Ravens get love from pundits during Super Bowl

With the NFL season just days away, it’s time for some expert predictions.

The Ravens are widely considered a playoff team, with some prognosticators predicting they will reach the Super Bowl. Here is the latest batch of Super Bowl predictions featuring the Ravens:

Steven Ruiz from The Ringer: “Ravens 31, Packers 20: I know how stupid it is to bet against Mahomes and the Chiefs. I swore last season that I would never bet against Kansas City as long as Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid were on the team — but I’m breaking my oath. Give me the Ravens instead of the Packers in the Super Bowl. Baltimore was the best team in the NFL last season, and one slightly random 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 skills again.

Tom Blair of NFL.com: “Ravens over lions. Detroit enters the playoffs on a hot streak, while Baltimore goes through a series of nail-biting games — only for Lamar Jackson to pull the rug out from under the Lions with a dramatic comeback win.

Marc Ross of NFL.com: “Ravens beat Packers. Lamar Jackson finally silences his critics by overcoming his previous playoff failures, first by preventing Patrick Mahomes/Chiefs from winning their third AFC Championship Game, then by stopping future Super Bowl champion Jordan Love.

Matt Okada of NFL.com: “Lions over ravens. Lamar Jackson ends Kansas City’s bid for a third AFC Championship in the AFC Championship Game, but falls to America’s new team, the Detroit Lions, on a pass to Jameson Williams in overtime.

As noted yesterday on Late for Work, analytics experts are releasing their predictions for the 2024 season. Here are the latest predictions for the Ravens:

Cynthia Frelund of NFL.com: “Projected AFC North champions. Wins: 10.5. Ceiling: 12.4. Floor: 8.3. Projected AFC North champions. The Ravens’ ceiling may seem lower than you might expect, but that’s because the AFC North is my strongest division this season (meaning more division games are closer to 50/50) and Baltimore plays a first-place schedule in which its three unique opponents were all first-place winners in their divisions last season, as opposed to cellar dwellers (which is one reason the Bengals are ahead of the Browns and Steelers).

ESPN’s Seth Walder: “Bengals take AFC North from Ravens. Fresh off of Lamar Jackson’s 2023 MVP campaign, the Baltimore Ravens looked like the class of a strong AFC North heading into 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 won the division with an 11-6 record in a tiebreaker over Baltimore (they split their head-to-head matchups). Each team also picked up a playoff victory, with the Bengals beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-19 in the wild-card round, while the Ravens came away with a 27-24 win over the dangerous Houston Texans. However, a third meeting between the two AFC North rivals was out of the question, as both were defeated in the divisional round in this simulation.

You say you want more predictions? OK, here are some self-described bold ones for the 2024 Ravens.

Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema sees Ravens gain 3,000 yards (again).

“When the Ravens lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game last year, it seemed they had strayed too far from their identity as one of the league’s most dominant teams in terms of yards,” Sikkema wrote. “Coaches will be remembering 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 this season with Derrick Henry in the backfield and Lamar Jackson, who is supposedly 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 hold the record with 3,296 yards, and the 2020 Ravens are fourth with 3,071 yards.

Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine predicted the trades that could happen in the next few months, including the Ravens acquiring two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Haason Reddick from the New York Jets.

“The Jets are 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 to the team, pending a new contract. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, the Jets are hesitant to give Reddick an extension and would prefer to sweeten his current deal, which expires at the end of the season. So far, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be a satisfying ending for Reddick. He turns 30 in September, so it makes sense that he’d want more long-term security while he still has some leverage and age on his side.

“It’s a stagnation that doesn’t seem to have a positive ending. Trading him to a team that’s willing to give him an extension might be the best way forward. The Ravens should be on the short list of teams that would be willing to do that. They’re coming off a great season in 2023, but they clearly need an edge rusher. Maybe trading an inexperienced young player like David Ojabo for someone who can help right away would be tempting.”

Adding a proven edge rusher like Reddick is tempting, especially with Jadeveon Clowney leaving 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.

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