Are the Ravens the worst team in the NFL?

There are four teams in the NFL that have a 1-5 record and one more team that has a 1-4 record. So how can I make the claim that the Baltimore Ravens are the worst of the group? It's the talent that the Ravens have that make them the worst team in the NFL.

I don't mean that the Ravens are the least talented team, in fact I think they have one of the more talented rosters in the league period. The other teams tied for the worst record were all expected to be there. Meanwhile the Ravens were a lot of analysts favorites to win the Super Bowl.

Now we see a team where every single game is neither a plus or a scratch. No one can look at a game against the Cleveland Browns and say with any assurances that "this will be a win." The Ravens couldn't do it against a 2-3 Oakland Raiders team, against a 2-4 Cleveland Browns team, against a now 2-4 San Francisco team. The Ravens' opponents have a total record of 22-13; not exactly the murders row when you look at the problems and teams that each opponent has played.

Look at the teams that have the 1-5 record along with Baltimore. Jacksonville is a team that is still heavily rebuilding and looking for their starting quarterback, offensive weapons and an identity. Kansas City is a team that is starting Alex Smith at quarterback, I doubt I need to go further with my explanation. Detroit is the only team that you could say is just as disappointing as Baltimore, except that they went into the season with no defense at all, no running game and a wide receiver that is barely healthy any longer. Detroit is a team still hanging onto what they were doing five years ago and has yet to retool properly, so they are having it forcefully happen to them this year.

But you could say that the Ravens have lost all of their games by six points or under, and you'd be absolutely right. This is a team that with a few better bounces or better concentration could easily be 6-0, despite the injuries. For me, that actually makes it worse. Knowing that the talent is there and the wins have been oh so close in each contest doesn't mean that the Ravens have deserved any win by any means. It actually means that their opponent has to screw up so massively as to allow them a victory. The only one so far is against a Pittsburgh Steelers team that was without their starting quarterback, and even that game was far too close for comfort.

The Baltimore Ravens face off against an Arizona Cardinals team that looks like a really solid team in all phases of the game. I doubt that any analyst will look at that game and say that the Ravens even have a shot. I wouldn't be surprised if every single member of Baltimore Beatdown says that the Cardinals win that game handily. Looking at the rest of the season, there are no games that I can pick out where I can say that the Ravens will win. The only games that I can even say that the Ravens will have a shot in are against the teams that currently tie them with the worst records in football, and even those wouldn't shock me if the Ravens lost.

The last time the Ravens looked this bad was the 2007 season where they went 5-11 and head coach Brian Billick was fired at the end of it. Can any fan of the Baltimore Ravens look at the schedule and point out 4 more wins for this team as it stands now?

Now that all being said, being bad right now isn't a bad thing. It's a mix of injuries and bad luck that have put the Ravens in this position. I consider it the reset that the team honestly needed, one that should see them with a top 10 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Hopefully, they can select yet another Pro Bowl caliber player in that spot and get healthy next year for a true run at the Lombardi. Being bad once a decade isn't exactly the worst thing for a fan and for that, we should be thankful.