Ravens Might Pull Off a Super Bowl

Will this finally be the year the Baltimore Ravens get over the playoff hump?

Jan 11, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) celebrates with wide receiver Nelson Agholor (15) and quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third quarter in an AFC wild card game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens crushed the arch rival Pittsburgh Steelers in a dominant 28-14 Wild Card Round victory on Saturday night, but this is far from the ultimate goal.

No, that would be the Super Bowl that has eluded them for so long now. The Ravens have been a fantastic regular-season team for years now, but the playoffs have sadly been a different story, as the media never ceases to mention.

So, after this performance, can the Ravens finally go all the way? Well, it depends on which version of them shows up from here on out.

If the version of the Ravens that dominated the first half of this game shows up going forward, then there's no reasy why they can't hoist the Lombardi Trophy a month from now. Baltimore was in complete control of this game through the first 30 minutes, out-gaining Pittsburgh 308-59 and holding the ball for over 20 minutes. For a truly mind-blowing stat, the Ravens had 19 first downs in the first half while the Steelers had 18 total plays.

This is one of the football definitions of domination:

The Ravens had more first downs in the first half (19) than the Steelers had total plays (18), per @ESPNStatsInfo.

— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) January 12, 2025

On the other hand, their performance in the second half was much shakier. Right away, they allowed the Steelers to go 98 yards on just nine plays, with a 30-yard touchdown by Van Jefferson serving as the capper. Then after a scoring drive on their own, they allowed the Steelers to march down the field again, with George Pickens scoring a 36-yard to cap off the drive.

The defense has been much, much better in the second half of the season, but for a stretch in the third quarter, it looked more like the unit that allowed long passes at will early on. Thankfully, the Ravens cleaned up their game from there, but they cannot allow that Achilles Heel to show itself once again.

For the most part, though, this performance was very encouraging for Baltimore's title hopes. If the Ravens can stay at the top of their game, then they'll be a very tough out for any opponent.

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