The Ravens season took a sudden left turn after high expectations after the season’s kickoff.

The Ravens entered the 2020-2021 NFL season as the favorite to win the AFC and the Super Bowl. Some even had predicted a perfect 16-0 record through the regular season and continuing that through the playoffs.
Led by MVP Lamar Jackson, the hype made sense. With a superstar at the helm with endless talent around him, a Super Bowl run seemed inevitable.
Beginning the season with a blowout win against the division rival Cleveland Browns, it seemed that the Ravens would pick back up where they had left after last season, cruising through the year and dominating everyone in their path.
The Week 3 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs was viewed by many as a hiccup that the team would overcome, as the team had already won three straight games.
Even as they sat toward the top of the league, fans were unhappy with the style in which they were winning the games, mainly on the offensive side of the ball.
The Pittsburgh loss sent the Ravens into a downward spiral and fans into a panic.
After beating the Colts in convincing fashion, many thought they had finally hit their stride — which as it turned out was far from reality.
The Ravens went on to drop the next two games against the New England Patriots and the Tennessee Titans.
Things began to look bleak after the loss to Tennessee as they dropped to third in the division and out of the playoff picture with the undefeated Steelers on the horizon.
Then, disaster struck.
It was reported that a great number of Ravens players had tested positive for COVID-19 while several others were deemed close risks. These players were placed on the COVID-19/IR reserve list, rendering them unable to play for the foreseeable future.
The list continued to grow, including quarterback Lamar Jackson and most of the starting offense and defense who had already been already riddled with injuries. This resulted in the Ravens game against the Steelers being postponed three times. When they finally played the game (and without quarterback Jackson), they fell to the Steelers, bringing their record to 6-5.
With a much-needed win over the Cowboys on December 7 and a victory over the Browns last Monday night, the Ravens’ record has improved to 8-5.
The rough patch that the Ravens had seemed to be stuck in for the good portion of the regular season has left fans wondering, what happened?
The mixture of injuries, questionable play-calling, and now COVID-19 issues seem to be to blame.
Even as the season isn’t what many expected, the Ravens still have a clear path to clinch a playoff spot for the third year in a row with the easy end of their schedule ahead.