For five straight years, the Ravens have made it to the playoffs. In each of those years, they won at least one postseason game.
Last year, the Ravens won four postseason games. Now, they’re in the hunt for a sixth straight playoff berth.
And yet the Ravens aren’t widely viewed as a serious threat to get back to the Super Bowl and win it.
“We always kind of joke about it we don’t feel like we get the respect that we deserve, you know we did win the Super Bowl last year and we felt like the 49ers were talked about more than we were all season,” tight end Dennis Pitta told PFT Live on Friday. “You know, that’s just kind of who we are and that’s what we embrace, and we feel like no one really gives us the credit or the respect that we deserve but that’s why we play with a chip on our shoulder.”
The best way to get respect could be to command it with another run deep into January -- and maybe into February.
“A lot of people doubted us last year,” Pitta said, “and I think we were sitting at this point last year and had a three-game losing streak and nobody really gave us any chance to do anything in the postseason and so, we kind of faced that same scenario this year and nobody’s really given us a chance. You know, we’ll certainly have to take a similar path as we did last year and go on the road for a lot of playoff games but something we know a little bit about, and a challenge that we’re all ready to face.”
Pitta is right. Last year in Week 15, the Ravens lost their third straight game, sliding to 9-5 after a 9-2 start. Baltimore earned a playoff berth that same night after the Steelers lost, but then the Ravens found their way and carried it all the way to the postseason.
These Ravens have won three in a row and four of five, pushing their record to 7-6 but still a week or two away from nailing anything down. If they get back to the playoffs, they could once again give the rest of the field a hard time in January -- and that chip on their shoulders won’t hurt the cause.