'Sharp' Ravens Make Final Preparations Before Playoff Contest

It's full steam ahead for the Baltimore Ravens ahead of the divisional round of the NFL playoffs Saturday against the Houston Texans

If the Baltimore Ravens are worried about starting off their 2024 playoff run rusty, they certainly aren't acting like it.

On the final day of practices before their divisional round matchup against the Houston Texans, head coach John Harbaugh made it clear that the team is as ready as they ever have been.

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"They’re sharp. They’re on point," Harbaugh said. "They’re locked in. I think they have the good combination of stay loose and stay focused, and that’s how they’ve approached it.”

Baltimore is looking to be better off than the last time they were the AFC's top seed. In 2019, the team was upset in their first playoff game by the Tennessee Titans, 28-12. 

This year's group is different, though, and it's made Harbaugh's job just a little bit easier when discussing the plan when the first-round bye was given. 

"They’ve worked hard," he said. "They’ve been like they’ve been all season. It hasn’t really been different. It’s playoff football. They’re excited about that, but that’s how they’ve approached their work all year.”

Against an upstart Texans team that is coming off a 45-14 blowout win in the wild card over the Cleveland Browns, the Ravens aren't leaving anything to chance. 

A big part of that is the leadership makeup of the 2023 squad. The 2019 unit was a far younger and inexperienced group. 

This time around, it's the leaders making sure everyone stays focused to prepare for an inexperienced group in Houston. 

"We just all want to win, like we’ve been doing all year. [We’re] just sticking together, executing the gameplan and trying to figure out the weather thing right now," Ravens defensive end Jadeveon Clowney stated. "But when you’re out there, you’ve just got to go. So, I’m just ready to get out there with my teammates and fight and give them what I’ve got.”

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Clowney is one of several veterans who chose to come to the Ravens during the offseason. That mix of leadership tied with a young core of dominant players has left Baltimore as the top team in the regular season. 

Now, it's up to the team to take that final step on Saturday.