They went toe-to-toe with the top team in the AFC and were 53 seconds away from a win. But they came up 3 points short.
“Fought like crazy, had a bunch of opportunities to win the game. Fought back into the game. Overcame a lot of adversity, made a lot of good plays,” said Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh.
The 27-24 overtime loss in Kansas City was certainly a gut-punch. But even with the setback the Ravens still remain securely in the playoff race owning the tiebreaker over three other teams for the second wild card spot. They’re also still a half-game behind the Steelers for first place in the AFC North.
“We need to win three games in a row,” said Harbaugh. “We’ve been here before. Let’s do it.”
As far as the quarterback situation is concerned, Joe Flacco has been cleared to play coming back from his hip injury. He wasn’t active against the Chiefs.
What about Sunday against the Buccaneers?
“I think it stands to reason that if Joe is ready to go that he’ll be part of the game plan,” said Harbaugh. “He’s too good a player not to be. So, we’ll just figure that out.”
Something else for this franchise to figure out is Patrick Ricard’s place on the roster.
Over the weekend a series of racist and homophobic tweets written by the Ravens fullback and defensive lineman surfaced. He reportedly sent the tweets, some including the N-word, back in 2011 and 2012.
Ricard apologized following yesterday’s game.
“I was a 16-year-old kid in high school who clearly made bad choices,” he said. “Those words do not reflect who I am today.”
John Harbaugh said the situation will be dealt with internally.
“It’s unacceptable. I don’t care when it happens. He knows that. He said that. He told me that yesterday on the plane coming back, the first time I had a chance to talk to him about it. He’s distraught.”
Harbaugh added that he’ll seek other players’ input as to how to deal with Ricard’s status on the team.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
