Ravens have a chance to reset before a December stretch run they handled so impressively in 2023

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — December was when the Baltimore Ravens really hit their stride a season ago. Lamar Jackson took control of the MVP race, and the team finished with the best record in the NFL thanks to emphatic wins over San Francisco and Miami.

A year later, Baltimore has plenty of opportunities ahead — but also looks like a team in need of a quick reset.

The Ravens are way behind in the race for the top seed in 2024, and although they still lead the league in total offense by a healthy margin — and the defense is showing signs of much-needed improvement — they've had a few unexpected problems to deal with. Kicker Justin Tucker has been a liability after over a decade of excellence, and earlier this week, Baltimore suspended newly acquired receiver Diontae Johnson, saying he refused to enter their game against Philadelphia.

The Ravens (8-5) are off this week. They enter the weekend 1 1/2 games behind Pittsburgh for the AFC North lead, but they get a chance to face the Steelers at home on Dec. 21.

“We don’t need to worry about the Steelers. We need to worry about us. That’s the first thing — worry about what we need to clean up on this side,” Jackson said after last weekend's 24-19 loss to the Eagles. “Forget every other team. We are beating ourselves out there.”

In a five-day stretch, the Ravens will face the Steelers followed by a Christmas road game against Houston. That could determine whether they win the division, since Pittsburgh has games against Philadelphia, Baltimore and Kansas City in an 11-day span.

Of course, the Ravens can't overlook games against the New York Giants (Dec. 15) and Cleveland (Jan. 5). They've already lost to the Browns, and a Week 2 defeat against a Las Vegas team that's won only one other game continues to hurt Baltimore.

The Ravens have beaten enough other playoff contenders — including blowout victories over Buffalo and Denver — that they need to be taken seriously, but they haven't been able to show the type of consistent excellence they displayed for much of last season.

That's not to say they don't have award candidates. Jackson is third in the MVP race in the betting odds at BetMGM. He's on pace for a career-best passer rating of 116.3, with 29 touchdown throws and three interceptions so far. Derrick Henry has been a terrific free agent signing, rushing for 1,407 yards in his first 13 games with the Ravens.

For a while, the defense wasn't even close to keeping up with the standard the offense was setting. That's improved of late. Baltimore held four of its last five opponents to 24 points or fewer.

“The message kind of became a little bit clear: ‘If you want to play ball, then we’ll get you out there, but if you don’t, you’re going to have to sit on the sidelines.’ I think guys responded really well to what was being preached amongst the coaches, amongst the players,” cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “We’re holding guys more accountable now.”

Penalties have been a problem — Baltimore is averaging nearly 10 of them per game — and lately Tucker's erratic kicking has cost the Ravens points. He's already missed eight field goals and two extra points this season, and although his track record suggests he could fix his struggles at some point, time is now running short before the postseason.

“I said this to some of the guys earlier. I said, ‘I think this is normal for kickers, but we’ve just been so blessed by Tucker’s eliteness that we kind of take it for granted,’” Humphrey said. “There’s not much I know about kicking, but I do know Tucker is a guy to get things turned around.”

If Baltimore closes the regular season like it did a year ago, a division title and at least one playoff home game are very much within reach. But right now the Ravens are still waiting for everything to click.

“Bill Parcells had a great quote. He said, ‘The season starts after Thanksgiving,’” coach John Harbaugh said. “Wow. What a truth for the teams that are still in it, and we’re one of those teams. So we have an opportunity now. The season starts now.”