Evan Habeeb- USA Today Sports
Looking at the latest Week 1 spread, Vegas has already opened the Baltimore Ravens as a 7.5 point underdog against the Denver Broncos. Last year in the playoffs, the Ravens were a 9.5 point underdog.
Small victories, I guess. But it does lead to an interesting question. After all of the success the Ravens have had since 2000, why does it seem like they always battle as the underdog every year?
Since 2000, the Ravens have 14 playoff wins, second most in the NFL. They also have two championships to their legacy over that time. Also, no team in the league has more road playoff wins over that time, with the Ravens obtaining nine. Currently, they are the only team in the league that has made the playoffs the last five years.
So what gives? What more does this team have to prove? Apparently, winning it all last season wasn’t good enough for most people.
It’s funny. No matter what changes the New England Patriots have made over the years, their head coach is always treated as a genius that can do no wrong. Tom Brady is a god that can do no wrong. But whenever they lose, it’s always what they did wrong and not the other team having an impact on the game.
The Ravens are very much in the class of the Patriots over the last 13 seasons. The Ravens are the only team in the AFC that the Patriots have a losing record against in the playoffs at 1-2.
Oh, and lets not forget about the Ravens being the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ little brother. So let’s get this straight. A team in the Ravens that has more playoff wins and more playoff appearances since 2000 are the Steelers’ little brother? That makes perfect sense.
All the Ravens can do is keep winning, and smile when they prove people wrong again.
