It’s been a rough first half of the NFL season for the Baltimore Ravens. Despite being involved in a 41-40 barn-burner with the Super Bowl-contending Buffalo Bills in Week 1 (albeit on the losing side), the Ravens haven’t been able to put it together. The team has failed to add another win since their 41-17 thrashing of the Browns in Week 2, and have dropped to 1-5 on the season. Oh, and star quarterback Lamar Jackson has been hurt since Week 4, so there’s that.
Now, the Ravens are taking “focus” to a whole new level after their rough start — the coaches are taking their video games away.
According to the Baltimore Sun’s Sam Cohn (h/t Front Office Sports), the Ravens’ locker room was once home to heated rounds of Super Smash Bros., with players crowding around the console for some friendly competition. But with the team struggling to find its footing, those gaming sessions are officially on pause.
Coaches reportedly made the call after the team began the year 1–3, hoping that cutting distractions would help players refocus. Unfortunately for Baltimore, the move hasn’t paid off just yet. In fact, they’ve lost two straight games since the cable was pulled.
With the Ravens in freefall and dangerously close to falling out of playoff contention for the first time since 2015, some have begun pointing fingers. One “veteran offensive player” was incredibly candid and seemed to blame offensive coordinator Todd Monken, telling The Sun, “It just feels different. I just don’t feel like guys are being put in positions to succeed with this offense.”
Third-year center Tyler Linderbaum was a bit more positive when it came to the Ravens’ immediate future. “We’re going to have to bounce back,” Linderbaum told The Sun. “We have 11 games left to try to run the table.”
I mean, you gotta love the optimism, I guess.
