Strength – Rushing defense

The Ravens finished No. 1 in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game at 84.5. Only two teams over the past three seasons have been better – the 2019 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 2020 Bucs. It wasn't just that teams were airing out against the Ravens' weakened pass defense either. Baltimore finished third in average yards allowed per carry at 3.8. It's a particularly impressive showing considering Derek Wolfe didn't play all year, Brandon Williams missed four games and Calais Campbell sat out a pair and hardly played in two others. Though the Ravens struggled with their pass defense, their stingy run defense proved huge in making them one of the league's best third-down defenses, as they were particularly stout in third-and-short situations and often forced opponents into second- and third-and-long situations.

Weakness – Pass defense

Baltimore ranked last in the league, allowing 278.9 yards per game. Injuries played a massive role in this, with Marcus Peters missing the entire year, Marlon Humphrey out the last five games and DeShon Elliott only suiting up for six. Chuck Clark was the only Week 1 starter who made it through the year. Even with that said, the Ravens still had way too many coverage breakdowns even when most of the pieces were together. Humphrey also had some blips early in the year, getting beat for long plays in one-on-one coverage. Anthony Averett stepped up and played pretty well for the most part, though he also had some costly broken assignments.

Strength – Rushing offense

The Ravens lost J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards before the start of the year, yet still finished third in the league in rushing yards per game (145.8) and fifth in yards per carry (4.8). Baltimore cobbled together a running back group from veteran free agents Devonta Freeman, Latavius Murray and Le'Veon Bell and had to integrate them all into a complex run scheme on the fly. Much of Baltimore's success can be attributed to having the best rushing quarterback of all-time, Lamar Jackson, but even he missed the final four games. Tyler Huntley offers help in that area, too. Overall, the Ravens' run game success wasn't up to its previous record-breaking standards, but it was impressive considering the circumstances.

Weakness – Turnover differential

Only four teams had a worse turnover differential than the Ravens' minus-11. It was the team's worst mark since 2015, when they were minus-14 and had a 5-11 record. Lamar Jackson threw the most interceptions of his young career (13) despite missing four games and only four teams threw more picks overall. On the other side, only two teams (the Jets and Jaguars) had fewer takeaways than the Ravens' 15. The "Fruit Punch" didn't materialize in 2021 and Anthony Averett led the team with three interceptions.

Strength – Pass Catchers

The receiving weapons have been a point of consternation around Baltimore for forever. This year, the Ravens had one of the best performances from their outside weapons in memory. Tight end Mark Andrews led the way with a monster season (107 receptions, 1,361 yards, nine touchdowns) that ranked among the best ever at his position and new Ravens' new single-season marks. Marquise Brown logged the Ravens' first 1,000-yard season for a wide receiver since Mike Wallace in 2006. Rookie first-round pick Rashod Bateman missed the entire preseason and first five games, but still made a good impression the rest of the way and second-year wide receivers Devin Duvernay and James Proche II also made the most of their opportunities.

Weakness – Pass rush

The Ravens are a team that likes to pressure a lot with blitzes, yet they didn't get home as much as they would like. Sacks aren't everything, but the Ravens' 34 ranked 22nd in the NFL. The Ravens were tied for 26th sack percentage (sacks/passes attempted) at 5.2%. Baltimore was better in terms of quarterback hits, ranking tied for 13th. Pressure is designed to force quick throws, which is part of the reason why the Ravens were so good on third down. However, pressure is also meant to force splash plays in the form of sacks and turnovers and it didn't get many of either. Tyus Bowser led the team with seven sacks, followed by Odafe Oweh (5.0) and Justin Houston (4.5). Nobody else had more than two.

Strength – Special teams

The Ravens were the top special teams unit in the league, per Football Outsiders' analysis. Justin Tucker was yet again the best kicker in the league, voted to a fifth Pro Bowl after connecting on 35 of 37 field goal attempts, including a record-setting 66-yard game-winner in Detroit. Devin Duvernay was voted to the Pro Bowl as the top punt returner in the league with a 13.8-yard average. A blocked field goal against the Colts was huge in a comeback win.

Weakness – Slow Starts, Strong Finishes

The Ravens offense was sixth in the league in total yards. It gained the fifth-most first downs in the NFL. Yet, Baltimore finished 17th in scoring (22.8 points per game). A big issue was slow starts, which often put the Ravens behind early, even in some of their comeback wins. Baltimore finished 25th in first-quarter scoring, averaging 3.0 points per game. Late in the season, the primary problem was finishing, as they squandered multiple red-zone opportunities, failed on two two-point conversion opportunities to win and scored just one offensive touchdown in the final two games.

Strength – Depth

The Ravens' injuries certainly tested the team's depth, and the fact that they were competitive in every single game except two speaks to how well Baltimore's reserves stepped up, how well the front office did in plugging the holes, and how well the coaches did in getting them ready. The Ravens lost five of their last six games by a combined eight points, despite a roster that ended the year with 19 players on injured reserve, including eight starters and several previous Pro Bowlers. Seventy-five different players suited up for the Ravens this year, tying last year's record, and 45 players started at least one game. Rookies Bateman, Oweh, Ben Cleveland and Brandon Stephens all got valuable starting experience, as well as other young players.

Weakness – Pass Protection

Baltimore surrendered 57 sacks this season, the second-most in the league only behind the Chicago Bears (58). Despite missing the final four games, Jackson was sacked the seventh-most times (38, tied) in the NFL. There were a number of reasons for this. First of all, it would've been much better with Ronnie Stanley at left tackle instead of Alejandro Villaneuva, who struggled at times with his pass protection. That also left the Ravens shuffling at right tackle. Patrick Mekari played well, but he also missed four games, leaving Tyre Phillips and others stepping in. Plus, the nature of having Jackson behind center leaves the Ravens open to taking more sacks because he's often looking to extend plays. Jackson took some sacks he shouldn't have and faced heavy blitzes before his ankle injury that sent the sacks skyrocketing. He was sacked 21 times in his final five full games, including seven times by the Steelers.