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2015 Baltimore Ravens season

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2015 Baltimore Ravens season
OwnerStephen Bisciotti
General managerOzzie Newsome
Head coachJohn Harbaugh
Offensive coordinatorMarc Trestman
Defensive coordinatorDean Pees
Home fieldM&T Bank Stadium
Results
Record5–11
Division place3rd AFC North
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersLS Morgan Cox
OLB Elvis Dumervil
P Sam Koch
G Marshal Yanda
Uniform

The 2015 season was the Baltimore Ravens' 20th in the National Football League (NFL) and their eighth under head coach John Harbaugh. Although picked by some, including Sports Illustrated's Peter King, to reach the Super Bowl, they had a disappointing season due to devastating injuries to team starters. 14 of their games were decided by 8 points or less and Joe Flacco, Justin Forsett, Steve Smith, Sr., and Terrell Suggs all suffered season ending injuries. They were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 14 with a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, in which they also suffered their ninth loss, resulting their first losing season in the Harbaugh era and first since the collapse of the Brian Billick era. Ultimately the Ravens finished with a 5–11 record and twenty-two players ended the season on Injured Reserve. The 5–11 record is their worst since the 2007 season.

The Ravens lost to the Falcons, 20–19, in a preseason game on September 3. This is notable because they would go on an NFL-record 24-game winning streak in the preseason afterwards.

2015 draft class

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2015 Baltimore Ravens draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 26 Breshad Perriman  WR Central Florida
2 55 Maxx Williams  TE Minnesota
3 90 Carl Davis  DT Iowa
4 122 Za'Darius Smith *  DE Kentucky
4 125 Javorius Allen  RB USC
4 136 Tray Walker  CB Texas Southern
5 171 Nick Boyle  TE Delaware
5 176 Robert Myers  G Tennessee State
6 204 Darren Waller *  WR Georgia Tech
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Notes

Staff

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2015 Baltimore Ravens staff

Front office

Head coaches

  • Head coach – John Harbaugh
  • Assistant to the head coach – Dan Parsons

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning


Final roster

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2015 Baltimore Ravens roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 24 reserve, 9 practice squad

Preseason

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 13 New Orleans Saints W 30–27 1–0 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
2 August 22 at Philadelphia Eagles L 17–40 1–1 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
3 August 29 Washington Redskins L 13–31 1–2 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
4 September 3 at Atlanta Falcons L 19–20 1–3 Georgia Dome Recap

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 13 at Denver Broncos L 13–19 0–1 Sports Authority Field at Mile High Recap
2 September 20 at Oakland Raiders L 33–37 0–2 O.co Coliseum Recap
3 September 27 Cincinnati Bengals L 24–28 0–3 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
4 October 1 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 23–20 (OT) 1–3 Heinz Field Recap
5 October 11 Cleveland Browns L 30–33 (OT) 1–4 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
6 October 18 at San Francisco 49ers L 20–25 1–5 Levi's Stadium Recap
7 October 26 at Arizona Cardinals L 18–26 1–6 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
8 November 1 San Diego Chargers W 29–26 2–6 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
9 Bye
10 November 15 Jacksonville Jaguars L 20–22 2–7 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
11 November 22 St. Louis Rams W 16–13 3–7 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
12 November 30 at Cleveland Browns W 33–27 4–7 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
13 December 6 at Miami Dolphins L 13–15 4–8 Sun Life Stadium Recap
14 December 13 Seattle Seahawks L 6–35 4–9 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
15 December 20 Kansas City Chiefs L 14–34 4–10 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
16 December 27 Pittsburgh Steelers W 20–17 5–10 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
17 January 3 at Cincinnati Bengals L 16–24 5–11 Paul Brown Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: Denver Broncos 19, Baltimore Ravens 13

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Week One: Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 0 3 10013
Broncos 6 3 7319

at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Game information

The Ravens opened the season in Denver. Joe Flacco and the offense struggled through the entire game. Not only did the Ravens lose 19–13 and start the season 0–1, but they also lost Terrell Suggs to a torn achilles. It was later announced that Suggs would miss the entire 2015 season, jeopardizing the Ravens defense for the rest of the season.

Week 2: Oakland Raiders 37, Baltimore Ravens 33

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Week Two: Baltimore Ravens at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 10 10 01333
Raiders 10 10 10737

at O.co Coliseum, Oakland, California

Game information

With the tough loss, the Ravens dropped to 0–2, the first such start to a season since 2005. The team also dropped to 7–2 all-time against the Raiders. With wins by both the Steelers and the Browns, the Ravens remain in the AFC North basement.

Week 3: Cincinnati Bengals 28, Baltimore Ravens 24

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Week Three: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bengals 7 7 01428
Ravens 0 0 71724

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

With their fourth straight loss to the Bengals, the Ravens dropped to 0–3 and started the season with such a record for the first time in franchise history.

