Baltimore Ravens

Jimmy Smith, the most important Raven besides Joe Flacco?

Published Jun. 24, 2015 2:18 p.m. ET

foxsports

Would the Ravens have made the Super Bowl last year if Jimmy Smith hadn't gone down with a season-ending foot injury?

The answer to that question is a resounding yes, according to Chuck Mills at Baltimore Beatdown. The Ravens finished 10-6 and nearly knocked off the eventual Super Bowl champs in New England. With Smith, Mills believes the Ravens would have been 13-3 and the No. 1 seed in the AFC rather than entering the postseason as a wild card.

Even if the Ravens weren't the top seed, Mills also believes a healthy Smith would've been the difference against the Patriots.

Jimmy Smith would not have been beaten by Brandon LaFell the way Rashaan Melvin was in the AFC Divisional Round. With Jimmy Smith on the field, the Ravens win the AFC Divisional Game and go on to the AFC Championship. And I think that the Ravens, who were able come within four points of beating the Patriots without him, could beat a Colts team that lost to them by 38 points.

There is no doubt that the Ravens secondary took a beating down the stretch in terms of injury and performance. When Baltimore took that 28-14 lead early in the third quarter against the Patriots, it's hard to believe that Smith wouldn't have helped lock things down. Even if you concede the Rob Gronkowski touchdown that made it a one-score game, Ravens fans probably won't need much convincing that Smith's presence would've helped keep the lead in tact.

Instead, we got this, and the rest was history.

Not a non-QB on a Super Bowl contender coming off injury and more important to his team's future success than #Ravens CB Jimmy Smith.
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) June 23, 2015