Fansided

One silver lining for every team that missed the playoffs

By Luke Dahlgren

Nov 30, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns fans in the stands against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens won 33-27. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns fans in the stands against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens won 33-27. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 13, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (55) sits on the ground after an injury to his left lower leg in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 19-13. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 13, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs (55) sits on the ground after an injury to his left lower leg in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 19-13. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

Baltimore Ravens (5-11)

You will (hopefully) be getting back Terrell Suggs in 2016. Plus (hopefully) you’ll be luckier with injuries.

The Baltimore Ravens were among the most injured team in the NFL, but no injury impacted the Ravens’ season more than the Week 1 loss of Terrell Suggs. The veteran edge rusher tore his left achilles during the team’s opening loss to the Denver Broncos, and the Ravens undermanned defense was never able to recover.

Add on top of this …

  • a torn ACL for Joe Flacco in Week 11 vs St. Louis.
  • a broken arm for Justin Forsett in that same game
  • and a torn achilles for Steve Smith, Sr. in Week 8 against the Chargers

… and the Ravens had no hope of remaining competitive through a challenging AFC North.

The injury to Suggs cannot be overstated. Losing him, along with Pernell McPhee, who left for the Chicago Bears, loosened pressure on the quarterback and allowed other teams to exploit the Ravens’ secondary. His absence limited the effectiveness of their blitzes out of the 3-4 alignment.

The good news for the Ravens is that they now exactly why they weren’t successful this past season. Every team needs to be fortunate to be successful, and the law of averages dictates that the Ravens will likely be more fortunate. Their offseason goal should (and probably will) be to add more depth.

Next: San Francisco 49ers

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