Best Of - Ravens FIRE John Harbaugh, Top 5 NFL Playoff Storylines + Wild Card Predictions | Nick Wright

At this time, it's ten forty five Eastern, six years ago. At this time, I should say, uh, and John Harbaugh still has a job. So right now it's status quo in Baltimore. And we'll get into that piece of it as well. But first I do want to show actual empathy, and I mean this. This isn't tongue in cheek, This isn't me being a smart ass, this isn't me doing any subtle I told you so stuff about Lamar who

had such an interesting game Sunday night. But over the last ten years, it is hard to find a franchise that it's dealt with more end of season stomach punches than the Baltimore Ravens. And it's literally nine of the last ten years. So if I may go through it just quickly, because this does the Ravens, because they've had such success compared to mediocre or bad franchises, and because they've got a two time MVP and a coach people historically have really liked, and they've won two Super Bowls

this decade. I'm sorry this century people don't look at them as like a cursed, cursed franchise. But here how the last ten seasons have ended in Baltimore. Twenty sixteen, the eight and six Baltimore Ravens are playing the nine and five Pittsburgh Steelers. It is on Sunday Night Football with the de facto division title on the line. The Ravens have a three point lead. I don't know if it was a three or a four point lead. I'm gonna check to get because I want to make sure

I have it right. They have a three point lead with ten seconds left and Ben Roethlisberger throws just short of the goal line to Antonio Brown, who gets hit and stopped and Pittsburgh has no timeouts. He stopped short of the goal line and as he's going down, he turns around reaches the ball over the back of his head. Touchdown. Division title. Baltimore loses the next week and misses the postseason.

Next year, Baltimore is in a win and in scenario in Week seventeen against that got nothing to play for Cincinnati Bengals and Andy Dalton. They have them in a fourth and twelve with forty seconds remaining, and the Bengals hit a sixty plus yard game winning insane touchdown pass to end the Raven season. The next year is the one year the reason I said nine out of ten with heartbreak, the one year that didn't end in heartbreak.

The next year, the team's not good throws a figurative Hail Mary by going to Lamar Jackson at mid You know, late in the year, Lamar rips off a bunch of wins, they sneak into the playoffs. They get absolutely crushed in round one. But you had real reason for optimism, didn't expect necessarily, you didn't expect to look as bad as you did in Round one against the Chargers. But whatever, But twenty sixteen, you lose a Week sixteen game for

the division in the final seconds. Twenty seventeen, you lose a winning You're in game on a fourth and twelve to Andy Dalton. Twenty nineteen. You have the number one seed, you have the unanimous MVP, and you get dog walked by the Tennessee Titans. In your first playoff game twenty twenty, it is a ten to three snowy, cold weather defensive

battle in the divisional round. You are inside the ten yard line going in for the game tying touchdown as the waning moments of the fourth quarter approach of the third quarter. In the waiting moments of the third quarter, Lamar Jackson picks six. You lose the game right there. Twenty twenty one, you're eight and three. Lamar Jackson gets banged up. His coach thinks he'll be back soon. He never comes back. You finish eight and nine. Twenty twenty two,

you're having another solid year. You're nine to four. Lamar Jackson gets banged up, his coach thinks he's coming back. You limp to the finish line, but make the playoffs anyway, and you're seventeen seventeen in a playoff game against the Cincinnati Angles with Tyler Huntley at quarterback, you're on the goal line. You run a quarterback sneak fumble return touchdown ninety nine yards. Lose that playoff game. Twenty twenty three, you're the number one seed again. You have a home

playoff game. You're the number one DVOA team, the number one DVOA defense, you have the MVP of the league at quarterback. You turn the ball over three times in that game, including a goal line fumble by Zay Flowers and end zone pick by Lamar Jackson. You lose seventeen to seven. Twenty twenty four, Lamar is the best year of his career, arguably despite not winning MVP. You get

the Buffalo Bills again. You have a furious second half comeback, culminating in a two point conversion attempt to a wide open Mark Andrewsy fumbles and twenty twenty five, you have a season from hell, but you can make up for all of it by beating your hated rival Pittsburgh Steelers.

