Odell Beckham Jr. Is Ravens' X-Factor in the Playoffs
The last time Odell Beckham Jr. was in the postseason, he played a significant role in the 2021 Los Angeles Rams winning the Super Bowl. NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks believes the veteran wide receiver could make a similar impact for the Ravens this postseason.
Brooks tabbed Beckham as Baltimore's X-factor.
"The three-time Pro Bowler is a 'bright lights, big stage' performer," Brooks wrote. "The veteran led the Ravens with an average of 16.1 yards per catch this season, proving he remains a serious threat to deliver a big play in the passing game on a crafty double move or catch-and-run concept. With many opponents still uncertain how to best defend Baltimore's multi-faceted attack, OBJ could turn back the clock during the postseason with a sensational run that reminds the football world of his insane playmaking ability in his prime."
The key for Beckham is that he is healthy. After missing the entire 2022 season with a knee injury, he appeared in 14 games this season.
As Brooks alluded, Beckham has delivered some vintage OBJ moments for the Ravens, including a spectacular, 33-yard sideline grab at the 1-yard line two weeks ago against the Miami Dolphins.
On a side note, Beckham and the Ravens have agreed to restructure his contract to remove the void years, according to Russell Street Report salary cap analyst Brian McFarland. The move gives the Ravens some cap relief for 2024 and extends the time to reach an extension, McFarland said.
Eric DeCosta Is Named Pro Football Talk's Executive of the Year
Thanks in large part to how he handled contract negotiations with Lamar Jackson, General Manager Eric DeCosta was named Executive of the Year by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
"The Ravens are the best team in the NFL. They would not be if they hadn't found a way to keep quarterback Lamar Jackson," Florio wrote. "General Manager Eric DeCosta found a way both to keep Jackson and to make him very happy with a fair and appropriate long-term deal. That alone makes DeCosta the 2023 PFT Executive of the Year.
"None of it was easy. For the first time ever, a franchise quarterback negotiated a franchise-level contract on his own, without an agent. For months, DeCosta tiptoed through the minefield, positioning the Ravens for an appropriate contract while not poisoning the relationship in direct dealings with the player.
"Unable for multiple years to get a deal done, DeCosta and the Ravens allowed Lamar's contract to expire. They deftly applied the non-exclusive franchise tag, which allowed Lamar to see what was — and wasn't — out there. No one seriously pursued Lamar (which was a mistake), allowing the Ravens to eventually hammer out a deal that pays Lamar incredibly well and that allowed him to fully focus on being the best player he could be."
Florio also praised DeCosta for drafting wide receiver Zay Flowers, signing undrafted running back Keaton Mitchell, and landing Beckham in free agency.
DeCosta's signing of outside linebackers Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy, wide receiver Nelson Agholor, and cornerbacks Arthur Maulet and Ronald Darby also proved to be shrewd moves.
Ravens Coaching Staff Ranked No. 1 Among Playoff Teams
CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin ranked the coaching staffs (head coach, offensive and defensive coordinator) of all 14 playoff teams, and the Ravens took the No. 1 spot.
"Baltimore has remade its staff over the past two years, and could not possibly have done a better job," Dubin wrote. "[Head Coach John] Harbaugh's willingness to pivot strategies and styles to maximize his roster is his greatest skill, and hiring [Defensive Coordinator Mike] Macdonald and then [Offensive Coordinator Todd] Monken to lead each side of the ball were masterful strokes. Combined with his willingness to press the advantages Lamar Jackson creates, those decisions and the results they've yielded make the Ravens the top staff in the playoffs."
Dubin divided the 14 staffs into five tiers. Joining the Ravens in the "elite" tier were Andy Reid and his staff with the Kansas City Chiefs, and Kyle Shanahan and his staff with the San Francisco 49ers.
Harbaugh 'Still in His Prime' Despite Being Second-Longest-Tenured Head Coach
Speaking of coaches, with Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots mutually agreeing to part ways yesterday after 24 seasons, Harbaugh is now the second-longest tenured head coach in the NFL. Harbaugh, 61, has been with the Ravens for 16 seasons, one season less than Mike Tomlin has been with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Baltimore Banner's Kyle Goon said that what's most remarkable about Harbaugh's longevity is that "he's still in his prime."
"Harbaugh never came in with a reputation for an offensive or defensive genius, and that's turned out to be a strength," Goon wrote. "He is consistent in how he approaches and runs the Ravens on the field, but he can't be pinned down to a single schematic style — an inherent reason he's been able to change with the times. He is fluid, molding and adapting to his roster and the league, which is why the Ravens still feel at the cutting edge of the NFL despite having one of the league's longest-tenured coaches."
When Monken was asked yesterday about what Harbaugh's standout traits are, he said: "Consistency. I think if you said his day-to-day approach, his positive energy, his connection with the team – I've never been around anybody like that in terms of whether we've won [or] whether we've lost in terms of his approach. I think that allows you, when you have a season as long as we do, in terms of sustaining for the long haul."
Majority of Pundits at Sports Illustrated, The Ringer Predict Ravens-49ers Super Bowl
With the playoffs getting underway this weekend, pundits at Sports Illustrated and The Ringer revealed their brackets. Most believe the two No. 1 seeds will make it to the Super Bowl.
All 10 members of Sports Illustrated's staff predicted the same Super Bowl matchup: Ravens vs. 49ers. Despite the Ravens' convincing victory in San Francisco on Christmas night, only three of Sports Illustrated's writers had Baltimore winning the rematch.
Six of The Ringer's eight writers predicted the Ravens will go to the Super Bowl. Five forecasted a Ravens-49ers matchup, with four picking the Ravens to win. One writer predicted the Ravens will beat the Detroit Lions in the Super Bowl.
