Former Ravens linebacker Josh Bynes, who was on the 2019 team that fell short in the playoffs after a 14-2 regular season, says the Ravens have “definitely” put the divisional round loss to the Tennessee Titans behind them as they prepare for another playoff game following a first-round bye.
This time around, the Ravens earned the No. 1 seed with a 13-4 regular season. They have a date with another AFC South team, the Houston Texans, on Jan. 20. Should the Ravens advance, they will face the winner of the Jan. 21 game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs.
The following players from the 2019 team are still on the squad: Tyus Bowser, Mark Andrews, Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Marlon Humphrey, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mekari, Michael Pierce, Patrick Ricard, Ronnie Stanley and Justin Tucker. Andrews (ankle) is questionable for the Texans game, while Humphrey (calf) has already been declared out. Bowser has been on the non-football injury list all year.
The Ravens fell to the Titans, 28-12, to end what had been a magical campaign.
“I think this team has definitely put that behind them. It’s what, four years since then after that season? They’ve put that behind them, that’s for sure,” Bynes said on Glenn Clark Radio Jan. 17. “I’m pretty sure [John] Harbaugh has the team ready and prepared. Obviously on the week off, [they were] working on things that they need to get better at in all three phases of the game, just knowing how he anticipates the game and stuff like that.”
The January 2020 game against the Titans went sideways quickly. Kevin Byard picked off Lamar Jackson on the Ravens’ first possession of the game, setting up a short touchdown drive for the Titans. Jackson was stuffed on a big fourth-and-1 on the Ravens’ next drive, leading to another Titans touchdown. Two Justin Tucker field goals made the score 14-6 at halftime, but Jackson was again stuffed on a key fourth-and-1 to open the second half. The Titans pushed the lead to 21-6, and that was that.
The Ravens’ defense struggled to contain Derrick Henry, who rushed 30 times for 143 yards and threw for a touchdown. Bynes, who had six tackles that night, credited the Titans for executing at a high level on both offense and defense.
“You can’t make a bunch of mistakes in these kinds of games,” Bynes said. “The mistakes that we made in ’19 in that game led us to being out of the playoffs early. No matter who’s at quarterback, running back, receiver, other side of the ball, we’ve just got to bring that ‘A’ game this coming weekend.”
Bynes believes the Ravens are better suited to do so now. He believes Jackson, on his way to a second MVP award, is a better quarterback than he was four years ago. He also mentioned that the other phases stepped up in December. The defense showed its mettle in wins against the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins, two high-powered offenses. Special teams play led to a win against the Los Angeles Rams.
“I think it’s the whole entire team, not just Lamar,” Bynes said. “Obviously Lamar is playing magnificent, but I don’t want to put it all on just Lamar. I just want to give credit to every single level of the team. You’ve got to think about each and every phase of the game.”
For more from Bynes, listen to the full interview here:
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