It certainly won’t be a season that many fans will remember that is for sure, after a season that promised so much for the Baltimore Ravens was ravaged with injuries, ending with despair.
The Ravens finished third in the AFC North with a 5-11 record, but sweeping the Pittsburgh Steelers will have given fans something to cheer about, as well as finding some starlets along the way.
They can at least say there was never a dull moment, with 14 of their 16 games decided by eight points or less, with two losses coming on the last play of the game.
Injuries Played A Big Part
Baltimore had 21 players on the injured reserve list by the end of the season, these injuries included Joe Flacco and Justin Forsett, who were both injured in the same game against the St. Louis Rams.
Veteran leaders Steve Smith Sr. and Terrell Suggs would go down early in the season, and 2015 first-round draft pick Breshad Perriman failed to make a single appearance all season.
Three Narrow Defeats In First Three Games
Suggs suffered a devastating season ending blow in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos, and Flacco came very close to linking up with Smith Sr. and Crockett Gillmore on the final drive of the game, but it ended in a defeat.
This was followed by narrow defeats to the Oakland Raiders and the Cincinnati Bengals before they managed to record their first win of the season against their divisional rivals, the Steelers at Heinz Field.
Steelers Win Followed By Three More Defeats
However, they failed to continue the momentum with a loss in overtime to the Cleveland Browns of all teams, and further defeats to NFC West opponents in the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals.
The 2015 season, theoretically, wasn’t over by a long shot, but a 1-6 record put Baltimore’s’ backs against the wall in the playoff race.
Another closely fought game, this time against the San Diego Chargers, handed the Ravens just their second win of the season before their bye week in Week 9.
The Jacksonville Jaguars came to town in Week 10 and left with a snatch and run victory after a facemask call against Elvis Dumervil allowed kicker Jason Myers to hit a 53-yard game-winning field goal with the final play of the game.
Back-to-Back Wins Gave Ravens Slim Playoff Hope
Forsett and Flacco both suffered season ending injuries in the 16-13 win over the Rams, in a game which the latter played through the pain barrier to set his team up for a game-winning field goal by Justin Tucker.
The Ravens gained retribution over the Browns with a 33-27 win in Cleveland for back-to-back wins for the first time in the 2015 season.
Dolphins End Playoff Dream
Their slim hopes of making the playoffs with a 4-7 record at the time were shattered with a loss to the Miami Dolphins, a game in which Baltimore had plays ruled out controversially.
Despite heavy defeats to the Seattle Seahawks and the playoff bound Kansas City Chiefs, the Ravens were uncovering a starlet in wide-receiver Kamar Aiken.
Mallett Steps Up Against The Steelers
Baltimore’s wide-receiver stepped up to the mark, like many others, in the 20-17 win over the Steelers, to sweep their bitter rivals with a newly signed Ryan Mallett at quarterback.
The 2015 season drew to a close with a loss at the division-winning Bengals, but assuming everyone stays fit and healthy for next season, the Ravens should find themselves in the playoffs once again.