Marlon Humphrey isn't too impressed by his Ravens' best-in-the-NFL 14-2 season — not after it came skidding to a halt Saturday in Baltimore courtesy of the wildcard Titans.
The Titans waltzed into enemy territory as the No. 6 seed and upset the AFC North-winning Ravens in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs, earning a trip to the AFC Championship game in the process. For the Ravens, it's a wrap. Forget 14-2, forget Lamar Jackson's MVP-caliber season. It's over — one and done in the postseason for a second straight year — and Humphrey is none too pleased.
Marlon Humphrey pulled no punches after the Ravens' season came to an abrupt end. pic.twitter.com/TZBV8R5Oh8
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 12, 2020
Gotta respect the blunt honesty here — and it got even more critical when Humphrey was asked how this year's Ravens will be remembered.
"As losers, I guess," Humphrey said. "We kind of just lost. So, that’s how I would remember it."
Humphrey's Ravens had zero answers for the Titans' Derrick Henry Saturday, giving up 195 yards on the ground — a 6.5-yard-per-carry clip — while also getting fooled on a little trickery at the goal line:
DERRICK HENRY JUST THREW THE PERFECT JUMP PASS.
What can't he do?! #Titans #NFLPlayoffs @KingHenry_2
?: #TENvsBAL on CBS
?: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app
Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/81PYwJcw9t pic.twitter.com/9paFSVZqq6
— NFL (@NFL) January 12, 2020
Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill added two more touchdowns despite throwing just 14 passes (completing seven of them) for 88 yards.
Making matters worse for the Ravens and their fans ... Humphrey has a point here.
The team has won one playoff game in the past seven years, defeating the Steelers, 30-17, back in 2014. For an even more stark depiction of how things have tailed off for the team in recent years, consider this: John Harbaugh won at least one playoff game in each of his first five seasons, winning it all in 2012 in Super Bowl XLVII.
Immediately following that Super Bowl win, the skid began. That's one long championship hangover. The Steelers, for some divisional reference, have three playoff wins during that same stretch, while the Bengals and Browns — OK, OK. I can't even finish that thought. Those two teams have two playoff wins ... combined ...
... since 1990.
So yeah.
Conspiracy theorists, of course, will point to something besides choking, as Humphrey put it, for this most recent Ravens defeat:
Birthday wishes from Drizzy for ?@Lj_era8 Via @Drake pic.twitter.com/vX4tBdSn3R
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 7, 2020
That's Drake showing love to the Ravens and Jackson, which, of course, is a curse in the world of sports. In short, if Drake endorses your team, they're about to lose, just as the Ravens did.
Even Earl Thomas had something to say about that one in the wake of the defeat:
The drake curse is real lol jk
— Earl Thomas (@Earl_Thomas) January 12, 2020
Bad as it was on the field for these Ravens, plenty of fans and players still have hope in Jackson and the crew as they move forward — including former players.
Lamar had a incredible season. MVP. Changed the game for QBs. He will win a SB one day......
— Eric Weddle (@weddlesbeard) January 12, 2020
A nice sentiment there, Eric Weddle. It just won't be this year.
