The Baltimore Ravens literally ran away from everyone in the NFL last season on their way to the best record in the league. They won their final 12 regular season games before crapping out – again – in the postseason. You can’t argue with them being a legitimate Super Bowl contender behind MVP Lamar Jackson, and probably the best outfit in the NFL heading into the season. Their playoff loss to Tennessee might temper the expectations a bit, but they are a stacked team and 12 wins is attainable.
Ravens Over 11.5 Wins -130
Ravens Under 11.5 Wins +108
2020 Baltimore Ravens Offense Preview
Jackson made it look easy on his way to the league’s MVP. And he’s back with virtually the entire crew that scored a NFL-best 33.2 points per game. In fact, the Ravens were the only team to top the 30-point mark and had a 9-point per game improvement from 2018. They scored at least 20 points in every regular season game and reached the 40-point mark five times.
Everyone knows Jackson can run the football. The concern coming into the NFL was his ability to throw. He proved doubters wrong last season by completing 66.1 percent of his passes for 3,127 yards. He added 36 touchdowns with only six interceptions posting the third best rating in the league at 113.3. Oh, and he did run the football for 1,206 yards, the sixth-highest total among everyone in the NFL. That helped the Ravens lead the league in rushing by a whopping margin. Mark Ingram added 1,018 yards and Gus Edwards tallied 711. All return to the backfield.
The Ravens will have to replace retired Marshall Yanda on the line, but four others starters are back for the group that dominated opponents in the trenches. Even if LJ regresses slightly, the offense is still lethal.
2020 Baltimore Ravens Defense Preview
You don’t go 14-2 by getting lucky. As good as the offense was the defense was equally dangerous. The Ravens allowed the third-fewest points and ranked fourth in total defense and sixth against the pass. They were able to shut down opposing quarterbacks without a strong pass rush, the weakest part of the defense. Baltimore totaled 37 sacks to place 21st in the NFL.
Addressing that concern they traded for Calais Campbell and signed Derek Wolfe. Both players will help stopping the run while adding pressure on the quarterback. Campbell recorded 31.5 sacks during his three years with the Jaguars and will be a welcome addition. Matt Judon led the team with 9.5 sacks last season and was franchised, bringing the leader of the group back.
The secondary is solid, but it will be interesting to see what action if any the league takes on Earl Thomas. It’s scary to think that the additions of Campbell, Wolfe and Patrick McQueen, the Ravens could be even stronger on that side of the football.
2020 Baltimore Ravens Schedule Analysis
Based on 2019 records the Ravens have the easiest schedule. That has something to do with their win total being tied with Kansas City for the highest on the board. As we all know things don’t turn out based on the previous season. They were 5-1 against division foes and will have to face much stronger teams this year. The Steelers will have Ben Roethlisberger back, the Browns have plenty of talent and a new head coach, and they dealt the Ravens one of their two losses last year.
The schedule is favorable, though, with only one trip outside the Eastern Time zone and one two-game road trip. The bye week comes in the middle of the season at Week 8 during a six-week stretch where the club doesn’t have to go to the airport. They play three home games, two road contests in nearby Philadelphia and Washington, and have an off week.
The Final Verdict
It’s hard to imagine the Ravens being better than they were last season. I can’t see them being any worse. They addressed weaknesses on defense by acquiring Campbell and Wolfe, had a solid draft, and kept the core of the 14-win team from a season ago intact. Jackson will have to reel it in a bit if he wants a lengthy career. We’ve seen how running QBs tend to fade away. Jackson might regress a bit, but there are plenty of weapons around him. Barring any catastrophic injuries I can see the Ravens winning 12 games and would happily throw down on them to do so.
NFL Odds: Baltimore Ravens Over 11.5 Wins
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