Watch Out NFL, the Baltimore Ravens Have a New Secret Weapon

After a close call against the 49ers Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens decided it might be good to have a certain someone on their side. | Source: Patrick Smith/Getty Images/AFP

• Earlier this season, the Pope appeared to throw his support behind the New Orleans Saints on social media.
• While the Saints have lost a game since then, they’re favored to win the NFC.
• After a close call against the 49ers Sunday, the Ravens may have decided it wouldn’t hurt to have the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in their corner.

Heading into last week’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, the Baltimore Ravens had been utterly dominant. For the last month, they had beaten their opponents by an average of more than 30 points a game.

Their smallest margin of victory was a 17-point victory over the New England Patriots—but the score was not indicative of how the game went. The Ravens obliterated the evil genius, Bill Belichick, along with his mighty Patriots.

But then came the game Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. The running game still worked for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, but they struggled in the passing game. Luckily, Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers offense didn’t have a great day, either.

In the end, they won, and that’s all that matters. Fate shined down on the magical foot of Justin Tucker long enough for him to kick a 49-yard field goal as time expired to win the game.

Too Close for Comfort

It was a close one— too close. While the offense and defense have been playing well for most of the season, maybe this was a sign. It has seemed like the Ravens are destined to make the Super Bowl this season. But with how close the game was against the 49ers, maybe they’ll miss out.

After all, they aren’t the only quality team in the NFL. If they happen to face one of those good teams in the playoffs and Lamar Jackson has a rough day, fumbles the ball, or maybe throws an interception, they could lose—and then a magical, special season will become just another year.

So, rather than make any promises and tempt fate or trust that Lamar will not fumble again, maybe it’s time to pull out the big guns, the secret weapon—a little divine intervention, if you will.

Ravens Bribe Pope Francis After Stunning Saints Tweet

Earlier in the season, the Pope appeared to accidentally throw his support behind the New Orleans Saints on social media. Maybe it wasn’t an accident.

With how well the Saints are playing this season, perhaps it helped. How else can you explain Drew Brees missing a handful of games with an injury and the Saints not missing a beat?

Not to be behind the times and miss out on an opportunity, the Ravens decided to cultivate some favor with the leader of the Catholic Church.

During a recent visit with Pope Francis, Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori brought a gift—a custom Ravens jersey autographed by Jackson and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.

It was something the press was sure to ask Harbaugh about during his media session Wednesday:

As if the Ravens needed any more help winning games, right?

So, does this mean the Ravens and Saints are Super Bowl-bound? If so, who is the Pope going to be cheering for?