Ravens TE Reveals Key to Playoff Success

Over the past several years, the Baltimore Ravens have been one of the NFL's most dominant teams in the regular season, but the postseason has been a different story.

In fact, the Ravens have often looked like a completely different in the postseason. While they tend to play fast and aggressive and dictate the game during the regular season, they've often strayed away from that identity in their playoff defeats. The most egregious example is probably the 2023 AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, when they gave their running backs a combined eight carries despite having the league's best rushing offense.

With this year being potentially the Ravens' greatest chance yet at a Super Bowl, tight end Isaiah Likely wants to see the team play true to its identity come playoff time.

"I feel like everybody, when you restart your season and want to get into the postseason, it is really just going back to the principles that got you there," Likely told Fox News Digital's Scott Thompson. "That’s taking every game one step at a time, and remembering why you’re there, who you are in those moments."

"I feel like we get a little jittery because we want it so bad. Everybody wants to win the Super Bowl so bad. … Really just make a standpoint of they’re going to have to play us on our terms, and that’s what I feel like is going to be the big mantra right here. Never get away from our game plan. Never get away from our standpoint."

The Ravens are more than capable of taking over games against elite opponents, because they do it all the time in the regular season. Just look at last year's games against the Buffalo Bills, when they dominated 35-10 in Week 4 but lost 27-25 in the Divisional Round after making several uncharacteristic mistakes. Granted, they were playing in freezing Buffalo instead of a rocking crowd at M&T Bank Stadium, but the point stands.

Clearly, the Ravens' problems in the playoffs are more mental than anything. If they're going to get over the hump, it all starts with getting the mental game correct.

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