The Baltimore Ravens will be without a handful of key players during their trip to Cincinnati on Sunday, which reminded DC Don “Wink” Martindale of the popular Netflix series “Squid Games”.
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The Ravens’ game against the Bengals this weekend will have huge implications in the AFC North title race. Both teams are currently tied in first place as they both have an 8-6 record thus far.
Obviously, winning on Sunday would be a huge boost for either team, who would then be a game ahead with only two weeks left to go in the regular season. Unfortunately for the Ravens, however, they’ll not only be playing in front a tough crowd at the Paul Brown Stadium, but they’ll also be fielding a largely depleted squad.
This is especially true for their defense. 11 of Baltimore’s defensive players are on the Injured Reserve and another nine are on the reserve/COVID-19 list. If you took a snapshot of the roster at week 1 and then another on Sunday’s game, it would look like two completely different teams.
At least, that’s the way Ravens’ DC Don Martindale feels. “If you go from the beginning of the season with our roster to right now, I don’t know if we are playing football or the Squid Games,” he said, comparing his team’s situation to a popular Korean TV series where contestants are brutally eliminated when they lose children’s games. “I mean, It’s crazy how things have changed so much.”
Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale told an assistant yesterday: “You go from the beginning of the season with our roster to right now, and I don’t know if we’re playing football or the Squid Game.”
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) December 23, 2021
Don Martindale is still confident that the Baltimore Ravens can walk away with the win
Despite having the cards stacked against them, Martindale isn’t looking for any excuses. He believes in the quality of the team assembled in Baltimore and now has no choice but to hope that his fringe players make the most of their opportunity.
“Everybody knows the standard when they walk in this building,” he said. “Like I said before, the personnel department led by [general manager] Eric [DeCosta], [director of player personnel] George [Kokinis] and [director of player personnel] Joe [Hortiz], I think they selected the right guys to be here. We just got to play catch up with them.”
