Why Harbaugh values Ravens' preseason win streak record originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
With the Orioles mightily struggling with 18 straight losses, Baltimore can take pride in the Ravens tying the all-time NFL record with their 19th straight preseason win on Saturday night.
The Ravens comfortably beat the Panthers, 20-3, to tie Green Bay’s mark of 19-straight preseason wins from 1959-1962. Baltimore’s last preseason loss came ahead of the 2015 season, when the Ravens lost three straight to end preseason and went 5-11 overall.
Since their last preseason loss 2,179 days ago, the Ravens have lost 28 regular-season games, won two AFC North crowns, and overhauled a roster centered around fourth-year All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Aside from the pandemic-altered season last year in which teams did not play any preseason games, the Ravens now have five consecutive unblemished preseason records.
For coach John Harbaugh, he believes that success shouldn’t be discounted as a fluke. Entering his 14th season at the helm, Harbaugh got deeply philosophical on why exactly he cares about the streak on Saturday.
“I mean, there are going to be people that say this doesn’t mean anything, and there are going to be people who look at it and say, ‘Wow, that’s something.’ So, I think everything is something,” he said.
“I’m of the belief that everything has meaning in life. So, I guess you can take two things; nothing has meaning, and everything has meaning. So, if we’re doing it, it’s worth doing, it matters and it’s worth doing well.”
Harbaugh took a step back to look at the big picture with his answer, reminiscing on the young players who made impacts to make this streak possible, pointing to people like former Ravens practice squad QB Josh Woodrum, a current free agent who took the most of his preseason opportunity in 2017.
“So, I feel like the players [and] coaches that were involved all those times,” said Harbaugh. “If you want to look at the big picture of it, all those young players that were out there playing, Josh Woodrum having a game-winning drive, I think. You can go back… Those guys should all take pride in that. All those guys that were part of that over those years should be proud about that tonight because it’s something that only one other team has ever done – the Vince Lombardi Green Bay Packers. I’d say that’s notable.”
It’s also notable that the recent trend of preseason success has correlated well with the Ravens jumping out of the gates in winning fashion to start their regular-season campaigns. Baltimore has won their first two contests in four of the last five seasons since the preseason streak began.
The Ravens will get a chance to notch their 20th win when they take on Washington on Saturday. Pregame coverage starts with Washington Football Kickoff Live at 5 PM on NBC Sports Washington.
