Ravens Getting Super Bowl Love From Pundits
With the start of the NFL season just days away, it's prediction time for the pundits.
The Ravens are widely regarded as a playoff team and some prognosticators have them making it to the Super Bowl. Here's a look at the most recent batch of Super Bowl predictions involving the Ravens:
The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz: "Ravens 31, Packers 20: I realize how foolish it is to pick against Mahomes and the Chiefs. I vowed last season to never pick against Kansas City as long as Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are on the team — but I'm breaking the vow. Give me the Ravens over the Packers in the Super Bowl. Baltimore was the NFL's best team last season, and one somewhat flukey result in last year's playoffs doesn't change that. Lamar wins his first ring, and we never have to hear questions about his passing prowess again."
NFL.com’s Tom Blair: "Ravens over Lions. Detroit rolls in on a playoff hot streak, while Baltimore makes it via a series of nail-biters — only for Lamar Jackson to pull the rug out from under the Lions with a dramatic come-from-behind win."
NFL.com's Marc Ross: "Ravens over Packers. Lamar Jackson finally silences his critics, overcoming his previous playoff failures by first ending the Patrick Mahomes/Chiefs three-peat bid in the AFC Championship Game and then holding off a future Super Bowl champ in Jordan Love."
NFL.com's Matt Okada: "Lions over Ravens. Lamar Jackson ends Kansas City's bid at a three-peat in the AFC title game but falls to America's New Team, the Detroit Lions, on an overtime TD pass to Jameson Williams."
Analytics Experts Split on Whether Ravens or Bengals Win AFC North
As noted in yesterday’s Late for Work, the analytics experts are publishing their projections for the 2024 season. Here are the latest forecasts for the Ravens:
NFL.com's Cynthia Frelund: "Projected AFC North champions. Wins: 10.5. Ceiling: 12.4. Floor: 8.3. Projected AFC North champions. The Ravens' ceiling might look lower than you'd expect, but that is because the AFC North is my toughest-rated division this season (meaning more in-division games are closer to 50/50 contests) and Baltimore plays the first-place schedule, where its three unique opponents were all first-place finishers in their respective divisions last season, as opposed to cellar dwellers (this is part of why the Bengals slide ahead of the Browns and the Steelers)."
ESPN’s Seth Walder: "The Bengals seize the AFC North from the Ravens. Fresh off Lamar Jackson's MVP campaign in 2023, the Baltimore Ravens looked to be the class of a strong AFC North entering 2024. But Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow reminded the NFL why he's considered one of the league's best quarterbacks. Burrow led a voracious passing attack that saw wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase surpass 1,500 yards and Tee Higgins add another 1,100. Burrow finished in the top five in QBR for the first time, and the Bengals took the division at 11-6 on a tiebreaker over Baltimore via a better division record (they split their head-to-head matchups). Each team got a playoff win, too, with the Bengals taking care of the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-19 in the wild-card round, while the Ravens went on the road to defeat the dangerous Houston Texans 27-24. But a third meeting between the two AFC North rivals was not in the cards, as they were both vanquished in the divisional round in this simulation."
Bold Predictions Include Ravens Reaching Elite Rushing Mark, Trading for Pro Bowl Edge Rusher
You say you want more predictions? OK, here are some self-described bold ones for the 2024 Ravens.
Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema sees the Ravens rushing for 3,000 yards (again).
"When the Ravens lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game last year, it felt like they got away from their identity too much as one of the most dominant rushing teams in the league," Sikkema wrote. "The coaches will remember that throughout 2024. Baltimore has rushed for more than 3,000 yards as a team twice in recent history — in 2019 and 2020. They should get back to that again this season with Derrick Henry in the backfield and Lamar Jackson reportedly lighter and faster."
There have been five 3,000-yard rushing seasons in NFL history, and the Ravens are the only team to accomplish the feat twice. The 2019 Ravens own the record with 3,296 yards, and the 2020 Ravens are fourth with 3,071 yards.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine predicted trades that could happen over the next few months. Among them is the Ravens acquiring two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Haason Reddick from the New York Jets.
"The Jets find themselves in a bit of a mess with the 29-year-old edge rusher," Ballentine wrote. "They traded a conditional third-round pick for him in April, but he has yet to report with the team, holding out for a new contract. According to ESPN's Rich Cimini, the Jets are hesitant about giving Reddick a contract extension and would prefer to sweeten his current contract which expires at the end of the season. Thus far, it doesn't look like that's a satisfactory conclusion for Reddick. He'll turn 30 in September so it makes sense that he would want to get more long-term security while he still has some leverage and age on his side.
"It's a stand still that doesn't seem to have a positive end in sight. Trading him to a team that is willing to give him an extension might be the best way forward. The Ravens should be on the short list of teams who would be willing to do that. They are coming off of a great season in 2023, but they have a clear need for an edge rusher. Perhaps exchanging an unproven young player like David Ojabo for someone who can help right away would be appealing."
Adding a proven edge rusher such as Reddick is enticing, especially with Jadeveon Clowney having departed in free agency this offseason. However, the Ravens' cap situation would make it difficult to give Reddick the lucrative contract he seeks.
As for trading Ojabo, that also seems unlikely. The 2022 second-round pick is finally healthy and could be poised for a breakout season.
