a great trade. They started with one of their ugliest offensive halves of the season, failing to convert on a pair of fourth downs, committing presnap penalties and giving Derrick Henry no room to run. They went to halftime with a 14-3 lead because Cleveland could not move the ball on their defense and Nate Wiggins returned an interception for a touchdown. A ragged half doesn’t matter much in the big picture. We’ve seen enough great offense from this team to know its ceiling. What could matter a great deal is the potential absence of Flowers, who left in the first half. Flowers is Jackson’s most dynamic target, and if he’s missing from a playoff game, the Ravens would have to recalibrate everything. Baltimore put the game out of reach with a touchdown drive to start the second half highlighted by an exquisite touch pass from a scrambling Jackson to Mark Andrews. The Ravens then went right back to struggling against a Cleveland front seven that came to play. Whatever, they won the game. Now, the real season begins. Mike Preston, columnist: The expectation was that the Ravens would come out and smash the Browns early, and Cleveland would eventually quit, sometime in the second half. That didn’t happen, and the game showed some of the Ravens’ weaknesses. They have and continue to struggle against teams with a dominant front four, and that causes problems because it takes away from the play-action passing game. With that said, quarterback Lamar Jackson sometimes struggles because opposing defenses can drop six or seven players into coverage, especially zone. Defensively, the Ravens played well, but the Browns don’t have an established quarterback or a threatening offense. Overall, the Ravens did what they needed to do. They won the game and the AFC North title and clinched a wild-card playoff game at home. But for a team with serious playoff ambitions, the Ravens didn’t dominate. More was expected from a team that has struggled at times in the postseason in recent years. Sam Cohn, reporter: The goal of this game was simple: win the hats and T-shirts that accompany an AFC North title and finish out the regular season healthy. One out of two. The Ravens needed longer than any half-conscious NFL viewer might have expected to get their starters off the field. And their offense largely wasn’t the pretty spectacle it was over their recent three-game stretch in 11 days. It was, however, enough to get past the understaffed Browns, who maintain the worst record in the NFL. Nice. But their health will be an interesting point to monitor this week. Most notably, Zay Flowers left early with a knee injury that ended his day. Rashod Bateman took a hard hit over the middle but seemed to return without issue, having scored a touchdown. Kyle Hamilton had a turn in the blue medical tent in the second half but was back out there a possession later. Even Lamar Jackson invited a few too many unnecessary hits. The Ravens got out of Dodge, nonetheless. Back here in a week. C.J. Doon, editor: There was plenty to like and plenty to dislike from this performance, as is often the case with these Ravens. Let’s start with the bad news. The offense struggled to finish drives, turning the ball over on downs three times. Todd Monken’s play-calling was questionable at points, with Derrick Henry surprisingly not getting the ball in a handful of a short-yardage situations (and only 13 carries entering the fourth quarter). Lamar Jackson can paper over a lot of mistakes, but he missed some open throws and took some big hits both in the pocket and at the end of his carries. The penalties — some of them questionable, to be fair — again piled up, including an illegal formation flag that wiped out a chance to kick a field goal late in the first half. The fourth-down delay of game that led to a punt near midfield in the third quarter was a head-scratcher, too. That’s not something you want to see from a Super Bowl contender in a tune-up game for the postseason. But we saw flashes of why the Ravens could be win it all. Jackson wasn’t sharp, but he put a bow on his magnificent, MVP-worthy season with some stunning runs and a Steph Curry-like premature celebration of a touchdown pass that had yet to land in the hands of Rashod Bateman in the end zone. It’s hard to put a finger on that kind of flair, but Jackson plays with a joyfulness and confidence that few other players do. Whether that should matter in MVP discussions is up for debate, but you can’t ignore it, either. The biggest takeaway of all, however, is the health of wide receiver Zay Flowers, who exited with a knee injury and did not return. It looked like he might have avoided serious injury when he walked off under his own power, but any limitation or lack of availability heading into the playoffs is bad news for an offense that needs his speed and play-making ability. Bateman, Mark Andrews and Henry can certainly carry the load, but Flowers was a Pro Bowl selection for a reason. The Ravens need him to click on all cylinders and outscore the Chiefs or Bills (or, heck, maybe even the Chargers?) and make a deep run. Tim Schwartz, editor: That went about as we all expected, though the Ravens looked like they were simply going through the motions for much of Saturday’s game. Against a team as bad as Cleveland, it didn’t really matter. What we’ll probably remember is Zay Flowers exiting in the second quarter after writhing in pain and holding his right knee. The postseason begins in a week. If he’s even slightly injured, Baltimore could be in big trouble. Flowers, Baltimore’s leading receiver, is by far their most dynamic playmaker in the passing game, and the trickle-down effect could be significant. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens defend AFC North title, clinch home playoff game with 35-10 win over Browns Baltimore Ravens | Ravens WR Zay Flowers injures knee vs. Browns, is ruled out Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns live updates: Postgame reaction and analysis from Baltimore’s 35-10 win Baltimore Ravens | AFC North title isn’t the only thing at stake for Ravens in Week 18 Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns Week 18 staff picks: Who wins Saturday in Baltimore? In the grand scheme of things, I would guess few people pictured the Ravens winning the AFC North after they dropped to 7-4 with a loss to a then-8-2 Steelers squad in Week 12, but here we are. Credit where credit is due. Lamar Jackson put together his best season to date (he should win his third NFL Most Valuable Player Award, in my opinion). Flowers and Rashod Bateman stepped up into bigger roles. Derrick Henry was even better than advertised. The offensive line figured it out. And Zach Orr’s defense turned a midseason corner few thought would be possible. Just another exciting season in Baltimore. But the truth is, none of it matters. What they do over the next month is the only thing that counts. They can’t lay another egg this time. Bennett Conlin, editor: That was expectedly easy, as the Super Bowl contender was never threatened by the three-win foe with a backup quarterback at the helm. Despite some missed chances offensively, Baltimore took care of business Saturday, turning an 0-2 start into a 12-5 regular season and a division title. The Ravens will be at home again next week as a result, hosting a playoff game. With four consecutive wins under their belt, the Ravens look as dangerous as any AFC contender. Lamar Jackson is playing the best football of his career, leading perhaps the best offense in the NFL, and Baltimore’s defense continues to improve each week. This team has what it takes to win it all, but getting through the Bills and Chiefs to win the AFC isn’t remotely similar to beating Bailey Zappe and the Browns. Outside of Zay Flowers leaving with injury, Saturday’s accomplishment was meaningful for fans and players, but the outcome doesn’t tell us much of anything about the Ravens’ playoff potential. John Harbaugh’s team deserves credit for rebounding from a shaky start to win the division, but the real season starts next weekend. 