The Ravens LoungeRavens' Updated Playoff Outlook; Terrell Suggs & Marshal Yanda Hall of Fame Credentials
Welcome into the Lounge presented by DraftKings. I'm Ryan mink here with Garrett Downing, fresh off basically a bye weekend for the Ravens, the long weekend without a game following the Ravens Christmas win over the Houston Texans, and the landscape has changed a little bit in terms of what the playoff picture looks like for the Ravens. So we're gonna break all that down and hit some other news from the weekend, and Garrett, the Ravens are in a great position. They beat the Browns in the regular season finale. They are the AFC North champions, hosting a wild card playoff game here at M and T Banks Stadium. That is obviously the goal. Who they will play who or who they would play in the first round of the playoffs in that scenario is looking most likely like the Los Angeles Chargers. So the Ravens will beat the three seed. That means they play the sixth seed. Right now, the Chargers are in position for the sixth seed right now. The Houston Texans are the four seed as the AFC South champions, they are most likely going to play the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens as we said, if they beat the Browns or AFC Nord Champions. If they don't beat the Browns, the Ravens would need the Steelers to lose the Bengals and then they would still be the AFC North Champions. If the Ravens lose the Browns the Steelers beat the Bengals, the Ravens would then fall to the fourth seed, five seed I'm sorry, five seed, yes, five seed, and then have a road matchup in Houston to start the playoffs. So that's the picture as it stands right now.
Yeah, if the Ravens are AFC North champons, are paying the Chargers or the Steelers, those three teams that the Ravens could play in the first time to the playoffs, it's the Chargers, are the Steelers here at MT BAK Stadium, or they could end up on the road facing the Houston Texas And from a scheduling standpoint, we know now that the Ravens are going to be playing.
They're the first game of the weekend.
They're playing Saturday afternoon, four thirty pm here at M and T BAK Stadium against the Cleveland Browns. It's an AFC North weekend on Saturday, AFC North Saturday.
Yep, edif har.
Knocks it, Yeah, NFL went all in on the hard knocks story here. So it's Ravens Browns four thirty in the afternoon Saturday. Then after that it's Steelers Bengals. Bengals still very much alive in the Wildcard race.
Very much might be an exaggeration, but they're alive.
They are alive, and they need in order to stay alive, they need to beat the Steelers on Saturday.
So they have a lot to play for. They need to beat the Steelers and then they would need the Dolphins to lose to the Jets possible.
Well, then than the other piece that they need. The biggest piece of that they would need is they need the Broncos to.
The Broncos exactly.
So there's still a number of pieces that have to happen in order for them to end up making it. But in terms of Saturday Night, they of course won't know the results of those games exactly. Those those games are being played on Sunday, and so for the Bengals, they need to play Saturday Night with a win and get in mentality, even though you have to wait and see what ends up happening.
And obviously the Ravens they just want to take care of business and get it done. At four thirty. Beat the Browns, your ASC Nord champs, so you get the hats, you get the T shirts in the locker room, it's hats and T shirts game for them, and that's what you want. But if they were to not beat the Browns, now all eyes go to that eight o'clock game with the Bengals having a lot to play for and all Ravens fans turned into Bengals fans to beat the Steelers.
Yeah, it's an interesting time of the year because you end up rooting for these teams, Ravens fans on Christmas Day, you're rooting for the Chiefs. You're like, wait, this is a weird feeling. It's strange. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to do this. And it would be the same if the Ravens weren't to beat the Browns on Sunday or Saturday. But certainly the Ravens are big favorites in that game and they I think the Ravens are going into this with the mindset it's pretty simple, just winning when and you're the AFC North champs. You don't need to overthink it too much. Here you're playing a team that beats you earlier in the season. So if you needed any reminder, then anything can happen in an NFL game day. Well, don't look too far, because the Browns beat the Ravens earlier this season, So the Ravens are certainly well aware of that, and this would be they would be back to back AFC North champs, and that means something like that's significant. The Ravens talk at the beginning of each year that the first goal is to win the division. That's first and foremost. You take care of business in vision. You win the division, you get a home playoff game. There's a lot that comes with winning that division. So it's significant, and the Ravens are are certainly motivated to get that done this weekend.
