NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
The Baltimore Ravens entered their bye week earlier this season 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 joint owners of the AFC North lead heading into a Thanksgiving night game at home against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Only four NFL teams have been able to overcome a 1-5 start to the season and make the playoffs, but the Ravens are able to make it five.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Ronnie Stanley of the Baltimore Ravens in action in the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on November 16, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images)
Ravens’ All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanely spoke to Pakinomist Digital after a 23-10 win over the New York Jets on Sunday, where he said there really is no secret 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 MAKE ‘FANTASTIC HISTORY’ DESPITE 1-5 START TO SEASON
Stanley’s comments about his team’s up-and-down season in 2025 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 Pakinomist Digital at the time. “But if there is anyone [team] who can do it, it’s us. I think that’s the mindset that everyone in this building has right now. Obviously, players, coaches, fans, everyone who supports us is disappointed with the results we’ve had to this point in the season.”
Hamilton knew the Ravens had 11 guaranteed games left on the schedule then, and they certainly needed to reset during the bye week before coming 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 off the bye, Jackson has led the offense since then during this winning streak.
Ronnie Stanley of the Baltimore Ravens lines up before the snap during an NFL football wild card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Still, the Ravens’ offense hasn’t quite looked like itself in Jackson’s return. Even Stanley noted that there is more that the Ravens can do, but they are piling up the wins necessary to keep the playoff dream alive.
And it’s not just the playoffs. Stanley knows that what drives Jackson is what drives the rest of the franchise.
“His drive is to win a Super Bowl. That’s the only thing. He kind of has tunnel vision about it and that’s been it,” he said of his quarterback.
It’s a short week for the Ravens now, and quarterback Joe Burrow is expected to finally return to the Bengals’ offense after recovering from a turf toe injury that required surgery to repair earlier this season. Baltimore has seen Cincinnati’s defense be a struggling bunch, but things change when Burrow is back in the mix, especially when they haven’t met this season.
Fox One/Fox Nation special promotion. (Pakinomist)
“There’s a lot to look forward to. It’s a divisional game, it’s a divisional 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 teamed up with USAA, the NFL’s official “Salute to Service” partner, to reveal his custom cleats he wore on Sunday through a content piece titled “My Paws My Cleats.”
It tells the story of the 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 raise awareness for those veterans in need of a companion.
In the video, Stanley helps shine a spotlight on the organizations as he spends time with three local veterans at the Ravens’ facility to hear their personal stories and how important their service dogs are in their lives, both mentally and physically.
Baltimore Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley wore these special cleats to raise awareness of K9s for the Warriors and his Ronnie Stanley Foundation as part of the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” initiative. (USAA)
“It was very cool. It was a perfect marriage with so many similarities to what they do and what I do with my foundation,” explained Stanley, whose father served in the Air Force.
“It was very touching to hear some of the personal trauma that they went through, how much it affected them when they came back and what they went through and are still going through. Also how much they benefited from the service dogs that were made available to them and how much it helped them and gave them a positive companion going forward.”
