John Harbaugh: Ravens Season 'Begins Now'

The Baltimore Ravens will put everything they've got into this final stretch.

Sep 29, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh walks down the sidelines during the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Well-rested after the late bye week, the Baltimore Ravens return to action for what's inarguably their most important stretch of the season.

The Ravens hit a bit of a rough patch before their bye, losing two of their past three games while the offense came back to Earth. Despite that, all their goals are still in front of them, and for the rest of the season, what happened before matters little.

"This is the season; it kind of begins now," head coach John Harbaugh said Monday. "The season is important to determine the important outcomes for the rest of the way – that's what we're focused on. We'll be focusing on this game, putting everything we've got into it, and then we'll go from there."

The bye may have come late, but it was still at a good time for the Ravens. It gave them a perfect chance for some key players to recover from injuries, and a perfect chance to prepare for the home stretch.

With their next three games coming in a 10-day span between Sunday and Christmas Day, having a chance to recharge directly beforehand is much-appreciated.

There will be a lot of noise surrounding the Ravens down the stretch, particularly in regard to playoff positioning, but they're only focusing on what they can control right now.

"We want to play our best football right now – that's what we're really focusing on doing," Harbaugh said. "Everything else is just a sideshow; everything else is just a distraction. None of it is important. What's important is our football. The football. Getting the football right, playing our best football that we're capable of playing, everybody locked in for that – that's really what it's all about. Nothing else matters; everything else is just static."

"I'm really happy with where we're at, and I can't wait to see what we do over the next week, two weeks, three weeks, four weeks [and] into the playoffs."

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