Rock bottom has a way of showing you what you’re made of. The Baltimore Ravens are staring at a 1-5 record. Their two-time MVP is nursing a hamstring injury.
But head coach John Harbaugh isn’t waving the white flag. He’s banking everything on getting Lamar Jackson back and pulling off one of the rarest comebacks in NFL history.
John Harbaugh Bets on Lamar Jackson to Lead Historic Ravens Playoff Push
Harbaugh dropped a bold statement heading into the bye week. He believes the Ravens can still make the playoffs. The math is brutal.
Only 1% of teams starting 1-5 or worse have reached the postseason since 1933. That’s four teams total since the 1970 merger.
But Harbaugh isn’t backing down. He confirmed Jackson and linebacker Roquan Smith will return after the bye. The Ravens have 11 games left to flip the script.
They need Jackson to be healthy and playing like the MVP he’s been playing twice before.
The injury hit at the worst possible time. Jackson went down in Week 4 against Kansas City. A hamstring strain kept him out two straight games.
Baltimore got demolished 44-10 by Houston without him. Then they managed just three points against the Rams.
Those losses exposed the obvious. Without Jackson, this offense falls apart. Backup plans don’t cut when the team is built around a generational talent. The Ravens needed their franchise quarterback back yesterday.
Harbaugh’s confidence isn’t blind optimism. He’s leaning hard on Jackson’s ability to motivate everyone around him.
When Jackson plays, defenses have to account for every snap. His legs open up the run game. His arm keeps safeties honest. The entire offense flows through him.
The timeline looks promising. Jackson missed practice all last week. But the bye gives him extra recovery time.
Harbaugh expects him to be ready for Week 8 against Chicago. That’s when the real season begins.
Historic Comebacks Show Ravens Still Have Pulse Despite Brutal Start
History isn’t on Baltimore’s side. Only four teams since 1970 have made the playoffs after starting 1-5. That’s it. But three of those four pulled it off in the last two decades, which means the odds are awful but not hopeless.
The 1998 Buffalo Bills began 1-5 and finished 10-6 to snag a Wild Card spot. The 2015 Kansas City Chiefs did the same, winning 10 straight after their dreadful start. The 2018 Houston Texans started 0-3 and ended up division champs.
Then there was the 2020 Washington Football Team, which stumbled to a 1-5 record but somehow won the NFC East at 7-9. Sure, that division was a total mess, but a playoff berth is a playoff berth.
The Ravens face a more challenging road. The AFC North is loaded with Joe Burrow’s Bengals, a resilient Steelers squad, and a Cleveland team that refuses to quit. Baltimore either wins the division or claws for a Wild Card in one of football’s deepest conferences.
Lamar Jackson’s return changes everything. With him, the Ravens look like a top-five offense. Without him, they’re barely scraping by. Last season, Baltimore averaged 29 points per game when he played. Over the previous two games without him, they’ve managed just 13 total.
