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Yes, you read the headline right. If the Baltimore Ravens lose to the Washington Redskins on Sunday, the Ravens are your Super Bowl 51 champions. It doesn’t have to make sense. It’s just reality. History says that.
The Ravens and the Redskins have played five times in the past during the regular season and the Ravens lead the all-time series 3-2. However, those two losses that the Ravens have against the Redskins ended up turning into the best outcome at the end of both seasons that Ravens could have asked for.
In 2000, when the Ravens were going through its historic touchdown drought of going five straight games without scoring a touchdown on offense, the Ravens went on a three game losing streak including a loss to the Redskins by the score of 10-3 at Landover, Maryland. That loss eventually led to the Ravens changing quarterbacks by benching Tony Banks for Trent Dilfer and the Ravens went on to win Super Bowl 35 behind a historic defense.
In 2012, the Ravens were having issues on offense under then offensive coordinator Cam Cameron during a three game losing streak which included an overtime loss to the Redskins by the score of 31-28. Cameron was fired almost immediately after the game and the Ravens replaced him with Jim Caldwell. The Ravens that year would go on to win Super Bowl 47.
I don’t care if it is a coincidence or not. But there is something funny about this. It seems like when the Ravens lose to the Redskins during the regular season, the team feels it hit rock bottom like the entire team is embarrassed to the extent where major changes have to be made. “I can’t believe we lost to the freaking Redskins! Someone has to be benched or fired!”
If I didn’t know any better, I would think that losing to the Redskins seems to make the Ravens realize that the team hit rock bottom and inspires the team to stay focused for the rest of the year and win the Super Bowl.
And interestingly enough, the Ravens are going through some issues on offense right now as well. If history is any indication, I wonder if there are any Ravens’ fans right now who want the Ravens to lose on Sunday.