The Ravens are the unquestioned champions of the NFL’s most pointless time. Now sitting at 21-0 in the preseason, Baltimore has surpassed the longest preseason winning streak in NFL history — held by the Green Bay Packers from 1959-62.
The Ravens are the greatest preseason team in the NFL and nobody is close
This is the NFL’s most pointless win streak.
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Okay, I know — this “record” is kind of hilarious. It’s the absolute most pointless, hollow victory to flaunt. It’s like saying your restaurant is amazing when nobody is there, but the food is awful when it’s packed. In any event, the Ravens extended their preseason streak to 21-0 on Thursday night with a win over the Titans, and this all truly proves how meaningless preseason is.
The long-held belief is that preseason performance should somehow be indicative of future prospects. It holds that a 4-0 preseason team could be a force when the games matter. Let’s see how that looks since Baltimore’s streak began, shall we?
2016
The Ravens go 4-0 in preseason. Great expectations are born.
They finish the regular season 8-8. A total of 14 games are decided by 8 points or less.
2017
The Ravens go 4-0 in preseason. Great expectations are born.
They finish the regular season 9-7.
2018
The Ravens go 4-0 in preseason after winning the Hall of Fame game, along with their ordinary slate. Great expectations are born.
They finish 10-6, largely due to Lamar Jackson taking over at QB and becoming a phenom.
2019
The Ravens go 4-0 in preseason. Great expectations are born.
This time it really pays off! Baltimore finish 14-2 and Lamar Jackson is the MVP of the NFL.
2020
The Ravens go 4-0 in preseason. Great expectations are born.
The team takes a step back, finishing 11-5 and once again being eliminated in the divisional playoff round.
2021
The Ravens go 4-0 in preseason. Great expectations are born.
The team takes another step back to 8-9.
What does all this mean?
Nothing! See how fun this is? Over five years the Ravens went 20-0 in preseason and then combined for 60-37. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of teams would kill for this record — but no season did the preseason really foreshadow future success.
So, remember this when the Ravens once again go 4-0 this year. It probably means nothing.
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