Ravens, Chiefs Flawless in Tough Stretch

The Baltimore Ravens won three games in an 11-day span, but they weren't the only team to do so.

Dec 25, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh reacts during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

When the Baltimore Ravens' 2024 schedule released in the spring, the most demanding part of the season immediately became apparent.

After their Week 14 bye, the Ravens would play their next three games in an 11-day span, the first time in franchise history they've done so. They would face the New York Giants on Dec. 15, then the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 21 and finally the Houston Texans on Christmas Day. It looked like a tough test to say the least.

That test is now in the rear-view mirror, though, and the Ravens passed with flying colors. Baltimore defeated New York 35-14, Pittsburgh 34-17 and Houston 31-2, winning each game by at least three scores.

The thing is, though, the Ravens weren't the only team to face such a test. In an effort to keep things fair from a scheduling perspective, the NFL also scheduled the Texans, Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs to play three games in the same 11-day span.

In particular, the Chiefs also aced the test, defeating the Cleveland Browns 21-7 on Dec. 15, the Texans 27-19 on Dec. 21 and the Steelers 29-10 on Christmas.

After Wednesday's win over the Texans, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh gave a shoutout to both his team and the Chiefs for navigating this tough stretch, though of course kept the focus on his group.

"The fact that they did it – they did it in this short stretch – I think our team probably handled it the best, arguably. I guess the Chiefs did a good job too, so there you go. Have to give them credit; give credit where credit's due," Harbaugh told reporters. "I'm proud of our guys, man. I'm really proud of our guys for what they accomplished – our coaches, our strength and conditioning coaches, our nutritionist, our trainer [and] our performance coach."

The other two teams weren't quite as impressive. Houston started out with a 20-12 win over the Miami Dolphins, but lost to Kansas City in Baltimore in a five-day span. Pittsburgh fared even worse, suffering a 27-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles before the aforementioned losses to Baltimore and Kansas City.

Following this stretch, the Ravens have now taken control of the AFC North thanks to three-straight wins and three-straight Steelers losses. That seemed improbable just a few weeks ago, but it just goes to show how quickly things can change in the NFL.

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

• Ravens' Derrick Henry Could Make History Again
• Ravens Can Keep Climbing Up Playoff Bracket
• Ravens DC Goes Viral for Christmas Blooper
• Dominant Performance Shows Ravens' Defensive Growth
• Ravens' Lamar Jackson Reacts To Breaking NFL Record