The title “Which 2025 NFL Playoff Contender Is a Fraud?” could not be more timely. The Baltimore Ravens have put the league on alert. No team has fallen harder from preseason expectations, and their current struggles expose the gap between buzz and reality.
Baltimore Ravens: NFL Playoff Hope or Mirage?
The Baltimore Ravens have become one of the NFL’s most significant disappointments. Once projected as a strong playoff contender, they now stand at 1–5, marking the worst start for any franchise coming off four consecutive postseason appearances. The central critique centers on their inability to convert talent into wins, most glaringly in critical moments. An NFL executive, interviewed by The Athletic, captured the sense of frustration around Lamar Jackson’s difficulties in eliminating playoff doubts: “They won the whole thing with (Joe) Flacco… You give him a guy (Jackson) that can’t win the whole thing because he can’t pass accurately enough in the playoffs to have the four-game magical carpet ride that Flacco took them on, so they are a championship game contender and out, a divisional game contender and out.”
Since their Super Bowl run in 2012, Baltimore’s playoff stumbles have had a pattern. Jackson, a former MVP, consistently posts regular-season numbers that impress, but the pressure and defensive adjustments of playoff football magnify his hesitancy and flaws. In 2025, the issue was exacerbated by his two-game absence due to a hamstring injury, during which Baltimore managed just 13 points, their offense reverting to league-bottom efficiency. Even substantial defensive acquisitions, such as signing Carl Lawson, haven’t offset the offensive collapse.
Mid-season, some insiders still predicted a turnaround. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated theorized, “If they triumph over the Bears this week, they will face the Dolphins, Vikings, Browns, Jets before the Thanksgiving night game against the Bengals. With the players returning from injury (including Lamar Jackson), I don’t think it’s far-fetched to envision a 6–5 team with Cincinnati visiting in a little over a month.”
The label fraud may seem harsh, but it’s justified when considering the gulf between the Ravens’ talent and their scoreboard output. In a year where the AFC is packed with legitimate contenders, Baltimore’s inability to win critical battles marks them as the facade among playoff hopefuls.. The Baltimore Ravens are the leading candidate for fraudulent contender; the numbers, roster moves, and public statements support only one conclusion.