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 wide receiver Zay Flowers injured his right knee after a catch and run in the second quarter Saturday against the Browns and is questionable to return. The second-year receiver was helped to his feet by trainers and gingerly walked to the sideline before going into the medical tent and eventually the locker room. Flowers, who recently became the first homegrown Ravens wide receiver selected to the Pro Bowl, has been an integral part of Baltimore’s passing attack this season. He became the fastest player in Ravens history to reach 100 career receptions and the first in team history to log 1,000-yard receiving seasons in each of his first two seasons. Flowers entered Saturday’s regular-season finale with a team-high 1,047 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 73 catches. Baltimore will begin postseason play next weekend. A win Saturday would secure the AFC North for a second straight year and a home playoff game. This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

The Ravens (11-5) meet the Cleveland Browns (3-13) on Saturday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium with a chance to clinch their second straight AFC North title. Baltimore is a 19 1/2-point favorite in the Week 18 matchup. Follow along here for live coverage and analysis. View the full article

The Ravens enter the final week of the regular season with a simple task: Win. Unlike the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins — who need to win and get help from another team or two to achieve their goals — Baltimore (11-5) can wrap up its second straight AFC North title with a victory Saturday over the reeling Cleveland Browns (3-13). With an expected win — the Ravens are whopping 19 1/2-point favorites — at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore will be the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs and host a wild-card game next weekend against either the No. 6 seed Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) or Steelers. While Pittsburgh (10-6) could be eliminated from AFC North title contention before its 8 p.m. kickoff Saturday against the Bengals, it still has seeding at stake. If the Steelers lose and the Chargers win in Las Vegas on Sunday, Pittsburgh would drop to the No. 6 seed and head to Baltimore after splitting the regular-season series with its archrival. Cincinnati (8-8), meanwhile, needs to win and have the Dolphins lose to the New York Jets and the Denver Broncos lose to the Kansas City Chiefs to sneak into the playoffs. If the Ravens stumble, and the Steelers beat the Bengals, Baltimore would slip to the No. 5 seed and travel to face the No. 4 seed and AFC South champion Houston Texans (9-7) in a wild-card-round rematch of a Christmas Day game the Ravens won easily, 31-2. Here’s what else is at stake for the Ravens this weekend: Lamar Jackson’s MVP case It’s coming down to the wire. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen enters Week 18 as the betting favorite to win his first NFL Most Valuable Player Award at -300, according to Vegas Insider. Jackson is close behind at +200, while Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (+2,000) and Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (+4,000) are longshots. Allen has been the front-runner for much of the season, but Jackson, much like last year, has made a late surge. Big wins over the Steelers and Texans on national broadcasts, combined with a statistical case that rivals (and even surpasses) Allen’s output, has put Jackson in the running for a second straight and third overall MVP Award. If he finishes the regular season with a dominant performance against the Browns — again in front of a national audience — he’ll have a strong argument. Records Speaking of stats, there are plenty of interesting footnotes to consider. With just 45 passing yards and one touchdown pass, Jackson will eclipse 4,000 passing yards and 40 touchdown passes for the first time in his career. With an additional 148 rushing yards — which seems unlikely given how much wear-and-tear that would involve right before the postseason — Jackson would become the first NFL player to eclipse 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season. However, he can settle for becoming the first member of the 4,000/800 club. If he avoids turning the ball over, Jackson can also become the first player in NFL history to record at least 4,000 passing yards, 40 passing touchdowns and four or fewer interceptions. Jackson also enters Week 18 with a 121.6 passer rating, which is narrowly behind the all-time mark of 122.5 that Aaron Rodgers set in 2011 with the Green Bay Packers. Another efficient game with a high completion percentage, a few touchdown passes and no interceptions would do the trick. With one rushing touchdown Saturday, Ravens running back Derrick Henry can break his tie with Jamal Lewis for the most in a single season in franchise history at 14. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Running back Derrick Henry and tight end Mark Andrews can also get in on the fun. With one rushing touchdown, Henry can break his tie with Jamal Lewis for the most in a single season in franchise history (14) and become the first player in NFL history with three seasons of 15 rushing touchdowns and 1,500 rushing yards. Andrews can rival wide receiver Torrey Smith for the most touchdown catches in a single season in Ravens history (11), needing one to tie and two to break the record. He also needs just 17 more receiving yards to pass former tight end Todd Heap (5,492) and move into second place all-time in franchise history behind former wide receiver Derrick Mason (5,777). Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns Week 18 staff picks: Who wins Saturday in Baltimore? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ pass rush style is unique and paying dividends for sustained success Baltimore Ravens | Ravens RB Justice Hill ruled out with illness; Browns to start QB Bailey Zappe Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns Week 18 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | READERS RESPOND: Here’s which team fans want Ravens to face in wild-card round Contract incentives Running back Justice Hill was eight receptions or 117 receiving yards away from securing a $500,000 bonus, but a concussion suffered in Week 16 against the Steelers and a subsequent illness have ruled him out for Saturday’s game. Hill signed a two-year extension worth $6 million in September. Henry ($2 million), outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy ($500K) and offensive lineman Patrick Mekari ($750K) have already earned their incentives, according to Brian McFarland of Russell Street Report. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey also earned $250K for making the Pro Bowl. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who took a pay cut this offseason, just missed out on getting a $7.5 million bonus after being left off the initial Pro Bowl ballot. Stanley was named an alternate Thursday after a healthy and resurgent season. 2025 opponents If the Ravens win the AFC North title Saturday, that means playing a first-place schedule for the second year in a row. In addition to their six games against the AFC North, the Ravens will face the AFC East, NFC North and the champions of the AFC South, AFC West and NFC West in 2025. The Texans (AFC South), Chiefs (AFC West) and Los Angeles Rams (NFC West) have already wrapped up their divisions, so the only suspense will be in Baltimore. 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

