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The Baltimore Ravens own the NFL's longest current streak of making the playoffs, with this season being the fifth straight time. Head coach John Harbaugh, QB Joe Flacco and RB Ray Rice have made the post season each year they've been together in the league.
It's tough to argue with the success the Ravens have had, yet with all their regular season success, their past four playoff experiences have all ended short of their ultimate goal. The ravens went all the way to the AFC Championship Game after the 2008 season, losing for the third time that year to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The next two years also saw the Ravens winning their first game on the road in the post season, only to lose in the next round for two more early exits. Last year, the Ravens played their first home game of the playoffs in this streak, beating the Houston Texans but losing on what is now a legendary dropped pass and missed chip shot field goal in the closing seconds.
With two games remaining in the regular season, the only question that remains is are the Ravens headed to the playoffs as the AFC North champs for the second straight year, with another home playoff game, or are they going on the road as a Wild Card team due to losing their last five regular season games?
The former should give all Ravens fans hope that the team will find a way to turnaround this current streak and start a new one. The latter would mean the team has continued on a downward spiral and most likely that "one-and-done" scenario that everyone hopes to avoid.
Therefore, in the aftermath of the carnage from yesterday's debacle, comes the glimmer of playoff hopes once again, thus the analogy to the title of this story.