Well, and plus, I think it's a momentum thing, right. The Ravens have won three straight games, three games in eleven days, and they're on, they're hot, they're rolling, and you certainly don't want to disrupt that. Even though the Ravens are in the playoffs regardless, you certainly don't want to disrupt the momentum with taking a regular season finale loss to the Browns to a rival of yours who's struggling right now, that would not be a good That wouldn't be good vibes to go into the playoffs on that. Plus, then you're now playing on the road in the playoffs. Now, it's right most likely right now you have to you have.
To like phrase everything like there's probably most things of how things are going to play out exactly.
Yeah. Now the interesting debate is what's the best matchup for the Ravens in the first round of the playoffs. As you said, their most likely opponent is the Chart. They could also face the Steelers or the Texans. Of those three possibilities, who's the best matchup for the Ravens.
I don't know.
I think that you're you're playing tough teams in the playoffs no matter what. I don't know that there's obviously the Ravens just took care of business in a big way against against the Texans. But but I'm not I'm not on the bandwagon of saying don't win the AFC North so that you can face the team that you just beat.
Like I think when in the AFC North matters well man.
The Ravens also beat the Chargers, and they just recently beating the Steelers.
Steelers, right, so they've beaten all three of those teams this year.
Now, of course they did lose to the Steelers at in Pittsburgh earlier this year, so I think that no matter, I don't know that there's one matchup that's like, this is the one that you want. I don't know that the Ravens are really thinking about it that way. I think an interesting question is more in the Steelers camp. So let's just say the Ravens win on Saturday, they beat the Browns. The Steelers now have no shot to win the AFC North. They are only playing for seeding at that point, the five seed or the six seed for the Steelers. If they were to win, then they would get the five seed and then they're going on the road to Houston. They lose, then they're most likely coming here and unless the Chargers were to also lose on right, so they play the Raiders, and the Chargers play the Raiders. So the Steelers are basically then in a position where the AFC North. Again, this is if the Ravens take care of business at four point thirty on Saturday. The Steelers then are not playing for the division. They're only playing.
They're playing to face the Texans, who are lose on a losing skid right now. Basically, they would I would bet in Pittsburgh they would probably rather play the Texans than the Ravens, right come here.
It's just an interesting from a I guess a psyche standpoint. If you if you find out right before you're about to take the field that division is gone, does that affect things at all? Is that tough, especially going up against the Bengals team that's fighting for their playoff lives.
I don't know.
I don't know how the Steelers are going to handle it, and the Ravens, to be honest, I don't think are particularly concerned with how the Steelers are going to handle things because they just want to take care of their own business. But I think that's an interesting element of this AFC North extravaganza here on Saturday.
Yeah, I mean, right now, you look at the Chargers and they're a tough team. They're hot. I mean, they just hung forty points on New England. The Ravens obviously, you know, beat him earlier this season, but that was a pretty tight game. That was a thirty twenty three game, and that the Ravens went forward on some forced out the fourth downs. They are very aggressive out in LA and it paid off. But the Chargers got on the board first, marched right down the field. They had their run game going with JK. Dobbins. Now JK Dobbins is back after suffering a knee injury in that Ravens game where he left early.
When he left earlier, that kind of changed their offense.
Certainly did, so he's back. Chargers, you know, beat the Broncos thirty four to twenty seven in a shootout. Now they just put up forty on the Patriots, so that offense is rolling a little bit. Not an easy matchup. Plus we get Harball horrible four right, and everybody knows how tough you know, Jim Harball is and his teams, and so that is is not an easy matchup for the Ravens in it by any stretch. But like you said earlier, I think it bears saying, hey, you gotta win tough games in the playoffs, like you just you don't get any cupcakes in the playoffs. And so if if you can't beat the Chargers, at home in the wildcard round of the playoffs. Then you weren't a super Bowl team. Then you just weren't, you know. And so I don't think the Ravens like run scared by any means. And they're like, you know, we'd rather face the Texans, who we just beat thirty one to two. You know, like there's no part of that. It's win the North. You get who you get, and you go out and you try to beat them, right.
And it's gonna be a good team, exact thing. It's like, it's fun to talk about who would you rather face? And honestly, I can talk myself into really any of the matchups, right, like you.
Can talk I think, whoever the Ravens play in the first round, I think they should beat them, Like I think I think the Ravens are that good. I think they are super Bowl caliber team.