And you have another unbelievable fourth quarter by Lamar, including a fourth and seven conversion to Isaiah likely to give you a chip shot field goal, and your rookie kicker Tyler loop gaxit that is nine out of ten years of utter heartbreak, and the one year that was not included in the heartbreak was getting just annihilated in a

playoff game Lamar's rookie season. That is torture. And I got real empathy for Ravens fans, honestly, and it's one of the reasons I'm so surprised John Harbaugh is still the coach, because even if that's not his fault, there's too much scar tissue at this point and it sure

feels like a change needs to be made now. On the game itself, how do we evaluate Lamar's play such a weird game because for the first three quarters, and Collinsworth set it on the broadcast early in the fourth quarter, Lamar was five of ten for sixty seven yards and

wasn't running the ball and had done nothing. And then in the fourth quarter he played the best quarter of his life, including two of the best plays of his entire career, the two free rushers sandwiching him, him him avoiding that sack, and then hitting Zay Flowers on a fifty plus yard touchdown. As amazing as that was, I don't know if that was a better play than the fourth and seven season on the line, perfect throw and even better catch by likely to set up the chip

shot field goal. So Lamar, you in sports, it doesn't matter how big of a hole you dig yourself. Ask my guy Trevor with his four interception playoff game, if your brilliance digs you out of it. The last two years the game ending losses for Baltimore, it is felt like Lamar helped dig them a big hole and then dug them this close to out of it with brilliant play, and then mistakes by other people cost him the full vindication. Mark Andrews cost him a shot at overtime and Tyler

Loop cost him a win. But how do we do

the math on that? It'd be ridiculous to pin the loss on Lamar, but it would also be ridiculous to give him credit for coming through in a game that they lost, and in part they lost because in the Bills game last year and the Steelers game this year really really shaky first half performances including a turnover or in the Bill's game, a couple turnovers, So that part is hard to parse and history probably won't remember the details as much as more big games that the Ravens

were favored in. And that's the other piece that I didn't even mention in this favored in that game against the Chiefs, favored in obvious, the game against the Bills, favored in, the game against Pittsburgh lost, lost loss. Now, the very end of the game, should John Harbaugh have attempted to put Tyler Loop in a better position? The easy answer is yes, why didn't he? The uncomfortable answer is because Derrick Henry had a fumbling problem this year,

and all of that matters. The fact that the Ravens moved on from Justin Tucker to a rookie kicker mattered this year, the fact that Derrick Henry fumbled early in the year and seemed to be in his head about it, despite how brilliant he was. If it wasn't in his head, it was in Harball's because you had fourteen seconds, you had one time out, and you were staring at a forty one yard field goal in the toughest stadium to

kick in the sport. And instead of asking Derrick Henry to make it a thirty five yard field goal or maybe a zero yard field goal if he pops one, you made it a forty four yard field goal. Because you don't want to risk the turnover. Also, Lamar told us that not long before Tyler looped and I don't know if Harbaugh knew this. Not long before Tyler loop goes to take the kick that will define his entire NFL career, most likely Lamar flipped out on him on

the sidelines. He kicked the ball out of bounds. That's gotta be tough for the rookie kicker. I don't know how confident he was walking into that kick, and we only the cameras didn't catch that. Lamar told us that after the game. But ultimately the reason the Ravens lost was because they were not a good team this year. They were an eight to nine team in every fashion.

They had moments of brilliant defense and moments of horrific defense, and that was over the course of the season, and in the final game of the year, their quarterback had moments of brilliant play and moments of the shakiest play of his career. That was all season, and in Week eighteen. They're coached by a special teams coach, and the special teams were shaky throughout the season, and then they lost

it for him in Week eighteen. That was not a great football team, and that was not a team that, had they won, they were going to be super dangerous, even though people tried to convince themselves they would be. That was a team that needed the Cleveland Browns and Shadoor Sanders to win a Week seventeen game just to make Week eighteen matter for them. And so why will this team be different next year? Well, right now, as I keep checking my phone for an update, it doesn't

look like they're going to be. Which Lamar was asked after the game if he wants Harbaugh back next year, and he said, I can't focus on that right now. We just lost, which is a damning and telling answer. And I have been of the informed belief that Lamar is over John Harbaugh. Lamar's answer to that question just furthered that belief, which again is not naked speculation. And if I were the Ravens, I'd almost always picked the

player over the coach. It doesn't seem like they have any interest in moving on from Lamar, so I just assumed they knew they had to move on from Harbaugh. And again, by the time you listen to this, maybe that will have happened. But it has not happened yet, and the Lamar contracts situation becomes very tricky because he has got two years left on what is now a drastically undermarket deal that averages fifty two million dollars a year.