Week 4: Baltimore Ravens 23, Pittsburgh Steelers 20 (OT)

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Week Four: Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Ravens 7 0 76323
Steelers 3 10 70020

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: October 1
  • Game time: 8:26 pm. EDT
  • Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 63,929
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (CBS/NFLN): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Ravens finally produced a win against their archrival the Steelers to improve to 1–3. With the Browns' loss to the Chargers on Sunday, both teams remain in last place in the division.

Week 5: Cleveland Browns 33, Baltimore Ravens 30 (OT)

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Week Five: Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Browns 3 6 714333
Ravens 14 0 79030

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

The Ravens couldn't use the momentum from the Pittsburgh win to beat their division rival the Browns, losing in overtime 33–30, dropping to 1–4 for the first time in franchise history. They fell back to solo last place in the division and also lost their first game to the Browns at home since 2007. Harbaugh and Flacco's records dropped to 13–2 against the Browns as well.

Week 6: San Francisco 49ers 25, Baltimore Ravens 20

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Week Six: Baltimore Ravens at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 0 6 7720
49ers 6 10 3625

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: October 18
  • Game time: 4:25 pm. EDT/1:25 pm. PDT
  • Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), partly sunny
  • Game attendance: 70,799
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon and Jamie Erdahl
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

In a rematch of Super Bowl XLVII, the Ravens' defense was unable to keep up with San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick and their former teammates Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith.

Week 7: Arizona Cardinals 26, Baltimore Ravens 18

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Week Seven: Baltimore Ravens at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 3 7 0818
Cardinals 7 7 6626

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

The Ravens, hoping to stop a five-game losing streak, travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals. The defense struggled to contain the Cardinals explosive receiving corps. Late in the fourth quarter, Joe Flacco attempted to mount a comeback, but an interception in the end zone by the Cardinals sealed the loss. With the loss, the Ravens go to 1–6, tied for the worst record in the league with the Detroit Lions.

Week 8: Baltimore Ravens 29, San Diego Chargers 26

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Week Eight: San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 3 13 7326
Ravens 6 7 61029

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: November 1
  • Game time: 1:02 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C), mostly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 70,829
  • Referee: Gene Steratore
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Ravens were finally able to win a back and forth game, despite a poor showing from the defense, on a game-winning field goal from Justin Tucker. They improved to 2–6, but are still in last place in the AFC North because of their week 5 loss to the Browns.

Already missing Terrell Suggs for the season, the Ravens suffered another setback and this time Steve Smith, Sr. left the game with a ruptured Achilles tendon. The Ravens later announced that the injury will keep him out for the rest of the season.[1]

Week 9: Bye Week

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No game. Baltimore had a bye week.

Week 10: Jacksonville Jaguars 22, Baltimore Ravens 20

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Week Ten: Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jaguars 7 3 3922
Ravens 0 14 0620

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: November 15
  • Game time: 1:05 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 70,837
  • Referee: Pete Morelli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes, Solomon Wilcots and Chris Fischer
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Ravens were on the cusp of victory despite giving up the ball on three consecutive drives by two Joe Flacco interceptions and a Flacco lost fumble. However, on the last play of the game Elvis Dumervil sacked Jaguars QB Blake Bortles by grabbing onto his face mask, putting them into field goal range with one more play, which kicker Jason Myers converted to win the game, sending the Ravens to 2–7. It was later revealed that in fact, the Jaguars had not set before the aforementioned play, in which case they would have been penalized for a false start, and the ensuing ten-second runoff would have ended the game with the Ravens winning 20–19.

Week 11: Baltimore Ravens 16, St. Louis Rams 13

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Week Eleven: St. Louis Rams at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Rams 7 0 6013
Ravens 0 3 01316

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

In another close game, the Ravens finally pulled together a win, despite another 2 missed field goals by Justin Tucker, on a game winning try from 41 yards. All three Ravens wins have now come from game ending scores by Tucker. Late in the first quarter, running back Justin Forsett broke his right arm, ending his season. On the final drive of the game, Flacco suffered a season ending knee injury.[2]

Week 12: Baltimore Ravens 33, Cleveland Browns 27

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Week Twelve: Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 10 7 7933
Browns 0 13 7727

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

  • Date: November 30
  • Game time: 8:30 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 45 °F (7 °C), clear
  • Game attendance: 64,380
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

In another wild game, the Ravens' second string offense, forced into starting roles due to mounting injuries, managed a win against the Browns, avoiding a season sweep which hasn't happened since 2007. The game was won on the last play of regulation, when defensive end Brent Urban blocked a Travis Coons 51-yard field goal attempt, which safety Will Hill returned 64 yards for a touchdown.

Week 13: Miami Dolphins 15, Baltimore Ravens 13

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Week Thirteen: Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 0 3 7313
Dolphins 0 15 0015

at Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

  • Date: December 6
  • Game time: 1:03 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 80 °F (26.7 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 64,519
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, Steve Beuerlein, Steve Tasker, and John Schriffen
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

In another disappointing loss, the Ravens’ offense failed to capitalize on a fantastic defensive performance, with Schaub throwing another pick six along with another interception which also led to Miami's other touchdown. Another Justin Tucker missed field goal from 54 yards was the Ravens’ last chance at a comeback.

