John Harbaugh Deflects Concern over Ravens Being 'Rusty' In Playoffs

The Baltimore Ravens may not have a playoff game this week, but the age-old debate between rest vs. rust is one taking place in Maryland right now. For the head coach, rust isn't something to be concerned about.

History has a way of repeating itself when it comes to NFL lore. 

Probably the biggest debate that crops up every year, regardless of the team is the "rest vs. rust" argument for top-seeded teams entering the playoffs. 

For the Baltimore Ravens, that debate is the central point to their preparation this week as they prepare for the divisional round of the 2024 NFL Playoffs. They were the best team in the regular season based on wins and eye factor, and now just need to do exactly what they did in those 17 games, for the final three on their potential schedule. 

Of course, the Ravens have dealt with this debate before.

In 2019, Baltimore earned the league's top seed behind MVP-winner Lamar Jackson but were bounced out of the playoffs in their first game to the Tennessee Titans. 

As haunting a loss as that game four years ago can be, it's not the main focus for the Ravens and their coaching staff leading up to next week. 

"It’s not really about that," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "We’re going to have a great week of practice and try to get better in every single area and get sharper. One of the things we talked about was, ‘Be your own biggest critic.' So, advocate for yourself by being critical of yourself, and try to do the best you can to become as good as you can or better this week in terms of making improvements, and then we’ll be ready and prepared for what’s ahead of us.”

With a roster full of veteran savvy and youthful enthusiasm, the Ravens are as hard an out as any in the playoffs this year. 

The only thing that could stand in their way inevitably, is themselves. Luckily., with a top coach in Harbaugh leading the charge, and the MVP front-runner in Jackson learning from his mistakes of the past, this year's Baltimore unit might be more prepared than they ever have been. 

"The mentality is to do our best [and] to have our best practice today, so we can be best prepared for when the time comes when our best is going to be required which is a week from this weekend," Harbaugh explained. "Stack up some good days and be the best football team we can be coming out of these four practices going into the preparation that we can.’”