Ravens Plan to Capitalize on Second Chance at Playoffs

After doing their part by beating the Green Bay Packers and getting a belated Christmas miracle from the Cleveland Browns, who upset the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17, the Baltimore Ravens are heading into the 2025 regular season finale with a new lease on life and their playoff destiny back in their hands.

Coming into the season, they were widely viewed as heavy favorites to reach the Super Bowl with one of the most stacked rosters in the league. However, injuries and inconsistency in performance and execution on both sides of the ball caused them to start off 1-5 through their gauntlet of a schedule out the gate.

They responded with a five-game winning streak to briefly take the lead of the AFC North, only to squander it by losing three of their next four. Now they have a chance to punch their ticket in what is essentially already a playoff game, and don't plan on letting this opportunity go to waste.

"It got bleak there a little bit, a few times throughout the year," safety Kyle Hamilton said. "We've got to make it all for a reason. We've worked too hard to put ourselves in this position. God's been on our side to give us another shot. Not a lot of 8-8 teams can say they still have a chance in Week 18. We've got to make the most of it."

Despite not knowing if they'd be playing in their last meaningful game heading into last week's matchup, the Ravens played freely and put together one of their best games of the season. On offense, Derrick Henry had a historically prolific performance as the focal point. On special teams, they were physically engaged in their kickoff coverage and were perfect when it came to kicking and punting. Defensively, they gave up a lot of plays but still managed to come up with timely stops and turnovers to give them an edge.

"The vibes, the energy after that Green Bay game – not even knowing if we were going to even have a chance – to me, that was encouraging," cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. "I think the guys came out with the energy we played with in that must-win game, not knowing [what the future holds]. It said a lot to me about the leadership of the team, the leadership of the coaches. And hopefully that energy, that same demeanor, that will to win throughout the week will lead into a victory on Sunday."

Ravens plan to continue being road warriors