Lamar Jackson took the league by storm when John Harbaugh handed him the QB1 keys from Joe Flacco and inserted him under center following the Baltimore Ravens Week 10 bye. Over the next seven weeks, the former Louisville Cardinal dazzled with his legs churning out 558 yards and 4 TD en route to leading the Ravens to six wins to punch their ticket to the playoffs. Now for the bad news; he couldn’t pass the ball to save his life completing just 58.2 percent of his passes that went for a grand total of 6 TD passes. Over the course of a 16-game regular season schedule, that output would equate to less than 2,500 yards passing; quite a difference from the current offering linemakers at online sportsbooks set his passing yards total for the 2019-20 season.
Total Passing Yards: 3000.5
Total Passing TD: 16.5
Season Outlook
With all the questions entering the season on the defensive side of the ball due to mass defections of integral pieces, the betting markets are hesitant to buy-in on Baltimore being a bonafide Super Bowl LIV contender. The Ravens initially hit the board at 25-1 to win it all, but can now be had at +3452 and sit behind both the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers in the pecking order for AFC North supremacy. Baltimore won 10 games and with it division bragging rights a season ago, but enters 2019-20 with only an 8-game season win total. Though Marquise Brown was brought in via the draft and Mark Ingram in free agency, it remains to be seen what those additions do to spark the Ravens No. 22 ranked passing offense from a season ago. Until Jackson turns himself into a much more polished passer and not the rock chucker he proved to be last year, it’s likely Greg Roman’s offense continues looking to the ground with regularity. That won’t benefit Jackson in terms of his passing yardage and touchdowns thrown, but it could be their best bet to return to the second season.
Baltimore Ravens Football Schedule
Week 1: @Dolphins
Week 2: Cardinals
Week 3: @Chiefs
Week 4: Browns
Week 5: @Steelers
Week 6: Bengals
Week 7: @Seahawks
Week 8: Bye Week
Week 9: Patriots
Week 10: @Bengals
Week 11: Texans
Week 12: @Rams
Week 13: 49ers
Week 14: @Bills
Week 15: Jets
Week 16: @Browns
Week 17: Steelers
Schedule Breakdown
The Ravens oppose a grand total of three pass defenses ranked in the upper third of last year’s pass defense rankings. Jackson will have every opportunity to start showing he’s become a more polished passer. If he can’t do it against this schedule, he won’t be able to do it at the NFL level. Three straight fantastic matchups open the season at the Dolphins, at home against the Patrick Peterson-less Cardinals and then back on the road in Arrowhead where Jackson had one of his best passing showings of the year against a Chiefs defense he got to for 147 yards and 2 TD passes. Confidence must be built up during that stretch before taking on three straight AFC North opponents starting at home against Baker Mayfield and the Browns. The second half has a tough spot in Buffalo Week 14, but the remainder of the slate is very manageable and should allow for No. 8 to gain some much needed confidence in his passing game.
The Bets
I might be on an island here, but I foresee an extremely down year coming for the Baltimore Ravens. I honestly can’t remember the last time the Ravens didn’t march a top tier defense onto the gridiron. While they still might, it won’t be nearly as good as past versions with so many key players from last year’s No. 1 ranked unit now playing in other cities. I felt this way last season about the Seattle Seahawks, so you might want to take my stance with a grain of salt. That said, Baltimore is going to be playing out of character throughout 2019-20. Points are likely to hit the board due to the lesser defense paired with the offense likely going to succeed with its excelled ground attack and hopefully better passing game. The latter ultimately depends on Jackson turning a major corner in that respect. If he figures out how to be more efficient through the air, he’s going to breeze right past his passing yards prop at online sportsbooks. Tallying 17 touchdowns is a different story. The only way that happens is if tight ends Nick Boyle, Marc Andrews and Hayden Hurst turn into red zone monsters. With Jackson, Ingram, Gus Edwards and Kenneth Dixon likely coming at opposing defenses in waves closer to the goal line, it’s a tough sell.
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