The Baltimore Ravens entered their bye week earlier this season at rock bottom by their standards. They were 1-5 after six games with their playoff hopes hanging in the balance.
After their fifth straight win since then, the Ravens are now tied for the AFC North lead heading into a Thanksgiving night game at home against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Only four NFL teams have overcome a 1-5 start to a season and make the playoffs, and the Ravens are in a position to make it five.
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Ravens' All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanely talked to Fox News Digital following a 23-10 victory over the New York Jets Sunday, saying there really is no secret sauce to getting the season back on track.
This is Ravens football.
"I think it's just playing to our standard and not forgetting who we are and not forgetting what that standard is," Stanley said while also discussing his My Cause My Cleats initiative this year with K9s For Warriors and his Ronnie Stanley Foundation.
RAVENS STAR KYLE HAMILTON FEELS TEAM CAN STILL WRITE 'GREAT STORY' DESPITE 1-5 START TO SEASON
Stanley's comments on his team's up-and-down 2025 season echo what safety Kyle Hamilton had to say after the last time Baltimore lost, a Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
"Obviously, we're not in the position we wanted to be in as a team," Hamilton told Fox News Digital at the time. "But if there's any [team] that can do it, it's us. I think that's the mindset everybody in this building has right now. Obviously, players, coaches, fans, anybody who supports us is disappointed in the results we've had to this point in the season."
Hamilton knew that the Ravens had at least 11 games left on the schedule then, and they had to reset during the bye week before getting back after it.
The bye week also seemed to come at a perfect time, allowing two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and others to get healthy. While the Ravens relied on Tyler Huntley to beat the Chicago Bears coming out of the bye, Jackson has led the offense during this winning streak.
Still, the Ravens' offense hasn't quite looked like itself in Jackson's return. Even Stanley noted there's more the Ravens can be doing, but they're stacking wins necessary to keep their playoff dream alive.
And it's not just the playoffs. Stanley knows that what drives Jackson is what's driving the rest of the franchise.
"His drive is to win a Super Bowl. That's the only thing. He's kinda tunnel vision on that, and that's been it," he said of his quarterback.
It's a short week for the Ravens, and it's expected quarterback Joe Burrow is finally making his return to the Bengals' offense. Burrow has recovered from a turf toe injury that required surgery earlier this season. Baltimore has seen Cincinnati's defense struggle, but things do change when Burrow is back in the mix, especially when the teams haven't faced each other yet this season.
"There's lots to look forward to. It's a division game, it's a division game we haven't played yet. It's going to be a physical game. It's going to be a tough game," Stanley said.
HELPING THOSE WHO SERVE US
Stanley partnered with USAA, the official Salute to Service partner of the NFL, to unveil his custom cleats he wore Sunday through a piece titled My Paws My Cleats.
It tells the story of inspiration behind his cleats this year. K9s for Warriors, an organization that pairs service dogs with veterans in the Baltimore community, and his Ronnie Stanley Foundation, whose mission is to improve the quality of life for rescue dogs and individuals in need, teamed up to bring awareness to those veterans in need of a companion.
In the video, Stanley helps spotlight the organizations while spending time with three veterans at the Ravens' training center to hear their personal stories and how important their service dogs are in their lives, both mentally and physically.
"It was very cool. It was a perfect marriage with so many similarities to what they do and what I do with my foundation," Stanley, whose father served in the Air Force, explained.
"It was very touching to be able to hear some of those personal traumas that they went through, how much it affected them when they got back and what they went through and are still going through. Also, how much benefit they got from the service dogs that were provided for them and how much that helped them and gave them a positive companion moving forward."
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