The Baltimore Ravens have long been one of the steadiest teams in the AFC, as a smart front office has kept the team in contention on a regular basis. Baltimore has a pair of Super Bowls and 10 playoff appearances since 2000, but the more recent history hasn’t been as pretty.
The Ravens have missed the postseason and finished .500 or worse in three of the past four seasons. They will aim to bounce back this year and there are reasons for optimism. The defense could be improved, but the team’s fate in the end should come down to its offense.
Baltimore isn’t on the same level as the New England Patriots or long-time divisional foe the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens are projected to finish in the middle of the pack in the conference and will really need a lot of things to go right in order to push for a Super Bowl berth. It’s not out of the question since there are still some players here with a lot of big-game experience, but Baltimore is no longer the juggernaut it was when superstars like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed were around.
AFC Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
New England Patriots +190
Pittsburgh Steelers +675
Oakland Raiders +700
Kansas City Chiefs +1000
Houston Texans +1200
Denver Broncos +1300
Indianapolis Colts +1500
Baltimore Ravens +1700
Tennessee Titans +2000
Cincinnati Bengals +2300
Miami Dolphins +2500
Los Angeles Chargers +3500
Jacksonville Jaguars +3500
Buffalo Bills +4500
Cleveland Browns +15000
New York Jets +15000
Key Players for Winning the AFC
Joe Flacco – The Ravens quarterback has been sidelined for all of the preseason with a back injury, but is expected to return in time for the team’s season opener against the Bengals on August 31st. The 32-year-old returned to throwing again in practice this week, a promising sign he is getting healthier. Flacco had a down season in 2016, throwing for an impressive 4,317 yards with 20 touchdowns but had 15 interceptions. He struggled with consistency on a week-to-week basis and didn’t get much help from the offensive line. The Ravens added Jeremy Maclin to the wide receiver corps this season, and hopefully he can boost the unit, because it struggled a season ago. Baltimore scored only 21.4 points per contest in 2016, which was the 19th-best mark in the NFL. Flacco’s quarterback rating of 83.5 was subpar, and it’s even worse considering that he is paid a king’s ransom to lead the team. If Flacco can’t improve mightily this season, the Ravens won’t be winning the AFC.
Tony Jefferson - The Ravens dipped into the free agent market a season ago and grabbed Eric Weddle, who was great in his first season in Baltimore, finishing with 89 tackles, four interceptions and 13 pass deflections on his way to the Pro Bowl. Now they have paired Jefferson with him. Jefferson is more of an in-the-box defender and is really impressive against the run. Weddle and Jefferson have the capacity to be among the best safety duos in the NFL, and it’s sorely needed in Baltimore if the team has any realistic chance at making a deep playoff run.
C.J. Mosley - The Ravens and their star inside linebacker Zach Orr got some unfortunate news this offseason when he was forced to retire due to injury risk in his spine. Orr led the team in tackles in 2016 and also added three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Mosley was already a Pro Bowler in 2016 but will need to step it up even more without a great player next to him. Mosley finished last season with 92 tackles, four interceptions, eight pass deflections and a forced fumble. The Ravens are known for their dominant defenses, and they have some impressive talent scattered about at each level. However, if the middle of the defense struggles without Orr, the team could have trouble reaching the postseason.
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