This season the funeral business is good. Especially in Baltimore, that is. Narratives for both the Ravens and Lamar Jackson are being funeralized weekly. Saturday was probably the biggest homegoing for said hot takes thus far. The Ravens and company have been able to bury:

• Rust vs Rest
• Being jinxed by an abysmal 0-2 home playoff record in recent years
• Lamar being untrustworthy because of a 1-3 playoff record
• Keep Lamar in the pocket to slow him down
• Blitz Lamar to force errant throws and turnovers
• Lamar is not a leader

The Ravens dispelled any doubts about their ability to win at home in the postseason under Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson at the helm. The 2019 season was an unfortunate moment in the franchise’s history, but it would not be the first time the team has learned from their failures.

Similar circumstances existed when the Ravens lost in heartbreaking fashion to the New England Patriots in 2012 only to rebound to a Super Bowl Championship the following season in Super Bowl XLVII.

The Ravens took the 2024 AFC Divisional contest to serve as notice that they are battle-tested. Although admittedly rusty, they can respond to a challenge in game and return to the dominant form expected since the last 3 weeks of the season.

The 34-10 score showed the rest of the NFL that a gear can be flipped and the team could unleash along with a flock of 70,000 birds of a feather an arsenal of brute force, precision, calculated confusion, and ear-shattering decibels.

After the game, some questioned if this was the loudest the “Bank” had ever been. As evidenced by the 5 false start penalties, this may indeed be the case.

Cold weather has a way of bringing out the most hardened and routy fans. Saturday night with winds gusting as fast as 30 mph and temps in the single digits this was definitely in play. This resulted in a brutal cocktail of despair and woe as the Texans resorted to trickery to advance the 1st down marker.

Midway through the 3rd quarter, everyone in attendance could sense the despair as the Texan’s punter became the most active player in blue and red.

What Does This Mean Now?

The Ravens will now sit back in their favorite recliner on Sunday evening to watch their next two potential foes square off with one another in the second AFC Divisional contest between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, both bringing their 11-6 records to the contest.

They can rest better knowing that any rust that was lingering on their sideline was shaken off by the 3rd quarter after a fiery Jackson speech. Now the challenge is to elevate their play even higher as they prepare for the Championship round. Their opponents may not give them a half to figure it out.

Comments and back and forth are welcomed at @MeiJiei and @welikesportzpc

David J. Mitchell

*Photo courtesy of Kenneth Cawthorne

Article linked:

Ravens thank the crowd for 5 Texans false starts
Giana Han @giana_jade

#flocknation #RavensFlock #ravensnation #Texans

***Have you tried Dubby?? Are you looking for a Pre-Workout??
Use our promo code : WeLikeSportz for 10% off!****

***Are you interested in sports betting? If so make sure to use our promo code below where you can get your deposit matched (up to $1000), use promo code Sportz***