It’s not often that a quarterback that led his team to the Super Bowl gets traded, but that’s what happened to Joe Flacco. Flacco was dealt to the Denver Broncos for a fourth round pick in February so that the Lamar Jackson era could begin in earnest. Now, the Ravens fortunes rest on the Heisman Trophy winner’s shoulders, and he will look to follow in the footsteps of Pat Mahomes II by tearing the league up in his second season.
2019 NFL Season Win Totals
Baltimore Ravens
Over 8.5 Wins +108
Under 8.5 Wins -130
The oddsmakers consider Baltimore the third-best team in the AFC North behind Cleveland and Pittsburgh, but they aren’t behind either team by much. The sharps have further expressed their belief that there is a gap between the Ravens and the other two teams though as the action with Baltimore has been on the under, while the over has seen the bulk of the bets for the win totals of the other two teams.
Baltimore Ravens 2019 Schedule
|
Week
|
Date
|
Opponent
|
|
1
|
September 8, 2019
|
@ Miami Dolphins
|
|
2
|
September 15, 2019
|
Arizona Cardinals
|
|
3
|
September 22, 2019
|
@ Kansas City Chiefs
|
|
4
|
September 29, 2019
|
Cleveland Browns
|
|
5
|
October 6, 2019
|
@ Pittsburgh Steelers
|
|
6
|
October 13, 2019
|
Cincinnati Bengals
|
|
7
|
October 20, 2019
|
@ Seattle Seahawks
|
|
8
|
BYE
|
|
|
9
|
November 3, 2019
|
New England Patriots
|
|
10
|
November 10, 2019
|
@ Cincinnati Bengals
|
|
11
|
November 17, 2019
|
Houston Texans
|
|
12
|
November 25, 2019
|
@ Los Angeles Rams
|
|
13
|
December 1, 2019
|
San Francisco 49ers
|
|
14
|
December 8, 2019
|
@ Buffalo Bills
|
|
15
|
December 12, 2019
|
New York Jets
|
|
16
|
December 22, 2019
|
@ Cleveland Browns
|
|
17
|
December 29, 2019
|
Pittsburgh Steelers
|
Baltimore is the rare team that alternates road and home games throughout the entirety of the season, and that gift from the schedule makers could lead to the Ravens being a playoff team. They have the fortune of playing against the AFC East, but the NFC West teams could prove to be difficult.
Baltimore Ravens 2019 NFL Draft Picks
|
Round
|
Pick
|
Player
|
Position
|
College
|
|
1
|
25
|
Marquise Brown
|
WR
|
Oklahoma
|
|
3
|
85
|
Jaylon Ferguson
|
OLB
|
Louisiana Tech
|
|
3
|
93
|
Myles Boykin
|
WR
|
Notre Dame
|
|
4
|
113
|
Justice Hill
|
RB
|
Oklahoma State
|
|
4
|
123
|
Ben Powers
|
G
|
Oklahoma
|
|
4
|
127
|
Iman Marshall
|
CB
|
USC
|
|
5
|
160
|
Daylon Mack
|
DT
|
Texas A&M
|
|
6
|
197
|
Trace McSorley
|
QB
|
Penn State
|
In the draft, the mandate for the Ravens seemed clear. They knew they needed to get their young quarterback some new weapons, as the top receiver remaining was Willie Snead after both John Brown and Michael Crabtree left in free agency. Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown was the first receiver off the board, and Myles Boykin was brought in as well.
Justice Hill and Iman Marshall are two late-round picks to watch, as Hill could be a dynamic playmaker and Marshall was a five-star talent out of high school. It will be interesting to see how the Ravens deploy Trace McSorley too. McSorley is not a traditional quarterback by any means, but he is a great runner and he could be used in a Taysom Hill role.
Baltimore Ravens 2019 Prediction
Last year’s first round pick Hayden Hurst did not have a great rookie season. The tight end caught just 13 passes, and he was not the reliable underneath target the team hoped it would find. The running game wasn’t great either, but Jackson gave it a kickstart when he was in the lineup by forcing teams to respect his legs. Mark Ingram was signed to help out in this regard, and he could have a lot of success with Jackson at quarterback and a solid offensive line in front of him.
The last of the team’s great defenders has now gone. Terrell Suggs left in the offseason, and the front seven has a lot of young, inexperienced players. Shane Ray and Pernell McPhee were both signed in the offseason, and four of the other starters were drafted in 2016 or sooner. This secondary is very experienced though. Earl Thomas and Tony Jefferson could be one of the best safety duos in the league, and the corners are solid too.
Everything depends on Jackson. He is not going to be a typical pocket passer, so the team will have to trust him to scramble and make plays with his legs. There will be growing pains for sure, but I think this team could come on strong in the second half and make the playoffs.
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