Stepping way outside the batter’s box with this one because, just in case no one noticed, there was one thing to be learned from the wild-card round of the 2023-24 NFL playoffs. And it seems almost like a community obligation to point it out.
Paranoia is never out of season.
That’s especially true around here, where fans who haven’t gotten over the Orioles’ division-series loss in MLB’s most recent round of postseason play, are having a hissy-fit because their team might be close to standing pat with a roster that won the American League East last year.
Couple that with the Ravens having earned a first-round bye in a quest for the Super Bowl, just as the O’s had prior to getting swept by the Texas Rangers and … well, you get the idea.
Forget about the previous paranoia about the danger of both teams possibly blowing late-season leads in their division or conference. It’s what have we had to worry about lately that really counts.
Having to play an extra playoff round was enough to worry about for both the Orioles and Ravens, until … well, until finishing first became the next cause for concern.
Forget the fact that both teams, in varying degrees, headed into the postseason in serious need of rest — the Orioles because of a pitching staff that had been pushed to the limit, the Ravens because of a grueling final month schedule and assorted injuries.
Paranoia knows no bounds.
The same fans who thought a five-day rest had more to do with the Orioles’ elimination than Corey Seager and the Texas Rangers are now convinced the one-week layoff (plus the final-game “vacation”) is a bigger threat to the Ravens than any opponent. And please, don’t mention that C.J. Stroud plays for the (Houston) Texans, which would only open up another can of worms, especially anyone who can recall 1969 (we’re not going to go there).
It didn’t reduce the paranoia risk when quarterbacks like Stroud, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Jordan Love and Jared Goff led their teams to convincing wins in the first round while Lamar Jackson, the Ravens’ soon-to-be-named MVP, had a vacation week plus a bye to prepare.
Given Stroud’s performance against the Cleveland Browns that ended Joe Flacco’s remarkable run (we won’t even bring up the paranoia that caused) and Jackson’s long layoff, well … yeah, once again you get the idea. Nervous Nellie has a lot of relatives in Baltimore right now.
Those blowout losses suffered by the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles, three teams expected to make deep runs as recently as a month ago that had the “advantage” of playing through? Doesn’t matter, we have to deal with this one week at a time.
The NFL has four interesting matchups this weekend, one of them at M&T Bank Stadium, where a win would ensure at least one more round of paranoia, which doesn’t have an offseason.
I shudder to think of the reaction if Charm City had to prematurely direct its attention back toward the Orioles, who have yet to sufficiently improve on a team that won 101 games last year.
It’s part of what we call the Paranoia Process. You can either endure it … or enjoy it.
Ravens by a dozen. (Now that’s something to be paranoid about!)
Jim Henneman can be reached at JimH@pressboxonline.com
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox