The Ravens are back-to-back AFC North champions.
The Baltimore Ravens got the job done against the Cleveland Browns. That is about all that can be said about Saturday’s win, despite the 35-10 result.
The end of game stat totals were solid enough but there were clear warning signs for the playoffs.
The offense was out of sync all game, even before Zay Flowers injured his knee.
Lamar Jackson completed only 50% of his passes.
More concerning – despite a few late, long runs – was that Derrick Henry was largely kept in check, putting the Ravens off schedule regularly.
On top of that, the bad old indiscipline was back, with 10 penalties for 83 yards.
These were the major red flags in a poor performance to ‘earn’ an ugly, though crucial, win.
What caused the sloppiness?
It could have been nerves trying to claim the division crown, which is understandable but concerning.
The Ravens have several notable playoff no shows in the Lamar Jackson era.
If they were struggling in an effective playoff game, the only hope is that this was a wake-up call.
The Ravens have been near perfect over the last three games, if not as balanced as 2023.
The caveat is that Baltimore has a habit of playing down to the weaker teams in the league under John Harbaugh.
We have seen that already this season against the Cleveland Browns, as well as the Las Vegas Raiders.
There is a big difference between the two.
For Ravens fans, the hope is that, either this is the warning signs are addressed, or they are ready to play up to the best teams in the AFC.