Here’s how The Baltimore Sun sports staff views the outcome of Saturday’s Week 18 game between the Ravens (11-5) and Browns (3-13) at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore: Brian Wacker, reporter Ravens 30, Browns 7: The Browns still have pass rusher extraordinaire Myles Garrett, but that’s about all they’ve got with injuries abound. That won’t be enough to stop the NFL’s top offense, especially with the Ravens needing to win to clinch another AFC North title and the No. 3 seed in the playoffs, this guaranteeing at least a wild-card game at home. Couple that with Cleveland’s Jameis Winston as only the third/emergency quarterback, draft status on the line and facing a defense that’s been the best in the league since Week 11, and the Browns’ chances of a stunning upset remain firmly at the bottom of Lake Eerie. This one should be over early. Childs Walker, reporter Ravens 27, Browns 3: The Ravens want another AFC North title. The Browns would be best off losing to lock in a top-three pick. One team is a Super Bowl contender peaking on the cusp of the playoffs. The other has lost five straight, scoring a total of 30 points over the last four of those. The sportsbooks say this might be the greatest mismatch of the year, and who are we to disagree? Even if Myles Garrett and friends put up some resistance to Lamar Jackson and the league’s most efficient offense, there’s no reason to believe the Browns will score against a reborn Baltimore defense. This one won’t get complicated. Mike Preston, columnist Ravens 30, Browns 3: The Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets have the worst ownership in the NFL, and it shows on the field. Because the Browns have a very good defensive line, they should be able to make this game competitive for a half, assuming their healthy players start the game. But somewhere along the way, probably midway through the third quarter, the only Browns playing hard will be rookies or players in the final year of their contracts. It makes no difference whom the Browns start at quarterback: they just aren’t very good. By the fourth quarter, those U-Haul trucks will be warming up outside the team’s training facility, and the Browns can’t wait to leave Cleveland for the offseason. The only question is whether Kevin Stefanksi will return as Cleveland’s coach next season. C.J. Doon, editor Ravens 27, Browns 9: This is a nice way to wrap up the regular season for Baltimore. Lamar Jackson can pad his stats for the sure-to-be intense Most Valuable Player debate, while the defense can feast on Bailey Zappe — Cleveland’s 40th starting quarterback since 1999 — before coach John Harbaugh puts his backups in the game with the AFC North title, No. 3 seed and a home wild-card game secured. Other than how many yards Jackson and Derrick Henry pile up, how the Ravens defend red-hot receiver Jerry Jeudy is just about the only thing worth watching. Well, that, and how many interceptions Zappe throws. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens’ pass rush style is unique and paying dividends for sustained success Baltimore Ravens | Ravens RB Justice Hill ruled out with illness; Browns to start QB Bailey Zappe Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns Week 18 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | READERS RESPOND: Here’s which team fans want Ravens to face in wild-card round Baltimore Ravens | 9 Ravens selected to Pro Bowl, most in NFL Tim Schwartz, editor Ravens 28, Browns 7: The Ravens are not the same team the Browns stunned earlier this season. Their defense has flipped the script and become elite again. The offense has steadily become one of the most well-rounded with the emergence of Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews back to his old touchdown-catching self. And Justin Tucker has righted the ship and been perfect since the bye week a month ago. Cleveland has only regressed, and it doesn’t have a healthy roster, either. Baltimore has plenty at stake in this one — securing the AFC North and a home playoff game with a win — while the Browns might be more inclined to secure their spot in the top three of the draft with eyes on a potential quarterback of the future. This won’t be a competitive contest, even if quarterback Bailey Zappe gives Cleveland an unexpected (and unlikely) jolt. Bennett Conlin, editor Ravens 31, Browns 10: The Ravens are playing for the AFC North title, while the Browns are better off losing to boost or maintain their 2025 NFL draft positioning. Don’t expect this game to be competitive, although Baltimore would be wise to limit the rushing usage of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry with the postseason beginning next week. The ideal plan for Baltimore is to jump out to a huge lead before taking its best players out of the game and avoiding unnecessary injuries. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13. View the full article

For the second straight year, the Ravens are among the best pass rushing teams in the NFL. That’s no accident. “I gotta give a lot of credit to Coach [John] Harbaugh, man,” pass rush coach Chuck Smith told The Baltimore Sun. “He is the most open-minded NFL coach about pass rush, I believe, in NFL history. To let a pass rush trainer come in and Harbaugh say, ‘I believe in what you’re doing.’ He let us do moves and teach concepts that no one else has ever done and trusts us.” Smith parlayed his own decorated nine-year NFL career into becoming one of football’s preeminent pass rush trainers. He mapped out his own training program, taught several All-Pros and has consulted for several teams. The gravitas accumulated on that front earned him a fitting nickname: “Dr. Rush.” And in 2023, the Ravens brought Smith into the building for a job that was once considered taboo among NFL teams, who preferred their pass rush intel come via training camp consultants. Consider this return on investment: Only three seasons in Ravens history have they finished with 50 or more sacks. The first was 2006, and the other two have been Smith’s two years at the helm. Last year, they tallied a league-high 60 sacks. This year, they’re second in the NFL with 52 (spread over 18 players) — and one more game Saturday against the lowly Cleveland Browns could inflate that total. “This is the perfect place if a guy wants to pass rush, there’s no other way to say it,” Smith said. “And I’m not just saying that.” Smith leaned back against a wall inside the Owings Mills facility earlier this week. His eyes tensed for a moment behind frameless glasses trying to explain how the Ravens zagged when most of the league was still zigging. Harbaugh empowered him to teach moves and concepts that Smith said aren’t done elsewhere. And the second-year coach has created what he believes can be sustained success. It’s a young group of almost entirely homegrown talent in those meeting rooms. Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, at 33, is the wily veteran. He’s the only one with enough experience to answer why Baltimore and Smith are so different. “A lot more freedom,” Van Noy said, with a game left to add to his career-high 11 1/2 sacks. “Like in New England, I was not allowed to do what I’m doing, that’s for sure. Not that it was bad, it was just different. It was sacrifice to do whatever you can to keep the quarterback in the pocket. The schematics were different.” Take, for example, Van Noy’s 2018 season as a Patriot. He started all 16 games but finished with only 3 1/2 sacks in a year New England won the Super Bowl behind a masterful defensive showing under coach Bill Belichick. Smith prefers Van Noy use his skill set to put hands on the quarterback. Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy, middle, has set career highs in sacks in his two seasons in Baltimore after getting “a lot more freedom” to rush the passer. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh is one sack from his first double-digit season. It’s a career year whether he gets it or not. And although the 2021 first-round draft pick hasn’t played for any other NFL team, his understanding of the uniqueness in Baltimore is the deep arsenal of pass rush moves Smith teaches and the intentionality with which they prepare for different quarterbacks. It’s resulted in career numbers for Van Noy, Oweh and Tavius Robinson (3 1/2), among other contributors. Should Oweh get his 10th sack Saturday, it would be the fourth time in Ravens history — and first since 2014 with Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil — that two players reached double-digit sack totals. “Ain’t nobody talking pass rush like we are,” Smith said. Much of the group doing the dirty work has ties to Smith dating before he was hired in Baltimore. Smith helped Brent Urban prepare for the NFL scouting combine in 2014. He trained Nnamdi Madubuike in Atlanta before his breakout 13-sack 2023 season. He spent time working out Michael Pierce, had plans to get in a gym with Oweh before he got hurt, and coached Robinson at the 2023 Senior Bowl. “We’re all connected,” Smith said, later adding, “here, it’s a partnership, not a dictatorship.” That was a nod to defensive line coach Dennis Johnson, as well as assistant defensive line and outside linebackers coach Matt Robinson. Those three are a joint force whose teachings extend beyond the final game of the season. NFL rules bar Smith from training with his group out of season. No shortage of trainers around the country could help prepare them for the rigors of a season with high expectations. “But hell, they hired my assistant,” Smith said. “[Dez Walker] teaches the same system. So in the summer, they’re doing the exact same thing.” Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns Week 18 staff picks: Who wins Saturday in Baltimore? Baltimore Ravens | Ravens RB Justice Hill ruled out with illness; Browns to start QB Bailey Zappe Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns Week 18 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | READERS RESPOND: Here’s which team fans want Ravens to face in wild-card round Baltimore Ravens | 9 Ravens selected to Pro Bowl, most in NFL That, coupled with the room’s culture Smith touts, is why he believes this top-of-the-league success isn’t a fluke. Or a two-year outlier. “Here’s the crazy part about this whole story,” Smith said. “I really believe where we are, as one of the top pass rush groups in the league the last couple years, it just makes me laugh a little inside. Like, ‘Dude, we’re just gonna be even better.’ … It just makes me excited looking at our pass rush culture that we have here. So when we bring a guy in, we rolling.” This season has been a testament to that assertion. Baltimore lost Jadeveon Clowney and his 9 1/2 sacks from last year to free agency. Van Noy wasn’t expected to outperform his then-career-high nine sacks at 33 years old. There were questions about what Oweh or Ojabo could contribute after inconsistent beginnings to their careers. And few could have anticipated Tavius Robinson to take such a leap. “It’s even better when everyone was kind of [complaining] about [us not] having a pass rush here,” Van Noy said. “That hasn’t gone unnoticed. That was a big topic for the last two years. Who’s gonna be the pass rush? Blah blah blah. It’s been one of our strengths.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. View the full article

Ravens running back Justice Hill will miss Saturday’s regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns as he recovers from an illness, but he and reserve cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis are the only players ruled out as the team seeks to clinch a repeat AFC North crown. Hill, the team’s primary third-down back, missed the Ravens’ Christmas Day win over the Houston Texans with a concussion. Coach John Harbaugh said Monday he expected Hill to play against the Browns. Instead, Keaton Mitchell and Rasheen Ali will back up Derrick Henry. Hill remains in concussion protocol because he has not returned to the practice field, but Harbaugh said Thursday it’s the illness that’s holding him back. Otherwise, the team is unusually healthy with the playoffs around the corner. Left guard Patrick Mekari, listed as questionable to play against Cleveland, returned to practice as a limited participant Thursday after missing the previous two days with an illness. The Ravens (11-5) listed tight end Charlie Kolar, who returned to practice this week after missing four games with a broken arm, as questionable to face the Browns, though he has been a full participant in workouts. Armour-Davis returned to practice Wednesday but won’t play Saturday because of a lingering hamstring injury. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens vs. Browns Week 18 betting guide: Picks, predictions and odds Baltimore Ravens | READERS RESPOND: Here’s which team fans want Ravens to face in wild-card round Baltimore Ravens | 9 Ravens selected to Pro Bowl, most in NFL Baltimore Ravens | How Ravens WR Rashod Bateman helped a sneaker artist battling cancer Baltimore Ravens | Things to do in Baltimore, Jan. 3-9 The Browns (3-13), losers of five straight, will be without several top players Saturday as they close out a disappointing season. Cleveland ruled out Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward (shoulder), tight end David Njoku (knee), linebacker Jordan Hicks (concussion), and running backs Jerome Ford (ankle) and Pierre Strong (concussion). Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson is questionable to play because of a knee injury. Nickel back Cameron Mitchell (knee) is also questionable after he was added to the injury report Thursday. The Browns’ best player, defensive end Myles Garrett, will face the Ravens after he sat out Tuesday and Wednesday with a thigh injury. Quarterback Jameis Winston, who beat the Ravens in October, is questionable with a right shoulder injury, but Browns coach Kevin Stefanski had already announced Winston would be behind expected starter Bailey Zappe and Dorian Thompson-Robinson on the depth chart. Zappe, a 2022 fourth-round draft pick by the New England Patriots after a record-setting career at Western Kentucky, is 4-4 as a starter while passing for 2,053 yards and 11 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article