The top of the market's now sixty. Also, they need to rework that deal because it's got a cap hit of seventy five million dollars next year and the year after, which is completely untenable. And Lamar, who turned twenty nine tomorrow and is coming off his worst year as a pro and a year with five injuries, is going to want a top of market, fully guaranteed contract. And if the Ravens keep John Harbaugh, what was already going to be a very tough contract negotiation for the Baltimore Ravens

with Lamar, I think we'll get that much tougher. So I don't want to spend too much time right now on the Lamar future Harball future angle, just because I still feel like this could become day in hours, because I still feel like the Ravens are probably moving on from Hardball, but it hasn't happened yet. We will get Demands's thoughts on this, and I will explain why I think the Steelers are an actual threat in just a moment.

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intrigued by, even though I think it's very unlikely. Now, maybe McDaniel thinks he's gonna step into a head coaching job. That would surprise me. I don't think he's gonna go right, but maybe he will. His record wasn't terrible, the team didn't quit at the end, and some people might be like, look at what he did with Tua. As far as the Ravens decision on firing Harball. I there was no decision, guys, the and I've done enough victory lapping on Twitter, so

I don't need to. And it's not victory lapping about someone losing their job, to be clear, victory lapping on I told you guys all year there was a problem between Lamar and Harrball, and you guys thought I was just I spun a wheel. People thought like, oh, Nick just decided today, he's gonna create this out of thin air, as opposed to a paying close attention to the incredibly odd objective fact that they didn't communicate about how hurt he was and also having a little behind the scenes insights.

So their ability to ensure Lamar was a Raven for life and was a raven next year was going to be kneecapped had they kept Harball. So they didn't, so they move on. And even though tell me if this makes sense to you, de Monse, the odds are the next coach of the Ravens is not near as good of a coach as John Harball. But that doesn't mean that coach won't be the one to get him over the hump.

a week before he starts taking interviews. I think that's smart because I'd be awful interested in if the Eagles, Bill's or Packers losing Round one to any of those teams, ownership decide we're gonna fire our coach to hire Harball. Now, on that note, I think Cincinnati should reach out to harror Ball's agent today and be like, if this job was open, would he take it? And if the answers yes, I'd fire Zach Taylor. Now that's not really Cincinnati's style.

For Philadelphia, it might sound harsh, Sirianni is literally the defending Super Bowl champion, but Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Loriie have never cared about being harsh. They drafted Carson Wentz number two overall, gave him a huge contract, moved on from him. Doug Peterson won a Super Bowl with Nick Foles, then won a Playoff game the next year with Nick Foles. They moved on from him. They moved like they will if they think they can get better, they will move

on from somebody. And I think Harbaugh, who came like started coaching in Philly. I think that's really interesting there. Buffalo less interesting, and he, Danny explained, I didn't quite follow it. He has some real like green Bay ties about like his who his agent is, and the green Bay I don't totally follow it doesn't matter, but it seemed like Lafleoor midway through the season there was little scuttle but about Lafleur not being quite as safe as

people thought and how he hadn't gotten an extension. So if I'm Harball, I just want to wait and see do what does a job come open where the quarterback is set Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Jordan Love or am I gonna have to roll the Jackson Dart Dice or Atlanta with Michael Pennix. Like, So that's what I think.

have spent three first round picks on wide receiver. They perennially lead the league or near the top of the league in Pro bowlers on the roster. And now I believe, with reason to believe, he got what he wanted and he's getting a new head coach. Got to go be awesome now. And more than being awesome, you gotta be available. You want to know a shocking fact, Demons, In the last five years, Lamar Jackson and always injured brittle Joe Burrow have played the exact same amount of games. No,

that's true. I'm not making that up.

other three years. For context on that, in the last five years, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes have also played the exact same number of games ninety three, so nineteen games, more more than a full season in a playoff run of more availability. And the Lamar stat is stunning, isn't it? Because we look at Burrow as.

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They have the rushing champ, they have an excellent pass defense, they have a great offensive line that there it would be. It's going to take greatness from Josh Allen to make it through on the road this playoff field, but it's doable. And I wonder I for Bills fans, forget for Josh. Would Bills fans rather have a better team, the best Bills team, whatever year you think that is, But have Mahomes and Burrow in the field, or a flawed team

but have no Mahomes in Burrow. I think Bill's fans would say, give me the flawed team on the road without the bugeyman plus Joe Burrow sitting in the bracket, and I think the Bills can do it now. I also think the Jags are a very dangerous team. I said this on TV. I don't know if I said it on here, and you'll find you'll find out who I'm picking in this game, uh later in the show. But I believe the winner of this game is going

