Why are the Ravens so bad on the road during regular season?

The Baltimore Ravens being a below average road team over the years is nothing new. But at the same time, it is confusing why that is when the Ravens have more road playoff wins than any other team in the NFL over the last 75 years with 10. This team has only been around since 1996. Those 10 playoff wins are also tied with the Green Bay Packers for the most in NFL history. And we know how long the Packers have been around.

Let's look for a second at the places the Ravens have won at in the postseason since the very beginning in 2000:

• At Pittsburgh Steelers
• At New England Patriots (two times)
• At Tennessee Titans (two times)
• At Miami Dolphins ( two times)
• At Denver Broncos
• At Oakland Raiders
• At Kansas City Chiefs

With all of the success the Ravens have had on the road in the postseason, how is this team so bad on the road during the regular season? The issues the Ravens have had on the road goes further back from the John Harbaugh era and really begins in the Brian Billick era when the Ravens started to establish themselves as a threat.

What goes on in the preparation during the regular season that changes so much when the playoffs rolls around? Is it the sense of urgency? Is it just the team rising to the occasion when other teams struggle?

Every Ravens regular season game on the road in the past as long as I can remember has featured the Ravens offense starting off slow regardless of who the quarterback is and the Ravens defense trying to hold on long enough before things break down in the secondary and the opportunity to come back to take the lead is too much for the Ravens offense to handle.

The only difference now is the fact that the Ravens defense is no longer good.

Since the start of the 2013 season, the Ravens are 6-14 on the road in the regular season. This is a team that was talking about fighting for a first round bye before this season started. You won't have a first round bye with a record like that. And the Ravens won't have a playoff berth at all this season with a 1-6 overall record.

Go back even further. Since 2000, the Ravens are 53-71 on the road during the regular season. The only times the Ravens won six games on the road during the regular season was in 2000 and 2006.

Sometimes when the Ravens struggle we all look at the lack of efficiency and rightfully so. But seeing as how the Ravens have been below average on the road for so long, I think that is the larger issue with this team.

Think about it. The Ravens in 2013 went 8-8. They went 6-2 at home but only 2-6 on the road. We know in 2013 the Ravens had a bad offensive line. The running game was non-existent. The defense collapsed at times. But it didn't stop them from winning six games at home. Their 2-6 record on the road is what ruined their season. Their inability to consistently handle their business in hostile environments continues to cost them.

In 2005, the Ravens went 6-10. They somehow finished 6-2 at home but finished 0-8 on the road.

But for whatever reason, the light bulb turns on for the entire team when they enter the road in the playoffs. The Ravens are 5-0 all time on the road in AFC wild card games. That has never been done before in NFL history. The Ravens are 10-6 all time on the road with a winning percentage of .600 which is the best in NFL history.

As good as the Ravens have been over the last 15 years, just imagine how much more success the Ravens would have had if they were half as consistent on the road during the regular season as they are in the playoffs.