The Baltimore Ravens are an organization that knows a little something about winning at a high level. Since their inaugural season in 1996, the Ravens have won two Super Bowls and six division titles in the always-crowded AFC North. But as things stand with this current version of the team, there's very little deep postseason experience on the roster. This would explain why it's Odell Beckham Jr. who has become the voice that is rallying the troops and reminding the Ravens to a man what exactly they're playing for.
“Let's get ready for this little stretch on the back season man,” Beckham Jr. said while addressing his teammates in the Ravens locker room recently, according to Max Gamarra of Sports Illustrated. “Get this ring, I promise you, I know it's a good feeling to have. I'm just going to remind you.”
The ‘ring' Beckham Jr. is referencing here is a Super Bowl ring, the grand prize that comes at the conclusion of any season. It was only two years ago when Beckham Jr., then a member of the Los Angeles Rams, scored the opening touchdown of Super Bowl LVI on the way to a Rams victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Now Beckham Jr. will lean on his experience with the Rams to try to help Lamar Jackson, John Harbaugh and the Ravens reach the promised land. Right now, Baltimore is locked in a tight race for the #1 seed in the AFC, which would mean a 1st-round bye and home field advantage throughout the postseason up until the Super Bowl, crucial for a team that can run the ball well and dominate defensively, as Baltimore has all year.
Beckham's impact on the field this year — 24 receptions, 374 yards receiving, 2 touchdowns — will likely be minimal compared to what he can do in establishing a collective mindset from the top of the Ravens roster to the bottom, though with Mark Andrews sidelined, it's possible we could see Lamar Jackson rely on the nine-year vet more down the stretch.
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