to win the AFC. I believe in both of these teams more than I believe in the top two seeds the Patriots and the Broncos. So that is to me. Storyline number one is can Josh Allen breakthrough? That's the most interesting storyline. Storyline number two is will any of these year two quarterbacks go on a run? You have Caleb, you have Drake, you have both. Drake has the most well rounded team. Well, I don't know. The Broncos might

be a more well rounded team than the Patriots. The Broncos, let me, I take that back, because I actually part of the reason that I think the Patriots are better than the Broncos is because I think Drake is so much better than both. But if you were to, if you take the quarterbacks off of it and evaluate the rosters, it's probably Bronco's number one. The Bears are an interesting one because the offense is so good, but the defense

of those three teams is the shakiest. But here's what I'm getting at, Demanse and listen, you know, I don't believe in bow Knicks, but it's the number one seed, and if he goes on a playoff run, I don't know what I'm gonna say. Yeah, we live in a world where Mahomes missed the playoffs and just tore his Acol Lamar missed the playoffs as coach, just got fired.

Joe Burrow missed the playoffs for the third straight year. Okay, if one of these second year quarterbacks goes on a real run, wins multiple playoff games, shows up in the super Bowl, whomever it is. Assuming again, and I don't even really want to include bo Nicks in this, but I have to be fair, assuming that it's not the two thousand Ravens way to the Super Bowl that the offense more than carries its weight, which obviously would have

to happen with the Patriots or the Bears. Right, does that top of the NFL, not the very top, but the top ish of the NFL quarterback pyramid have to start to include one of these kids? Yeah, you know what I mean, Like the if Drake May and the Patriots make the Super Bowl. I already think Drake May is probably a top five quarterback, then it becomes undeniable.

If Caleb puts it all together, God forbid, if bo Nicks wins two playoff games and makes like so, which of these young quarterbacks are any of them gonna go on a run? And are any of these young quarterbacks bow at least has been to the playoffs going to have you know, those first playoff game jitters or first real expectations in the playoffs. You know stumble That to me is the second biggest storyline. Go ahead. It seems like you want to say something.

the Browns game was an abomination. But aside from that, he's been really good for the last five weeks and he gets dk.

a sudden. Jalen Hurts is a no doubt Hall of famer, the you know, the Howie Roseman and the Eagles. Maybe they got an argument that they, not the Chiefs, are the the prestige franchise. Well, I listen to the Chiefs. The Chiefs have been to five Super Bowls in seven years now and one three. The Eagles would have been to three and four years one two, and then if we extend it back to Foles, it's hard to call

that like part of this. It's a different coach, it's different quarterback, but it would have been they've been if they win this year that in nine years, Demons, they went to four super Bowls, won three. That's pretty unbelievable.

path there. And then number five is which of the two NFC West juggernaut teams is able to in the playoffs look the way they did most of the regular season, which is like the best team in football for either of them, the Rams and the Seahawks. The Rams path is harder, but their quarterback is so much better. The Seahawks, though, being at home, being rested, being healthy, with that defense

in that crowd. Dude, I am not dismissing at all the very real possibility of the Seattle Seahawks winning the Super Bowl. I think that's Sam darnoald the Seahawks can win the Super Bowl. I can't believe it. I think right now my pick would be Matt Stafford in the Rams, but I think Seahawks can do it. In order to keep the five hundred or better streak alive. I think four of the five years on this pod we've been five hundred or better. We needed to go three and

two or better the final weekend. Let's go through it. Because we laid two and a half with Tampa. They won by two, so now we gotta go three and one down the stretch. Seattle minus one felt great the whole way. Raiders plus five and a half. I told you, guys, my god, that Chiefs offense is just so bad. So now we just need one win in the late windows. Miami plus twelve felt dead pretty early. So it all came down to Pittsburgh against Baltimore. And you have I

was rooting for Pittsburgh to win. Outright, that's great because I picked them. I know it makes you said, but I picked them, and I uh, and I just the so I was rooting for it despite that. You should have seen how I reacted to Boswell's missed extra point. Because Boswell's miss miss sextra point, I'm like, oh my god, plus three and a half is home. Like, now there's no overtime, there's no funny business. Now it's either gonna be a Raven's two point win or Pittsburgh. I'm sorry,

a Raven's one point winner. A Pittsburgh two point win, so we got it for forty four and two. Nothing to write home about. You would have lost money on it because of the big but still going five hundred picking games is I'll call it difficult. I would have liked to do better. The only the only piece of our gambling show that was dominant, and we'll get to it more in a moment, was Demonse's teasers, which I am considering next year to Monsey putting real funds behind.

