Ravens' Odds to Win AFC North Soar After Steelers' Shocking Loss to Browns
The Ravens' AFC North title hopes are brighter today after what transpired on a snowy night in Cleveland.
With the Browns' 24-19 upset of the Steelers (8-3), the Ravens (7-4) are now a slight favorite to win the division heading into their Monday night game at the Los Angeles Chargers, according to The New York Times' playoff simulator.
The Steelers' loss to the Browns ended their five-game winning streak and takes at least some of the sting out of the Ravens' frustrating defeat in Pittsburgh this past Sunday.
Here's Pittsburgh's remaining schedule:
- Week 13 @ Bengals
- Week 14 vs. Browns
- Week 15 @ Eagles
- Week 16 @ Ravens
- Week 17 vs. Chiefs
- Week 18 vs. Bengals
Pundit Says Ravens Should Be Favorite to Win Super Bowl If They Correct Penalty, Coverage Issues
There are five teams ahead of Baltimore in the current AFC playoff seeding, but The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz still believes the Ravens are the best team in the conference.
"I can't quit this team," Ruiz wrote. "It's too talented, and its flaws — the offensive line is getting penalized to hell, and the secondary can't defend a deep ball — can be easily fixed. Which makes it all the more frustrating that we're this far into the season and they haven't been fixed. Even with those flaws, though, and the fact that they've cost Baltimore four games, the team's statistical profile suggests that it's the best in the conference.
"The Ravens are second in the NFL in DVOA, behind Detroit. They're first in offensive DVOA and EPA. They have the league's best run defense, and rank third in sacks. If Baltimore can sort out the penalty and coverage issues before January, it should be considered the favorite to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February."
Ruiz thinks it's "highly likely" the Ravens will improve in those two areas.
"These things tend to sort themselves out over a larger sample size," Ruiz wrote. "For instance, defensive performance against deep passes is highly susceptible to statistical volatility and can fluctuate wildly. Baltimore currently ranks 31st in EPA allowed on deep targets (over 15 air yards), but over the past five seasons, there's been little correlation between how a defense performed against the deep ball in the first half of the season and how it performed over the second half.
"As was the case with deep pass coverage, team penalty tallies over the first half of a season tell us little about how many they'll rack up in the second half. The correlation is stronger than it is for deep coverage, but it's still fairly weak."
Ruiz reiterated a point other pundits have made about the Ravens: the only team that can beat them is themselves.
"If you can look past the penalties and coverage busts, there's a lot to like about this team," Ruiz wrote. "With Derrick Henry in the fold as another explosive layer to the run game, the offense is more versatile than ever. Lamar Jackson is playing the best ball of his career and has performed well even in Baltimore's losses. The run defense is also the best it's been in years.
"This team ran Buffalo off the field, swept the Bengals, and nearly beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead. Its highs have been higher than those of any other team in the conference. Its lows have been pretty low, too, but the Ravens have everything they need to finally run the table in January … if they can just get out of their own way."
Jackson Has Debunked Myth About Him As a Passer
Jackson has been proving his critics wrong throughout his career. Over the past two seasons specifically, he has debunked the myth that he is not a pocket quarterback, ESPN's Aaron Schatz noted.
"There are plenty of highlight videos across the internet referring to the Ravens' superstar quarterback as 'king of the scrambles,'" Schatz wrote. "Jackson leads all quarterbacks with 584 rushing yards. But he's much more than that.
"Jackson's ability to scramble hides the fact he's stellar when passing from the pocket. He's the best pocket passer in the NFL this season by DVOA (53.3% above average) and EPA (0.35 EPA per play). He has completed 72% of his passes from the pocket for a league-leading 9.5 yards per attempt. This is not a one-year fluke, either. Last season, he completed 69% of passes from the pocket while averaging 7.9 yards per attempt."
Ravens Select Edge Rusher, Guard, and Cornerback in Three-Round Mock Draft
Pro Football’s Gordon McGuinness conducted a three-round Ravens mock draft. He has Baltimore selecting Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr. at No. 24 overall.
"One of the Ravens' weaknesses on defense is their inability to consistently win off the edge, and former first-round draft pick Odafe Oweh is heading into the final year of his rookie contract in 2025," McGuinness wrote. "Pearce Jr. has the pass-rushing production to develop into a star in the NFL and could make an impact right away in Baltimore."
In the second and third rounds, McGuiness mocked Georgia guard Tate Ratledge and Kansas State cornerback Jacob Parrish, respectively, to the Ravens.
- Fox Sports sideline reporter Erin Andrews fears the raven.
