The Baltimore Ravens are currently enjoying the fruits of their regular season labor as they are the AFC’s No. 1 seed and, as such, have a first-round bye.
With the NFL season a long and arduous grind, getting the chance to freshen up before the playoffs begin is a big advantage.
But what has benefitted the Ravens the most as they sit idly by as the other AFC teams beat the snot out of each other?
“I think it was good, just from the mental standpoint, also certainly the recovery standpoint,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “I mean, it’s late season of a long season, we had a lot of very physical games down the stretch, and they were all every one of our games was a meaningful game for us and for our opponent until the last one.
“Most of our guys played so I think the mental rest was valuable, you work hard to get that bye, I don’t think anybody’s ever requested not to have the bye when they earned it, so it’s definitely a positive. I think our guys looked at it that way and we had a really good week of practice so we did we need to do.”
Baltimore, who finished the regular season with a league-best 13-4 record, have an extra week of rest…oh and the calvary in the form of All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews potentially returning for the Divisional Round too.
Lamar Jackson and the offense have done just fine without Andrews, as second-year tight end Isaiah Likely has stepped up in his absence. Having both on the field in the postseason is a tantalizing prospect for offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
But for now, the Ravens are going about their business. They’re getting mentally and physically prepared for their Super Bowl assault, as they reap the rewards of their stellar regular season.
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