Absolutely yeah, And I think that, like you just can talk yourself into all these different matchups and this is a more favorable matchup and these different things. The Steelers, if you face them, that you're looking at a situation where they will have lost four straight games coming into the playoffs. If the Ravens end up playing them in the first round, which is not obviously where they want to be, but so.
They will have backed in.
But then there's the rivalry element, so you can be like, I don't know if I want another.
Piece of that.
So let's like you can talk yourself in or out of any of these matchups. And I think that the truth is it's going to be a tough game in that first round of the playoffs. That's what happens when you get to the postseason. There's no cupcakes, there's no homecoming games. It's all difficult opponents. And the Ravens are I think they're going to be whoever the Ravens face. I don't think opposing fans and the opposing team are going to be saying, man, we're glad we have to go to Baltimore in the first round of the playoffs, Like that's not going to be the case. So when you think about it from the inverse' that's the mentality that they're going to have too.
Yeah, I think a little bit of an interesting conversation to have. All so is who do you want? Who do you want in that seventh seed spot in the AFC. I kind of wouldn't hate seeing the Bengals get in there instead of the Broncos. I mean, the Bengals are hot right now. They're on a winning streak. Their offense has been lights out. You know, Joe Burrow is playing at a very high level. Toe Higgins just scored three touchdowns. Like the I bet you in Buffalo, the Bills are going to be the two seed. I bet you they would not like to see the Bengals be their first round opponent because then if the Bengals are I think they could potentially beat the Bills if they took out the Bills. Now, the Ravens at the three seed, have a chance of hosting two playoff games, right so, like I think probably out of the Broncos, the Bengals, and the Dolphins, who are the three teams still contending for that last playoff spot in the AFC, the Bengals are probably the best team right now of those three. So I don't hate that scenario because right now you look you look ahead to the Visional playoffs for the Ravens, the most likely opponent would be if it's Chalk, Yeah, then the Ravens would be going to Buffalo. Yeah. I'd rather the Ravens be hosting a second game.
Yeah, well, let's just put the cart full in front of the horse.
Yeah, and so let's go.
Then you could go.
You could be a situation where it's say it's the Begels beat they beat the Bills, then they go to Kansas City in the second round they beat the Chiefs.
Yes, and we're hosting a home AFC champions let's go.
Yes, Yes, So there's that AGAINFC Crown runs through Baltimore. Maybe you heard it here first.
So if you want to just completely put the cart in front of the horse there. But we'll just going back real quick to this weekend. It's interesting. If the Ravens take care of business and they win four thirty, and then the Steelers win, then you're looking at Ravens Chargers in the first round of the playoffs here in Baltimore.
And you'll know that Saturday night.
I mean, these coaches will probably be heading back right up to the facility right after that game to begin preparing for whoever it is they may know that Saturday night up.
And just a quick look at the Browns. The Browns have the past three games, you know, they've scored let's see, nine sixteen points. The last three games. Dorian Thompson Robinson has been the starting quarterback the past two weeks, but now they're not committing to him being the starting quarterback against the Ravens, So we'll see. Jamis Winston's dealing with shoulder injury, so it's Bailey Zappy might be the quarterback.
Or Jamis Winston if he's healthy enough.
If he's healthy enough, or dtr he could start again.
So and of course Ravens saw Jamis Winston earlier this year and he lit.
Up, had a very good get. The Ravens dropped multiple interceptions and should have won that game. But but yeah, he played pretty darn well outside of the inter possible interceptions. But it'll be a fun game, hopefully ending with caps on our heads. Yes, at the end of Saturday night, let's take a quick break and then we'll come back and talk about some other news from this past weekend.
