The Baltimore Ravens looked like an unstoppable force heading into the playoffs—blowing teams out, flexing their dominance, and making it seem like they were finally ready to break through. But when it mattered most, they fell flat. The same squad that steamrolled opponents all season couldn’t get it done when the pressure was on. And while fans and analysts debated what went wrong, one Ravens star kept it real—this wasn’t about missing pieces; this was about not showing up when it counted.

Safety Kyle Hamilton didn’t sugarcoat anything during his appearance on The Mina Kimes Show. Instead of pointing to roster holes or bad luck, he made it clear the Ravens had no excuse for coming up short. “We have everything you want to win a championship,” he said. “It’s just we haven’t been playing well when we got to the point that we need to win.” That’s a pretty direct way of saying the talent was there—the execution wasn’t. While he didn’t call out Lamar Jackson or anyone specifically, it’s hard not to read between the lines. If a team this stacked keeps falling short, the blame has to fall somewhere.

Hamilton also admitted that Baltimore’s habit of blowing teams out might have backfired. Since they rarely played from behind, they weren’t prepared when they had to fight their way back into the playoffs. A slow start on defense, some costly offensive turnovers, and suddenly, the Ravens were in a bad spot against Buffalo. They had the firepower to win, but they just didn’t execute. Hamilton made it clear—both sides of the ball dropped the ball, and now they have to live with it.

At the end of the day, this Ravens team isn’t missing much in terms of talent. The foundation is there, but the real challenge is proving they can step up when the moment gets big. They’ve built a contender, but until they figure out how to deliver when the stakes are high, all that potential won’t mean much.

The Ravens pulled a major heist on the Chiefs

The Baltimore Ravens just finessed one of the Chiefs‘ key defensive coaches, and yeah, it’s kind of a big deal. Donald D’Alesio, who’s been helping shape Kansas City’s secondary into one of the best in the league, is now heading to Baltimore as their new defensive backs coach. Basically, John Harbaugh saw an opportunity to level up his defense and said, bet. Meanwhile, Andy Reid just took another L in the never-ending struggle to keep his coaching staff intact.

D’Alesio’s glow-up in the coaching world has been real. He started as a defensive back at Youngstown State, then grinded his way up through coaching, eventually landing with LSU before the Chiefs picked him up in 2021. Since then, he’s been helping develop some absolute dogs in KC’s secondary—Trent McDuffie, Justin Reid, and L’Jarius Sneed, just to name a few. Now, the Ravens are hoping he can bring that same magic to their squad, which already has studs like Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey.

Top Comment by Ladybug

The Ravens coach needs to go too!

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But let’s be real—this move isn’t just about coaching. It’s a chess move. The Chiefs’ defense went from being their biggest liability to a straight-up problem for opposing QBs, and D’Alesio was a big part of that. Baltimore saw what was happening and decided to snag some of that KC sauce for themselves. Plus, you just know this dude has some inside info on how Spagnuolo and the Chiefs operate. If these two teams clash in the playoffs, don’t be shocked if the Ravens suddenly seem one step ahead.

As for the Chiefs, losing assistants is just part of life when you’re at the top. Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo will figure it out like they always do, but losing D’Alesio to a conference rival? That one’s gotta sting a little. The AFC arms race is heating up, and the Ravens just made a move that could lowkey come back to haunt the Chiefs when it matters most.