When the Ravens started the season 0-2, there were questions about whether the franchise should panic. The general consensus from reasonable people was that Baltimore would be fine, in large part because it has Lamar Jackson at quarterback. Score one for the reasonable people. The Ravens have rattled off 11 wins over their next 14 games, including consecutive victories over the Steelers and Texans to launch themselves into first place in the AFC North. A home win over the 3-13 Browns on Saturday gives Baltimore a division title after a sluggish start to the season. Sports betting odds suggest Ravens fans won’t be held in suspense Saturday about the outcome of the division. What are the odds? The Ravens will end the regular season being favored in 16 of their 17 games, and they’re gigantic favorites this week. Spread: Ravens by 18 1/2 (FanDuel) Total: 41 1/2 points Moneyline: Ravens -3000, Browns +1300 Saturday’s spread could close as the largest for any Ravens game this season, and it’s the second time the Ravens will close as a double-digit favorite. Baltimore beat the Giants, 35-14, on Dec. 1 as a 17-point betting favorite. Baltimore is 3-2-1 against the spread and 4-2 outright as a betting favorite of at least seven points. The Browns have failed to cover the spread in five consecutive games. Fast start Expect the Ravens to enter this game with surprising focus for a matchup with a 3-13 opponent. There’s plenty at stake for Baltimore. A win guarantees a home playoff game via the AFC North title, and winning the division is one of the team’s annual goals. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Ravens RB Justice Hill ruled out with illness; Browns to start QB Bailey Zappe Baltimore Ravens | READERS RESPOND: Here’s which team fans want Ravens to face in wild-card round Baltimore Ravens | 9 Ravens selected to Pro Bowl, most in NFL Baltimore Ravens | How Ravens WR Rashod Bateman helped a sneaker artist battling cancer Baltimore Ravens | Things to do in Baltimore, Jan. 3-9 There’s also the fact that the Ravens lost to the lowly Browns earlier this season. Nobody in Baltimore’s locker room wants to be responsible for half of Cleveland’s wins this season. There’s a small revenge factor here, with Baltimore having a chance to right a wrong. For Baltimore, the ideal result Saturday is to build up a massive halftime lead before cruising in the second half and resting key starters such as Jackson and safety Kyle Hamilton. Given the benefit of jumping out to a large lead to put the division out of reach, my favorite bet of the week is the Ravens to cover the first-half spread. If Baltimore rests its top players after building a lead, the Browns could find success in a mostly irrelevant fourth quarter. The first half, however, should be all Ravens. Best bet: Ravens by 10 1/2 in the first half (BetMGM) View the full article

We asked readers which team they’d prefer the Ravens face in the wild-card round of the upcoming NFL postseason. Here are the results from our online poll: Houston Texans — 368 votes (66%) Los Angeles Chargers — 101 votes (18%) Pittsburgh Steelers — 90 votes (16%) Here’s what some fans have told us (answers have been edited for clarity and grammar): The weakest opponent is clearly Houston. Over many years, the Ravens have performed well on the road in playoff games. Not so much at home including last year. Last year’s team might have been stronger, but my sense is the current team has a better shot at getting to the Super Bowl. — Scott Williams As Mr. Williams opined, DeMeco Ryans’ band o’beef carry the lowest punch potential for an upset over the Ravens. The Texans’ campaign against AFC teams has been least successful against the Ravens all time, with a paltry 2-11 record. They’re still reeling from the shellacking d’keister with our offensive shutout in Week 17. Houston may be a decent team but they lead the NFL with the most plays of third-and-7 or longer because of ineffective early downs, which dictates that a retooled top-tier Baltimore defense will take their lunch money. If there’s anything you have to bring to the table playing the Ravens, it’s a truckload of points, and there’s a drought in Texas. The most satisfying game would be to whoop-up on the declining Steelers but Houston’s the presumed gimme game. — William Crisp Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | 9 Ravens selected to Pro Bowl, most in NFL Baltimore Ravens | How Ravens WR Rashod Bateman helped a sneaker artist battling cancer Baltimore Ravens | Things to do in Baltimore, Jan. 3-9 Baltimore Ravens | Ravens S Ar’Darius Washington, ‘too small’ all his life, lifts an entire defense Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: What should the team’s New Year’s resolutions be? | COMMENTARY C.J. Stroud is so bad we could make it look like playing football is EASIER than taking candy from a baby. Not to mention their uniforms lately have been so ugly. Something to be said about “look good, feel good.” no wonder the Texans stink. Bring ’em on. The Ravens aren’t scared. — Alex DeScott Houston is an indoor team that we match up well against. I’d rather save the Steelers for another home game the week after. EPIC. — Joe Swain If it had nothing to do with seeding, Houston would be the most favorable matchup. I think having a home playoff game might be bigger than playing on the road throughout the playoffs. Of the two teams we could face at home, I would prefer to play Pittsburgh. I feel the Chargers are a better team, but the familiarity between division teams evens it out some. With the No. 3 seed, it is possible to get another home game past the wild-card round. If Cincinnati manages to get into the postseason, I could see them knocking off the Bills in the wild-card round. — Terrence Morrison 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

Nine Ravens have been selected to this year’s Pro Bowl, more than any team in the NFL. Quarterback and two-time and reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry were chosen for a fourth and fifth time, respectively, while second-year wide receiver Zay Flowers was selected for the first time. He is the first wide receiver in the team’s 29-year history to make the Pro Bowl. Other Ravens chosen include safety Kyle Hamilton (second), fullback Patrick Ricard (fifth) and inside linebacker Roquan Smith (third), all of whom were named starters along with Henry. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (fourth), center Tyler Linderbaum (second) and defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike (second) were also selected. The NFC’s Detroit Lions had the second-most players selected with seven, while Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen was chosen as the AFC starter at quarterback over Jackson. Allen, who has guided the Bills to the second-best record (13-3) in the AFC behind the Kansas City Chiefs, has completed 63.6% of his passes for 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns with six interceptions to go with 531 rushing yards and 12 scores this season and is the current betting favorite to be named league MVP. Jackson, who has helped lead Baltimore to an 11-5 mark and the cusp of the AFC North title, has completed 67.9% of his passes for 3,955 yards and 39 touchdowns with four interceptions to go with 852 yards rushing and four scores. The Ravens also have the league’s top offense, averaging 424.2 yards per game. Flowers, meanwhile, was Baltimore’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in 2021. He has 1,047 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 73 catches. Henry, whom the Ravens signed to a two-year, $16 million deal in the offseason, has been even more prolific. His 1,783 rushing yards are tops in the AFC and second in the NFL. He is also tied for the league’s second-most rushing touchdowns (14) and leads all qualified backs at 5.8 yards per carry while his franchise-record 16 total touchdowns rank second in the NFL behind the Bills’ James Cook (17). On defense, Hamilton, Smith and Humphrey have stood out in turning the unit around from its struggles earlier this season. Hamilton’s 7.7 yards per completion allowed leads all safeties and his career-high 104 tackles are tied for third-most at the position in the conference. He also has one interception, nine passes defensed, four tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery for a unit that ranks No. 1 in yards (267), passing yards (171.2) and points (16.3) per game allowed since Week 11. Signing Linderbaum and Hamilton to contract extensions this offseason figures to be among general manager Eric DeCosta’s biggest priorities. First-round draft picks in 2021, both will enter the final year of their rookie deals beginning next season. Each will get a hefty raise. As for Smith, his 144 tackles are fifth-most in the league with his eight double-digit-tackle games are tied for second most. He also has four tackles for loss, four passes defensed, 1 1/2 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Humphrey has a career-high and AFC-best six interceptions, including one that he returned for a touchdown to go with 14 passes defensed, 63 tackles, two forced fumbles and a half-sack. He is the first defensive player to have at least five interceptions, five tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in a season since the Colts’ Shaquille Leonard did so in 2019. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | READERS RESPOND: Here’s which team fans want Ravens to face in wild-card round Baltimore Ravens | How Ravens WR Rashod Bateman helped a sneaker artist battling cancer Baltimore Ravens | Things to do in Baltimore, Jan. 3-9 Baltimore Ravens | Ravens S Ar’Darius Washington, ‘too small’ all his life, lifts an entire defense Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: What should the team’s New Year’s resolutions be? | COMMENTARY Madubuike has tallied 6 1/2 sacks, 39 tackles, including 10 for loss, one forced fumble and one pass defensed for a Baltimore defense that is allowing an NFL-best 81.6 rushing yards per game and a league-low 3.59 yards per carry. However, none of the Ravens finished in the top five in voting, with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Lions quarterback Jared Goff receiving the most votes. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was previously chosen for six Pro Bowls, wasn’t selected to the AFC roster for the first time since becoming their starting quarterback in 2018. Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, inside linebacker Chris Board (special teams), guard Daniel Faalele, long snapper Nick Moore, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, kicker Justin Tucker and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy were all voted as alternates. This year marks the third Pro Bowl Games, which feature weeklong skills competitions and a flag football game. It will take place in Orlando and finish with a seven-on-seven flag football game between the AFC and NFC at Camping World Stadium on Feb. 2 with Peyton and Eli Manning coaching the two conferences. 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

The cleats are gold and shiny, inspired by the Italian luxury fashion house Bottega Veneta, and were meant for the Super Bowl. They never made it to Las Vegas last season for the Ravens’ Rashod Bateman, of course, in what would have been a full-circle moment for the wide receiver and the man who designed them, Salvatore Marcum. As the old advertising idiom goes, it’s gotta be the shoes. Last season, Bateman “liked” an Instagram post that featured a pair of then-teammate Laquon Treadwell’s custom-designed cleats. Marcum, 32 and a burgeoning shoe artist with a handful of clients around the league, took notice and shot his shot. “I sent him a DM just saying if he ever needed any customs, I got him,” said Marcum, who moved to Las Vegas from his native Minneapolis four years ago. “Sure enough, he sent me a pair of cleats a couple weeks later once they were in the playoffs.” They never saw the field, however, with the Kansas City Chiefs ending Baltimore’s Super Bowl dreams in the AFC championship game. Still, Bateman liked what he saw, so he kept sending Marcum his cleats through the offseason and into this season. In all, Marcum figures he’s done about 30 pairs for the Ravens’ 2021 first-round draft pick. A few of the designs have included a Kobe Bryant-inspired pair for the Ravens’ game against the Chargers in Los Angeles, a nod to legendary former Nike designer Tinker Hatfield’s iconic black cement and elephant print looks and one that read “F–k cancer” for the Ravens’ Christmas Day game against the Houston Texans. Prices range from $500 to a couple thousand dollars, depending on the complexity of the artwork. The most recent design also hit home for Marcum, who for the past 18 months has been battling cancer and undergone more than 100 hours of chemotherapy, using the funds to help pay for the expensive treatments. “It’s been a challenge to work and create,” Marcum said. “But I love doing this, so it’s hard to stop creating. I still feel grateful to be able to create and work.” Sneaker artist Salvatore Marcum has created close to 30 custom cleats for Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman, including this pair of gold cleats that were supposed to be worn in the Super Bowl last season. (Courtesy of Salvatore Marcum) And Bateman, having emerged from his own struggles, is more than willing to do what he can. As a young boy who moved around Georgia and at times lived in a trailer, he was witness to the domestic abuse his mother, Lashonda Cromer, endured from his stepfather. After reaching the NFL, his career was stunted by injuries, first to his groin and then his left foot, on which he underwent season-ending Lisfranc surgery on in 2022. Then, early in 2023 his grandmother died and a teenaged cousin killed himself. All of it, along with social media criticism and lingering pain in his foot, was a mental roller coaster, so he could empathize with what Marcum is dealing with. “I try to help him out however I can,” Bateman told The Baltimore Sun. “I check in on him a couple times a week.” It’s mattered. Marcum said he was supposed to have four tumors surgically removed last year, but in the few months it took him to navigate through insurance delays, the cancer worsened. As a result, he now spends five days a week in the hospital receiving more chemotherapy, he said, followed by two weeks at home, a routine he has to complete four times before he can finally undergo surgery. But his spirits have also been buoyed. “We’ve built a good partnership and friendship through all of this,” Marcum said. “Rashod is a great dude. He always checks up on me, always asks if I need anything. I’m grateful for his friendship.” Bateman has also flourished. Coming into the season, coach John Harbaugh said he expected Bateman to be a top receiver for the team. The organization showed it believed in him as well, signing him to a two-year, $12 million extension that surprised the player signing it. Now in his fourth season and finally healthy, Bateman is having the best year of his still young but mercurial career with highs in receiving yards (680) and touchdown catches (eight). He has also boasted the third-best separation rate in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus, behind only Detroit Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown and teammate Zay Flowers. Last month in a win over the New York Giants, he had the first multi-score game of his career, and he has helped the Ravens close in on another AFC North title, which they can secure with a win over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium. “Bate’ is that guy,” quarterback Lamar Jackson said. “We call him ‘Batman’ for a reason, and that’s just amazing. It was long overdue, I believe. There have been plenty of times that I felt he should’ve had multiple touchdown games, but things happen in the backfield. We can’t get to him sometimes, but he’s just working. He’s grinding.” Bateman believes he’s just scratching the surface. “From a football perspective, there’s much more there for me,” he told The Sun. “I don’t know what that looks like yet but I think I’ve showed myself — in the receiver world we all get caught up on ‘am I a 1,000-yard receiver?’ — that I’m more than capable of doing that. “I’m just looking [forward] to building off that.” He has also found inspiration in his footwear, with the idea being look good, feel good, play good. He has a new pair of cleats for every game. His favorite, he said, were a pair of Nike Air Foamposites that are known for their connection to hip hop. “Nike, just give out basic, generic black-and-white cleats,” Bateman told The Sun. “I like to be swaggy in everything I do, so I gotta have a fresh pair of kicks on.” It’s been a childhood dream fulfilled for Marcum, too. One of seven kids in a family where money was tight, he was in elementary school, he said, when he saw one of his older brothers customizing his pair of sneakers. He said he always loved to draw, mostly athletes and rappers in portrait realism, and that passion carried over. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | Things to do in Baltimore, Jan. 3-9 Baltimore Ravens | Ravens S Ar’Darius Washington, ‘too small’ all his life, lifts an entire defense Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: What should the team’s New Year’s resolutions be? | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens dealing with illness before playing downtrodden Browns Baltimore Ravens | Ravens QB Lamar Jackson closing in on another NFL record “Not having much money it was a way to keep my shoes looking new and different without having to buy shoes,” he said, adding that when he later saw others making money from it after Instagram launched in 2010 the proverbial light bulb went off. “I quit my job making ice cream cones and shakes about two weeks later,” he said. “Haven’t looked back since.” Bateman says he’s thankful for the partnership and friendship as well. He also hasn’t forgotten about those cleats that were meant for last season’s Super Bowl. Though he repurposed them for the offseason, he hasn’t given up on the idea. “It’s kind of crazy,” Bateman said of how things have transpired. “Maybe I should get him to do that again if we win the AFC this time.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article

See a Broadway classic, learn some dance moves, cheer on the Ravens, go to a classical music concert or a 70s supergroup tribute band concert. Ongoing: ‘Annie’ Hazel Vogel as ‘Annie’ and the Orphans in the 2024-2025 National Tour of ANNIE. (Matthew Murphy, MurphyMade (c) 2024) Experience the timeless Broadway musical “Annie” at the Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N. Eutaw St. Let the uplifting story of Little Orphan Annie carry you through tough times. Listen to classic show tunes like “Tomorrow,” “It’s a Hard Knock Life,” “Maybe,” and more. Dates and times are Tuesday-Thursday 7:30 p.m., Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Ticket prices start at $49. baltimore.broadway.com/shows/annie/ Tuesday-Sunday Friday: Say Sister! Opening Square Dance Swing your partner all around at the Say Sister! Opening Square Dance in The Theater at the Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. An old-fashioned string band and caller will talk you through the dance moves. Tickets cost $25. creativealliance.org/event/say-sister-festival-opening-square-dance/ Friday 7 p.m. Saturday: Cleveland Browns at Ravens Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith (0) moves after the ball during an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Kirk Irwin) Root for the hometown team when the Baltimore Ravens host the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium, 1101 Russell St. The post-season-bound Ravens will be looking for payback after a 29-24 loss to Cleveland on Oct. 17. Ticket prices start at $105. baltimoreravens.com Saturday 4:30 p.m. Sunday: Bach and Mozart Johann Sebastian Bach. 841 Copyright-free Illustrations for Artists & Designers. Selected by Jim Harter. MUSIC — A Pictorial Archive of Woodcuts & Engravings. Dover Publications, Inc. Go to a classical music concert to hear the works of two great composers at “Bach and Mozert at the Maryland State Boychoir Center for the Arts,” 3400 Norman Ave. Performance selections include: “Bach: Cantata 83: Erfreute Zeit im neuen Bunde” and “Mozart: Symphony No. 25.” Featured soloists include Kristen Dubenion-Smith, Ben Hawker and Edmund Milly. Tickets cost $33 in advance and $37 at the door for adults, $10 for students 13 and over and free for kids 12-under. bachinbaltimore.org/events/bach-and-mozart/ Sunday 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday: Devotion: an Earth, Wind & Fire Experience You’ll swear it’s the real thing at Devotion: an Earth, Wind & Fire Experience at Keystone Korner, 1350 Lancaster St. The tribute includes such hit songs as “Shining Star,” “September,” “Lets Groove,” and more. Tickets cost $40-$45 for in-person and $15 for streaming. keystonekornerbaltimore.com/ Thursday 7:30 p.m. View the full article

Ar’Darius Washington remembers well the first time someone said he was too small. A rival Pee Wee league coach boasted to Washington’s stepfather that there was no way his boys would lose to such a runt in the championship game. “Yeah, we’re gonna see,” the Ravens safety remembers thinking. He scored three touchdowns to put the Port City Saints to bed. Washington had no way of knowing it, but that coach’s premature assessment set a template. At every level of football, he would have to play well enough to hush those who could not see past his height. It’s not like he’d be the little guy in most professions. There’s no hint of weakness in his thickly muscled, 5-foot-8 frame. But as the last line of defense in an NFL secondary? No, scouts did not believe. Underestimated is Washington’s brand, and he has chosen to embrace it. “I definitely think that,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said when asked if his new starting safety has been nourished by difficulty. “That’s exactly right. [Ar’Darius] has probably had to overcome that his whole career — high school, college and now the pros, and it’s made him who he is. He’s been forged by all of those experiences.” No one envisioned Washington as the savior of a Ravens defense that could not prevent explosive plays through the first 10 weeks of the season. The Ravens gave Marcus Williams $70 million to be their back-end coverage ace. He and Kyle Hamilton were supposed to form the best safety duo in the league, with veteran Eddie Jackson as a steady hand backing them up. Washington, as usual, had to scrap just to make the team out of training camp. But the truth couldn’t be any more plain. Jackson and Williams struggled enough that the Ravens released one and the benched the other. At wits’ end after they gave up 34 points and 421 passing yards, they turned to Washington as an every-down starter, pulling Hamilton back from the line of scrimmage at the same time. The improvement was immediate. Over the past six games, Baltimore’s defense has transformed into one of the league’s best and one of its stingiest at allowing chunk gains. Washington has been at the heart of this metamorphosis. In a 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, his hit on quarterback Russell Wilson prevented a touchdown, jarred the ball loose and sent the Ravens driving the other way for a go-ahead score. Four days later, he drilled Joe Mixon at the goal line on fourth down to prevent the Houston Texans from gaining any momentum in a 31-2 Baltimore win. “I think it’s just his heart,” cornerback Brandon Stephens said. “He doesn’t let size be a factor of what he can’t do. The past few weeks, he’s shown it doesn’t matter, against big dudes. You can look at all the measurables you want, but what you can’t measure is someone’s heart.” Washington remains largely anonymous to casual fans outside Baltimore, but teammates and coaches have always recognized his feel for playmaking. “I think he’s had probably one of the hardest roles; he’s had to make the team every year in training camp,” cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “But you ask anybody around here who’s had the best camp for three years, it’s probably AD. To come in and replace a great player like Marcus Williams, his leash was very short on mistakes if he were to make them, but man, he’s really shown up. We’ve all seen the work he’s put in over the last three years.” To Washington, it’s a familiar story. He honed his competitive edge feeling the sting of all those dismissive words. Safety Ar’Darius Washington has become a star for the Ravens’ defense. