CUP OF JOE: The Ravens are Choke Artists

The Evidence is Everywhere

If you were to ask a non-Ravens fan, “What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the name ‘Baltimore Ravens’?”, I’d venture to say that most people would say, “Lamar Jackson” or possibly “Derrick Henry”. But if you asked the same question and said that a player’s name is not a suitable answer, there’s a good chance that the answer would be “choke artists” or some close assimilate.

Dating back to 2020, the Ravens have lost 13 games after leading by 10 or more points. In franchise history, the Ravens have lost 39 games after leading by 10 or more points. Twenty-eight of those blown leads are on John Harbaugh’s watch. And I’m sure that after each one of those losses, John stood at the podium and said something that sounded like this:

“The guys fought and battled hard. I’m proud of our guys but we didn’t do enough to win the game. We made some really good plays, but just not enough of them to win the game. We’ll work on cleaning up some mistakes and we’ll come out ready to play next week. What questions do you have?”

I’ve got one.

“Why do these blown leads continue to happen and how does owner Steve Bisciotti sit by and allow it while holding no one accountable?”

The blown leads have become a team trademark. The Ravens ARE choke artists. Their resume suggests as much and when the pressure is on and the heat is turned up, the meltdowns are even more dramatic.

Reverse these horrific second half performances and we might be talking about a Ravens quasi-dynasty. And if we’re being honest, even their Super Bowl 47 victory was more like relief than a convincing win. They nearly blew a 28-6 second-half lead.

Even getting to SB47 was a gift of great fortune. Let’s not forget the freakish 4th & 29 conversion in San Diego and the Mile High Miracle in Denver.

Through it all, there’s one common denominator.

John Harbaugh.

Harbaugh has had a slew of coaches migrate in and out of Baltimore and the result is almost always the same – some combination of disappointment, underachievement, missed opportunities and shattered hope.

Running that common denominator back for another try next season will just be more of the same. Yet here we are, about to do exactly that, hoping for a different outcome.

I can’t imagine that Steve Bisciotti is satisfied with the results. He isn’t wired that way. How could a self-made billionaire pursue anything short of excellence? Unless of course Steve has checked out. Maybe he’s happy leaving well enough alone and all the wealth that he’s accumulated has delivered him to place and time where and when all the adrenalin driven by ambition has worn out. Maybe he’s happy just to sit back and enjoy his homes, his yachts, his private jets, his golf club memberships – his American dream.

And if that is the case, who could blame him? He’s earned it all.

The problem is it flies in the face of what is good for the franchise, what is good for the fans. John Harbaugh, a great man in his own right, is just not the guy for the Baltimore Ravens anymore. He’s no longer good for the franchise as the team’s head coach. But if Steve wants to sit back in his easy chair or golf cart and let things continue as they are, the Ravens will just continue to do the same things over and over. They’ll continue to earn the moniker of choke artists. They’ll continue to underachieve.

Bisciotti has always been keen on not having a lame duck coach. Yet here he is, a lame duck owner.

At least that’s how it looks from the outside looking in.

The post CUP OF JOE: The Ravens are Choke Artists appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/01/06/cup-of-joe/choke-artists/