Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh did not hold back his displeasure regarding the NFL’s decision to move his team’s Week 17 home matchup against the Bengals on Sunday from a 1 p.m. to a 4:25 p.m. kickoff, a game with huge playoff implications.
“I don’t think the NFL did us any favors by moving it back,” Harbaugh told ESPN’s Jamison Hensley on Tuesday. “But they don’t care about us. So, we just have to care about ourselves. We have to take care of our own business. That goes for our team, for our fans and for our city. Let’s go win the football game.”
The Ravens will clinch a place in the playoffs with a victory on Sunday, but a loss to Cincinnati opens the possibility for teams such as the Tennessee Titans, the Los Angeles Chargers, or Buffalo Bills to claim the AFC’s two wild-card spots instead. With the Chargers scheduled to face the Oakland Raiders later in the day, the league pushed the other three teams’ games back more than three hours so that all four teams would be playing at the same time.
Harbaugh expressed concerns that many Baltimore fans will now be unable to attend since the game is starting late in the afternoon on New Year’s Eve. The Ravens have had attendance issues at M&T Bank Stadium throughout the season. Team president Dick Cass sent a letter regarding no-shows to season ticket holders last week.
“I don’t know what their considerations are at the league office, and why they do what they do,” Harbaugh said. “I really don’t care, other than the fact that I hope our fans are OK with it. I hope they’re into it. I hope people get there. The people who have plans, I hope they give their tickets to someone else so they get there. I want the place to be packed and loud.”
Despite the schedule change, Harbaugh said that he expects his team to be prepared and fully focused on Sunday, a chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014 on the line.
“It’s going to take a 100 percent effort [and] everything we have to win this football game,” he told Hensley. “That’s what we plan on getting ready to do. We’d sure like to have our fans out there helping us.”
• Josh Luckenbaugh can be reached at jluckenbaugh@washingtontimes.com.
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