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) “You’re telling me I can’t do it because I’m too small? It pissed me off,” he said after a recent Ravens practice. “Honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I go out and prove myself right, prove them wrong. I’m a seal; the water rolls right off my back.” Washington grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, the youngest of five siblings. He chose Texas Christian over nearby LSU and became an all-conference safety. Even then, he was overshadowed by Trevon Moehrig, who would go to the Raiders in the second round of the 2021 draft while Washington waited in vain to be picked at all. “Washington falls well below the desired measurables for a safety,” read NFL.com’s scouting report. “But he plays with outstanding instincts and aggression in everything he does.” Boy, had he heard that line too many times. He acknowledged that he fell into a “dark place” after he went undrafted. Teams nonetheless coveted Washington as a free agent, and he signed with the Ravens after Humphrey and linebacker Patrick Queen called to pitch him on the fit. He made the team, only to suffer a season-ending foot injury. His path grew no easier from there. In 2022, the Ravens cut him and signed him to their practice squad, where he remained for most of the season. In 2023, he made the 53-man roster and played well at nickel back in the first two games, only to tear his pectoral muscle. That injury kept him out until the playoffs. No matter how much he impressed Harbaugh, no matter how consistently he stood out in the summer, he could not achieve NFL liftoff. “After that Cincinnati game when I tore my pec, I was like, ‘Man, when am I ever going to catch a break? Am I ever going to shake this?'” Washington recalled. At such times, he turns to his mother, Lashuma Daniels, and his older sister. They call to check on him, send flowers to brighten his days. He’s also a dad now, and his 2-year-old son can keep him going with a simple smile. Related Articles Baltimore Ravens | How Ravens WR Rashod Bateman helped a sneaker artist battling cancer Baltimore Ravens | Things to do in Baltimore, Jan. 3-9 Baltimore Ravens | Mike Preston’s Ravens mailbag: What should the team’s New Year’s resolutions be? | COMMENTARY Baltimore Ravens | Ravens dealing with illness before playing downtrodden Browns Baltimore Ravens | Ravens QB Lamar Jackson closing in on another NFL record Despite the disappointment of 2023, Washington had an inkling his chance might come this year. Safety Geno Stone left for Cincinnati in the offseason, and Eddie Jackson was the only man standing between him and significant playing time. “I made it my mission to come out here and be a starter,” he said. He’s not only that; his partnership with Hamilton is the No. 1 reason the Ravens’ defense has been among the best in the league since that dismaying performance against the Bengals. Hamilton, the 6-foot-4 2022 first-round pick, is Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 safety through 16 games. Washington, eight inches shorter and undrafted, is No. 11. “It’s the speed at which he plays, and he believes what he sees,” Hamilton said. “He’s fearless, lifts a ton in the weight room, jumps out the gym, great ball skills.” All reasons why 5-foot-8 should not define a man. For those, like Stephens, who came in with Washington, his success — he’s setting himself up to make considerably more than his $985,000 salary this season — is a joyous monument to perseverance. “All he needed was the opportunity,” Stephens said. “He’s been hungry to be part of this defense and make a big impact. He has.” Have a news tip? Contact Childs Walker at daviwalker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6893 and x.com/ChildsWalker. View the full article

Baltimore Sun columnist Mike Preston will answer fans’ questions in the middle of each week throughout the Ravens’ season. After a Christmas Day blowout win over the Texans, Baltimore (11-5) hosts the Cleveland Browns (3-13) in Week 18 of the NFL season. If the Ravens beat the Browns, they’ll win the AFC North title. Here’s Preston’s take on a handful of questions from readers: (Editor’s note: Questions have been edited for length and clarity.) What, if any, should be some New Year’s resolutions for the Ravens’ organization and some of the players? And do you have any personal ones? — Ed Helinski, Auburn, NY I would assume the entire franchise wants to get into the Super Bowl in New Orleans. Last season was so disappointing with the Ravens losing here in Baltimore to Kansas City, 17-10, in the AFC championship game. At the time, I thought the Ravens had the best team in the NFL and so did many within the organization. They aren’t as strong or as balanced as a year ago, but they still have enough talent to get into the championship. As with any team, you have to play well, bounces have to go your way and fate does play a hand. As for personal resolutions? I don’t have any. The Lord has blessed me with good health throughout the years, and I am truly thankful. Mike, I was curious to know who tells a player they will be a healthy scratch? The Marcus Williams situation made me think of this. I imagine most players don’t take this news well. — Rich Lee Rich, I couldn’t come up with a definite answer so I checked around the league. In general, it depends on the player. Some players, those who haven’t made a name for themselves and are on special teams, say they have a “feel” because if their names have disappeared from those units, they won’t play. If the names are on it, they will play. In some cases, they aren’t even told. I’ve talked to two players who said they were told by their position coaches whether they were going to be healthy scratches for the upcoming game. With players who have been around for a while or earned Pro Bowl honors, they probably get told by coordinators as well, maybe even the head coach. I would assume they have earned that respect for all those years of service. In some cases, I would assume those situations can become somewhat heated but it’s no different for the rest of us in our daily lives. The news isn’t always good. In looking at the starters on the offensive line, what do you think is the line’s greatest strengths? — Josh This group run blocks well, which is one of the reasons why Derrick Henry has fit in so well. The Ravens work inside and outside blocking zones as well as combination blocks, and last week offensive coordinator Todd Monken did a great job of working angle blocks against Houston’s front four. As long as the Ravens run the ball well, they can succeed because everything is predicated off the running game, including the play-action passing game and the run-pass options. When this group struggles, so does the offense, because pass blocking isn’t its forte. Quarterback Lamar Jackson has done a great job of being able to improvise and extend plays. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article