Ravens In The Playoffs ... Where's The Buzz?

The Ravens have gone to the playoffs in four of the last five seasons. It's Baltimore's 10th playoff appearance during John Harbaugh's 15 years as coach.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The City of Baltimore is usually hyped about the Ravens making the playoffs. 

This year, there doesn't appear to be any buzz.

Perhaps fans are discouraged by the absence of Lamar Jackson, who has not played for over a month because of a knee injury.

Maybe after last week's 27-16 loss to Cincinnati, many Ravens fans are not giving them much of a chance in the rematch.

The Ravens are 9.5-point underdogs as of midweek.

"They’re a very good team, very good defense, very good offense, so we’re going to have our hands full, [and] we’re going to be ready for that," tight end Mark Andrews said. "I just know that this team is going to be excited to go. I said this before, early in this interview, it’s an incredible opportunity for this team, so I’m excited about that.”

There has been speculation among the fan base that @Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has not played or practiced because of his unsettled contract situation.
John Harbaugh scoffed at that idea. #RavensFlock https://t.co/TZ9Qur25Iu

— Todd Karpovich (@toddkarpovich) January 12, 2023

The Ravens, however, are capable of surprising people, and there is a chance they could pull off the upset this week.

The team has gone to the playoffs in four of the last five seasons. It's Baltimore's 10th playoff appearance during John Harbaugh's 15 years as head coach.

Some fans have come to expect they will make the postseason

Over that span, however, the Ravens have managed to just win in the playoffs  — a 20-13 victory over Tennessee in the Wild-Card round in the 2020-21 season.

There are other teams, such as the Jets (2011), Broncos (2016), and Lions (2017), that have not been to the playoffs in years. Those teams would gladly trade spots with the Ravens.

There has been a shadow over the past season with the uncertainty about Jackson's future with the team. That scenario has been discouraging to some fans. 

The Ravens likely don't have the talent and depth to make a Super Bowl run this season. They entered the playoffs as the No. 6 seed it would take a remarkable run through the likes of Buffalo, Kansas City and Cincnnati to win an AFC championship.

While the Ravens are underdogs, fans should not take their success for granted. 

It could be a lot worse.