The Baltimore Ravens lay beaten and bloodied on the canvas at 1-5 as their season was in danger of being over before it really began.
That could have easily been a time when the franchise packed up their things and focused on 2026, but they didn't, and they've rattled off four straight wins to now be 5-5 and are a chance to move above.500 for the first time this season as they host the New York Jets.
Granted, for some, the turnaround hasn't been a shock because it has coincided with Lamar Jackson's return, but what has been the catalyst for the Ravens' ability to completely turn their season around?
Tight end Mark Andrews detailed it perfectly.
“Just being resilient and staying together,” Andrews said. “Not get too high or too down. I think it's a credit to everybody in here. It’s easy to point fingers and do that all that sort of thing, but there's none of that here. That's the type of team organization that we have is a bunch of focused individuals.”
More: Ravens' John Harbaugh not concerned by eye-popping Lamar Jackson stat
Ravens in the hunt for AFC North crown
The one avenue to the Ravens making the playoffs at 1-5 was to win the division, and with the Pittsburgh Steelers, at one time, being 4-1, even that looked out of reach.
It doesn't now.
With the Steelers at 6-4 and the Ravens at 5-5, Baltimore is right there for the division.
Oh, and the Ravens still have to play the Steelers twice, so the hunt for the AFC crown and a home playoff game is well and truly alive.
Should Baltimore win the division, and the rest of the AFC playoff picture stay as it is, the Buffalo Bills would be coming to M&T Bank Stadium in the first week of the playoffs.
It has been a herculean task to get to this point for Baltimore, but now isn't the time to rest on its laurels; it has to be all gas, no brakes as it looks to end the season with a bang.
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