Like I am, I'm considering having a huge portion of my twenty twenty six football gambling portfolio b Demons's teasers. I appreciate you are I mean you really you can a great job that well, you did a great job you It was just impressive. Yeah, we'll get we'll get to that in a moment. But now all lines are of course from hard Rock Bet. But I'm told something that there's a twist this year.

I think that there were five or six teams that missed the playoffs that right now this week I think are better than Carolina. Yea, and the fact that the Rams played them and lost to them will give them just enough appropriate fear to know. It doesn't matter that we're double digit favorites. We have to take care of business. I will swallow this huge number and lay the ten and a half with the Rams.

not like how the Bears played this weekend. I still think the Packers won nine games because they were about the quality. Once everybody got hurt of a nine win team, I'll take Chicago plus one.

problem for them in this game. If Jacksonville is able to shorten the game by efficient passing and running the ball with etn. Also the reason I said I want that half point is for some reason or another, deep down kind of think Buffalo is gonna win this game by one, and so like that a twenty four to twenty three Bill's win. And so I know this is the definition of kind of having it both ways. I

get that I don't have a super strong conviction. I really liked when I thought I was gonna be getting I thought when this game, I thought it was gonna be Bill's or minus two and a half, but it was Bill's minus one and a half. And now it's Bill's minus one. But I will take Jacksonville plus one. And to be clear, because I see what the producers wrote said the number one storyline was Josh breaking through. To me, those storylines were not all predictions. It was

what the biggest storyline is, will Josh break through? And this bet can it? You know Bills, the Bills win by one. There is no way to win this pick in either direction. It would mean the line's exactly right. I just think I think the Jags, they're a thirteen win team that's at home, that's healthy, that's playing great. They shouldn't be home dogs. So I just I'm obligated

to this. I don't love it. You never love you never love picking against the team that you think is more likely to win because you're getting the points, but the points you're getting are one one. You know, you don't love that, you really don't love that. But it is Jacksonville plus one.

teams that had a pulse down the stretch. Beat the Bills by one, lost to the Chargers by three in overtime, lost to the Bears by nine, beat the Lions, who had a pulse at that point in time, by nine, but beat the Packers by three, lost to the Broncos by four, like they just even early in the year, beat the Cowboys by four, beat the Chiefs by three. That Rams game, you'll that, you'll oh, they beat the Rams by seven. Not really, they were beating the Rams

by one. The Rams were attempting a game winning field goal and then it got blocked and returned for a touchdown. They beat the Bucks by six, like their wins by real margin this year. They're how a more than one score wins the Giants, the Raiders, the Commanders. So and I understand it's not like I'm getting seven and a half. I'm getting four and a half, But I do. I thought the Niners defense played its best game in forever against Seattle, and I think that if they it now.

Trent Williams not practicing Wednesday, I don't love. I've got to imagine he will play in this game Sunday. I like that this game is Sunday instead of Saturday. For that purpose, I think San Francisco can win. I'm gonna more than a field goal against a team whose offense is broken. I'll take San Francisco plus four and a half.

Herbert game and they just lose. Now, he's not gonna get like bonus credit, but I'm not gonna kill him for it. But he can't lay an egg. I don't imagine he will. He's been carrying this team on the offensive side of the ball throughout the year. The defense. But the real the real reason that I like grabbing the points heer to Masse is Drake may has not faced a defense as good as the Chargers defense. I

don't know if he's done it all year. Like I'm trying to think who's the best defense the Patriots faced. I I can't find a good one. And the Steelers. I guess you could argue they turn the ball over five times the Panthers, like early in the year, I don't know, like the Bills. The Bills pass defense has been really good all year. Drake May threw zero touchdowns against him in two games. Now, listen, this isn't me.

I'm I think the are gonna win. But I get four points and what I think will be a low scoring, cold game at night, and I just don't think it's gonna be a prolific passing attack. I also think Vrabel can shorten the game if he needs to. I'll take the four points with the Chargers taking the four. Okay, so right now, our only difference is you've got Carolina plus ten and a half and you've got the Bills minus one. Other than that, we're on the same page, all right.

He's never lost a home Monday night game. This is a home Monday night game, and I think that Rogers is going to be for the first time all year, Demonsey willing to stand in the pocket and get hit if he needs to be because they're in the playoffs. And again, just like a kind of auto gambling rule. I know it has not been a good rule in the playoffs the last decade, but Mike Tomlin at home getting points, I just gotta I gotta be on that side of it. So I'll take Pittsburgh plus the three.