You're listening to the Lounge podcast. We are coming to you from the Sea Geeks. We also want to mention our partners a Draft Kings sportsbook. They are an official sports betting partner of the Baltimore Ravens Draft King sportsbook. The Crown is Yours Also, Tito's Handmade Vodka is America's original craft vodka, distilled on the same land where it all started in Austin, Texas. Tito's is made from corn and naturally gluten free. Visit us at Titosvodka dot com. So another news of the weekend, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the fifteen finalists for the twenty twenty five class of enshrinement and the Ravens have two homegrown Ravens in the mix. It's Marshall Yonda and Terrell Suggs. For both those guys, it's their first year of eligibility and they have the chance now to be first ballot Hall of Famers. I think both of them are certainly deserving. Let me just run through the class year of the fifteen finalists, It's cornerback Eric Allen, defensive ed Jared Allen, offensive tackle Willie Anderson also played one year here in Baltimore. Guard jarr Evans, tight end Antonio Gates, wide receiver Tory Holt, linebacker Luke Keithley, quarterback Eli Manning. Wide receiver Steve Smith, of course, played at the end of his career here in Baltimore. It's Trell Suggs, running back, Fred Taylor, kicker, Adam Vitte, Terry wide receiver, Reggie Wayne, safety Darren Woodson, and then Yanda is a fifteenth. So that's the list right there. I think that Look, when you're talking about the Hall of Fame, it's it's not easy, but I think that both those guys have a realistic shot to be first ballot Hall of Famers. I think that Suggs probably has the slight edge in terms of definitely being a first ballot Hall of Fame. I don't think it's as I don't think it's clearcut, but I think that Suggs as a top ten SAT guy, two times Superowl winner, eighth all time and sacks eighth all time in sacks, he was Defensive Player of the Year, he has the numbers.
It's a little bit easier rookie.
Yeah, there's numbers associated with him from a sax standpoint, and then the honors.
Yanda has the honors and the t and but it's just.
A little tougher as an offensive guard to stand out in the same way I think as a star defensive player like Terrell Suggs. I think both of them have a deserving case I just think the Suggs may have a little bit more of an edge to be the first ballot guy, and I think he I think Suggs should be.
I really do. I think sug should be a.
First just talking about like win, I think both guys will be Hall of Famers. I think it's more a question of when. And I think for Terrell Suggs, you look at okay, Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, first ballot Hall of Famer. He finished with a half sack more Thanterrell Suggs did. He did not win a Super Bowl. He went to one fewer Pro Bowl Right, So okay, like Tellrell.
You ever defensive? Was he ever the AP Defensive Player of the Year.
No, So Dwight Freeney, though, had to wait. Jared Allen had to wait.
Now, Jared Allen isn't even in yet, so.
Right, yeah, he's been. He's been a Hall of Fame finalist four years straight. Right, so he's not even still in. Uh, you have other guys that are kind of similar numbers. Now, charl Suggs has more sex than Dwight Freeney, right, so better numbers than Jared Allen. So I think that he has a pretty decent chance of making it in.
Hey, you also add in the fact of I.
Mean, who else from that class is going in? Look you look at the name of the guys who are finalists. Who do you who do you circle on here? That's like, absolutely they're getting in this year, right.
It's really hard, And I think the Hall of Fame voters have, of course disappreciation and understanding of history and and rankings there. I think that I'm looking at I think Eli Manning is going to go in as a two time Super Bowl winner quarterback.
But I think I.
Think that one's been debated for a long It has.
Been debated for a very long time. I think that he's going in though. That's that's my guess.
Okay, Vinitaria would be an interesting.
Minitary is an interesting one. Antonio Gates he's another interesting one to me.
Certainly has the numbers.
Like the other thing is a wide receiver. There's been kind of a log jam there. And you look at Tory Halt, Steve Smith, and Reggie Wayne, all three very deserving candidates there. They all have some monster numbers, they've all been they were all great players. I don't think all three are getting in. I think one of them is getting in a.
Time seeing Luke Keikley going in considering just his career was cut short. I mean, dominant player when he was there, but first ballot, I don't know. He was a great player. He was a very good player.
That's the thing that you you start parsing through it in the debate of who should get in who shouldn't. Luke Keithley was an awesome linebacker for throughout his career. I think he's a I think he's probably going to get in. That's my guest as a first ballot Hall of Famer. I know he doesn't have a longevity as some of the other players. That's the thing with sucks to me. He has the stats, and he has longevity, and he has the rings, and he has he played on great defenses.