Week 14: Seattle Seahawks 35, Baltimore Ravens 6

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Week Fourteen: Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 7 7 71435
Ravens 0 6 006

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

Entering a game in which they were forced to start third-string quarterback Jimmy Clausen, the Ravens were outmaneuvered at every turn against a superior Seahawks team. With the loss, and the wins from the Steelers and the Jets, the Ravens were officially eliminated from postseason contention. The team dropped to 4-9 and faced their first losing season since 2007.

This was the Ravens' first game of the season which was decided by more than one possession as the team's first 12 games were all decided by eight points or less.

Week 15: Kansas City Chiefs 34, Baltimore Ravens 14

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Week Fifteen: Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 14 10 01034
Ravens 7 7 0014

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: December 20
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 41 °F (5 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 70,791
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon and Chris Fischer
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Ravens unexpectedly wore gold pants for this game. This drew criticism from their fan base and it hasn’t been used since.

Week 16: Baltimore Ravens 20, Pittsburgh Steelers 17

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Week Sixteen: Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 3 7717
Ravens 7 6 0720

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: December 27
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C), overcast
  • Game attendance: 71,261
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

With the win, the Ravens improved to 5–10, and they swept the Steelers for the first time since their 2011 season.

Week 17: Cincinnati Bengals 24, Baltimore Ravens 16

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Week Seventeen: Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Ravens 0 9 0716
Bengals 0 7 14324

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: January 3, 2016
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 35 °F (2 °C), mostly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 57,254
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis and Tony Siragusa
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Ravens suffered their fifth straight loss to the Bengals, this time led by second year quarterback A. J. McCarron, who threw two touchdowns while Ravens starter Ryan Mallett was intercepted twice. The loss dropped the Ravens to 5–11, their worst record since their 2007 season. This was the final game for cornerback Tray Walker, as he died on March 18, 2016.

Standings

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Division

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AFC North
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(3) Cincinnati Bengals 12 4 0 .750 5–1 9–3 419 279 W1
(6) Pittsburgh Steelers 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 423 319 W1
Baltimore Ravens 5 11 0 .313 3–3 4–8 328 401 L1
Cleveland Browns 3 13 0 .188 1–5 2–10 278 432 L3

Conference

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# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division Leaders
1[a] Denver Broncos West 12 4 0 .750 4–2 8–4 .500 .479 W2
2[a] New England Patriots East 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 .473 .448 L2
3[a] Cincinnati Bengals North 12 4 0 .750 5–1 9–3 .477 .406 W1
4 Houston Texans South 9 7 0 .563 5–1 7–5 .496 .410 W3
Wild Cards
5 Kansas City Chiefs West 11 5 0 .688 5–1 10–2 .496 .432 W10
6[b] Pittsburgh Steelers North 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 .504 .463 W1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[b] New York Jets East 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 .441 .388 L1
8[c] Buffalo Bills East 8 8 0 .500 4–2 7–5 .508 .438 W2
9[c] Indianapolis Colts South 8 8 0 .500 4–2 6–6 .500 .406 W2
10 Oakland Raiders West 7 9 0 .438 3–3 7–5 .512 .366 L1
11 Miami Dolphins East 6 10 0 .375 1–5 4–8 .469 .469 W2
12[d] Jacksonville Jaguars South 5 11 0 .313 2–4 5–7 .473 .375 L3
13[d] Baltimore Ravens North 5 11 0 .313 3–3 4–8 .508 .425 L1
14 San Diego Chargers West 4 12 0 .250 0–6 3–9 .527 .328 L2
15[e] Cleveland Browns North 3 13 0 .188 1–5 2–10 .531 .271 L3
16[e] Tennessee Titans South 3 13 0 .188 1–5 1–11 .492 .375 L4
Tiebreakers[f]
  1. ^ a b c Denver finished ahead of New England and Cincinnati for the No. 1 seed based on head-to-head sweep. New England finished ahead of Cincinnati for the No. 2 seed based
    on record vs. common opponents — New England's cumulative record against Buffalo, Denver, Houston and Pittsburgh was 4–1, while Cincinnati's cumulative record against
    the same four teams was 2–3.
  2. ^ a b Pittsburgh finished ahead of the New York Jets for the No. 6 seed and qualified for the last playoff spot based on record vs. common opponents — Pittsburgh's cumulative
    record against Cleveland, Indianapolis, New England and Oakland was 4–1, while the Jets' cumulative record against the same four teams was 3–2.
  3. ^ a b Buffalo finished ahead of Indianapolis based on head-to-head victory.
  4. ^ a b Jacksonville finished ahead of Baltimore based on head-to-head victory.
  5. ^ a b Cleveland finished ahead of Tennessee based on head-to-head victory.
  6. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

References

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  1. ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (November 1, 2015). "Steve Smith out for season with torn Achilles". NFL.com. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  2. ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (November 22, 2015). "Ravens' Flacco (torn ACL), Forsett (arm) out for year". NFL.com. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
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