The Baltimore Ravens went 14-2 last season, only to get trounced at home in their playoff opener. That bitter pill should serve them well in 2020, according to their coach.
John Harbaugh said Thursday that his players are “pissed” about how their season ended, and that they should learn from that experience.
“They are just pissed about it,” Harbaugh said, via Clifton Brown of the team’s official website. “They are not happy about it. I expect our guys to learn from that and understand what it takes to beat an opponent that is determined to beat you.”
Harbaugh warned, however, that the Ravens will have a similar target on their backs throughout 2020 and will need to be ready to embrace the heightened expectations.
“Going into our season last year, we were the iceberg,” Harbaugh said. “Ninety percent of what we were going to be capable of was still under water and people hadn’t seen it yet. Starting next year, we’re not going to be the iceberg. People are going to see us. We’re going to be everybody’s most important game.”
Harbaugh is right. The Ravens will be treated as Super Bowl contenders, and teams will be preparing for them that way. On the other hand, there’s a clear expectation that the team has even more room to grow despite their 14-win season last year. If that happens, Baltimore should meet expectations.