Like these guys get scores basically they they combine all these like there is an number that's associated to these guys when you're looking at their case. We don't have that number, but there is a number that's associated for voters. And he I would venture to guess that he has a very high score. Yeah, a lot, got a lot on his resumes. Yeah, And I think that Marshallana has a high score too. And you know, although I think that he will probably have to wait. And I talked to Marshall about this, and you know, he's like, hey, man, I am so honored, and like he's like, however, far I get. That's awesome And and even just making it to the finalist round is a good indicator that, yes, at some point Yan's going to be in, even if he's not a first ballot Hall of Famer, right, and hey, I'm saying he's put him in the first ballot. But typically guards have had to wait. You know, There's Hutchinson had to wait, Mike Munchak had to wait. Will she Shields went to twelve Pro Bowls, went in on his fourth try, right, And so Jarry Evans is another guard who's a finalist. He might be the next guy to get in. You know, he's kind of waited his turn. I would imagine that he would probably you know, he has a similar resume inanda one Super Bowl win for first team All Pro, six per Bowls, he was on the twenty tens All Decade Team, like similar resume, and he's been waiting. I would imagine that he probably is the next one before Yanda. Yeah, And when I spoke to Marshall, he was just like, look, you look back at my story and it's you know, it's incredible. Not batting himself on the back, but it is like he's like thankful to be like where he is. I mean, this guy who was a walk on at Iowa, was not like a starter there immediately, was not a dominant third round pick right like, was not the guy and really worked his way up to become a dominant player in this league and now will someday I think be wearing a gold jacket.
Just to run through the process and how it works. Up to five players. It's not a guarantee that it's five, but it's generally speaking been five players get in from modern era of votes. So there's five players that you expect to get in from that class of fifteen, and there's five players who are on their first ballot. Those five first ballot players are Luke Kei, Clee Eli Manning, Steve Smith, Suggs, Minitarian YadA. Sorry, there's six. There's six players who are on their first time of eligibility. Then I mentioned the wide receiver logjam, and you've seen players wait at that spot, there's these three receivers again, Tory Halt, Steve Smith, Reggie Wayne. Tory Halt and Reggie Wayne are both in their sixth year of eligibility. They've been finalists now six times, and so their clock is ticketing there for both those guys to get in, which Steve Smith has a really strong case, and I think Steve is also going to be there. But when you have Tory Halt and Reggie Wayne sitting there in their sixth year as a final it would be a little bit surprising if the if Steve came in in his first year and made it over them.
Right now, Reggie Wayne tenth all time in receiving yards, Te Smith eighth, but that's not a huge margin there. REGGI Wayne obviously with the you know Super Bowl win and all that stuff. That's that is a very interesting I think Tory Holts a little further down the list seventeenth all time in receiving yards. Again, you know, he has the postseason accletes. So I would venture to guess that Reggie Wayne will be the next wide receiver in.
And it's also tough when you look at it and you have players who are in there later like the players like who are in their fifteen, sixteen, seventeenth year of eligibility. Eric Eric Allen is in his nineteenth years of eligibility, Darren Woolson is in his seventeenth year, Willy Anderson is in his twelfth. That's where it gets really difficult to compare an offensive tackle like Willy Anderson in his in his twelfth year of eligibility versus Yanna and first and I don't know, you kind of hope you kind of hope that it's a player's just taken base on the merit of their performance over the course of their career, not necessarily how long they had to wait and what year of eligibility they're in. But I think that that probably is an element that seeps into the conversation probably.
I mean, I don't know, I don't know this for I mean, I would imagine that not everybody that is a finalist ever always gets in.
Oh no, yeah, sometimes you just don't get in right exactly.
So like Yanna could certainly get in front of those guys because those guys just aren't going to get in.
Yeah, that's that's gonna be the case too.
Yeah, I think it would be all I mean, look, it'd be awesome if both those guys made it in their first year.
The posibility plus the Ravens in New Orleans, let's go. How about that?
It gets it gets announced at NFL Honors, which is the Thursday going into the Super Bowl of course, Super Bowls and New Orleans.
Jonathan Ogden went into the Hall of Fame same year as announced when the Ravens won the last Super Bowl in New Orleans. Where was that? Yeah, so, oh my god, all lining off.
Yeah it is, So that's we'll see where that stands or see how that plays out. And again, I think both those guys, like Yonda, he was a great player here was the leader of that historic offensive line in twenty nineteen.
Which I think they the historic running game, the.
Best running game in NFL history, And I think that that obviously accounts for something. And he was a clear catalyst of that offensive line. So I think that he's got a strong case and figure scross for both those players for sure.
Well, thank you for listening. As always, you can reach us at the lounge at Ravens dot NFL dot net. We're going to get a player guest this week as the Ravens prepared to take on the Browns and then break down that game for you, so we will talk to you later this week.
