OTL: Were the Ravens on Bye, or Did they Dress as Giants for Halloween?

The good news is that the Baltimore Ravens had the day off yesterday. The Ravens schedule is supposed to be easier after the bye week. With a dose of cautious optimism, I’d say that remains the case. In two games, they play the Miami Dolphins, a team that just made the Cleveland Browns look like the 2007 Patriots.

However, I’m starting to wonder if this “easier” schedule is going to be so easy.

The Chicago Bears come to town next, fresh off beating the New Orleans Saints 26-14. No big deal, it’s just the Saints, right? Well, the Bears are 4-2 and on a four-game winning streak that started with a 31-14 shellacking of the Dallas Cowboys. The Bears have scored at least 25 points in each of their four wins, and their defense has become quite opportunistic. Chicago was supposed to be the Ravens’ enchanting greeters for the “easy part” but they have the confidence of a contender. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin writes this:

What’s happening on defense in Chicago is the catalyst behind the Bears’ longest win streak in six years. The Bears lead the NFL with 16 takeaways and a plus-11 turnover margin despite having played only six games due to a Week 5 bye. Chicago’s 11 interceptions (including three against New Orleans) are its most over the first six games of a season since 2018.

The Ravens going up against a team that’s good at taking the football away sounds like a frustrating recipe. Even with Lamar Jackson (an if at the moment) under center, the Ravens have been coughing up the football too often. From Derrick Henry’s late fumble against the Buffalo Bills to Zay Flowers’s fumbles against the Los Angeles Rams, the Ravens have made the dumb turnover their unfortunate specialty.

Great. Just great. Sounds easy alright!

John Harbaugh had the week off, so Brian Daboll pulled his usual nonsense for him. The New York Giants led the Denver Broncos 19-0 in the fourth quarter, and lost 33-32. It was actually nice to see a thrilling fourth quarter comeback that wasn’t at the Ravens’ expense, and it was an incredible moment for Denver. NBC’s Rohan Nadkarni wrote an article detailing the epic meltdown of the Giants:

The Broncos’ 33 points in the fourth quarter were the most in NFL history by a team that had been shut out during the first three quarters, per ESPN. Denver went from having a 0.2% chance of winning to improving to 5-2, remaining in first place in the AFC West.

The Giants, meanwhile, were robbed of winning two straight games for the first time this season. And instead of being 3-4 and potentially in the playoff hunt, New York exited Sunday tied for the second fewest wins in the NFC.

Tell me that doesn’t sound like the work of John Harbaugh! If Daboll got to the podium and said “well, you know the NFL is a hard league,” it would be an exact replica of everything Ravens fans have seen too many times before. The Giants have an impressive young quarterback. They looked great for three quarters. They would have had to try to lose the game and they seemed to…well, try to lose the game. It’s just good to know it can happen to other teams as well. Sports Illustrated’s Karl Rasmussen wrote this about the final 15 minutes nobody will ever forget:

The fourth quarter was utter chaos, with a total of six touchdowns scored between the two teams, including four for the Broncos. After Bo Nix gave Denver a late 30–26 lead, New York scored on their ensuing drive thanks to a costly pass interference penalty against cornerback Riley Moss.

That left 40 seconds for Nix and the offense to get into field goal range, and a pair of prolific passes down field saw them do exactly that, setting up Wil Lutz for the game-winning field goal.

Jaxson Dart saw a four-touchdown performance become a moot point. He threw for three scores against a highly respected Broncos defense, before running in for what could have been a go ahead score with less than a minute left in the game. Two things are true after this game. First, Dart looks like the real deal. Second, his rookie mistakes were a painful step in his progress as an NFL quarterback. Dart has given the Giants hope, but he lost. It’s an all-time classic in Denver and a tragic loss for New York.

With the #Ravens on bye, the Giants took on their role by blowing a lead

How kind pic.twitter.com/eCngF91f80

— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) October 20, 2025

No stress.

No heartache.

No disappointment.

Can’t lose if we don’t play.pic.twitter.com/S0LcMkAO8j

— Ravens Nation ð™‡ð™„ð™‘𙀠(@LIVERavenNation) October 19, 2025

The bye week has its advantages. That’s for sure.

Lamar Jackson will play after the bye week.

If he carries the 1-5 Ravens to the playoffs… he’s the MVP.

pic.twitter.com/oOg08ia3sI

— Polymarket Football (@PolymarketBlitz) October 17, 2025

This tweet above presents a fun idea. If Lamar Jackson returns and the Ravens make the playoffs he is the obvious MVP. There could be no excuse not to give it to Jackson if the 1-5 Ravens regain status as an AFC power. The Ravens looked pitiful without him, so the Derrick Henry effect wouldn’t work against him. If it happens it will be obvious that Jackson is the most important player to his team (by a lot).

I’m ready for it. I’m skeptical, but sure let’s will that into existence.

Happy Monday Baltimore. Enjoy not being mad about yesterday for once, you never know when you’ll get that again this season.

The post OTL: Were the Ravens on Bye, or Did they Dress as Giants for Halloween? appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2025/10/20/out-to-lunch/ravens-giants-halloween/