NFL 2021: 5 most disappointing teams this season

NFL 2021: 5 most disappointing teams of the season

NFL 2021: Head coach Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns argues a call during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium on January 09, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Bengals 21-16. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

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NFL: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens looks on from the sidelines during the second quarter in the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on December 26, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Disappointing NFL team #3. Baltimore Ravens (8-9)

John Harbaugh has been the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens since 2008 and has led the club to the playoffs nine times in 14 seasons. He owns a 137-88 regular-season record and owns an 11-8 mark in the playoffs. About a decade ago, the club won Super Bowl XLVII in 2012, holding off his brother Jim and the San Francisco 49ers at the Superdome, 34-31.

The team is a perennial contender and entered 2021 having reached the postseason three consecutive years. And after winning eight of their first 11 games this past season, the Ravens appeared headed to the postseason once again.

But something went wrong in numerous ways as injuries took a big-time toll on this team. The running back corps was decimated during the summer, quarterback Lamar Jackson missed five of the club’s final eight games, and the secondary never recovered from losing cornerback Marcus Peters just before the season.

Defensive coordinator Don Martindale’s unit allowed the most passing yards in the league and was burned for big plays throughout the season.

When it was all said and done, the battered Ravens dropped their final six games (five of those setbacks by three points or less) and finished in the AFC North basement for the first time since 2007 – the season before Harbaugh’s arrival in Baltimore.

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