At this time last year, the Baltimore Ravens were seen as a team in the middle of the pack in the NFL, the third best in their division, and according to estimates by coach John Harbaugh, an iceberg.
“Ninety percent of what we were going to be able to do was still underwater and people hadn’t seen it yet,” he said.
As the start of this year’s training camp approaches, titanic expectations await the NFL title MVP, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.
Analysts and odds favored the Ravens to win 16 games this season. Baltimore looks just as solid, if not better than last season, when they won their last 12 regular season games to finish 14-2. The Ravens all come back except one from the best performing offense in the NFL and improved on the top seven, the weakest part of the defense.
If that doesn’t allow the Ravens to succeed, they face teams with a combined winning percentage in 2019 of 0.438 (the worst in the NFL) and cover a total of 6,310 miles, the lowest of all teams in last four years. The Ravens play outside the Eastern time zone only once (a week 2 game in Houston) and spend 47 days not having to board a plane (three home games, short trips to Washington and Philidelphia and goodbye).
As a result, Baltimore is expected to win 12 of its games by more than one goal, including eight more than a touchdown, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. The Ravens’ easiest game on the calendar is at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who Baltimore is expected to beat 15.9 points.
What does Harbaugh think of all this 16-0 speech?
“It’s really just noise – it’s static, it’s background,” said Harbaugh. “You can’t let others define you. You define yourself.”
The 2007 New England Patriots are the only team to record a perfect regular season since the NFL moved to its 16-game schedule in 1978. Only three other teams – the Chicago Bears of 1934 and 1942 and the Miami Dolphins of 1972 – have finished undefeated. and unrelated regular seasons in the 101-year history of the league. Only six teams finished 15-1 and only two of them (1984 49ers and 1985 Bears) won a Super Bowl.
“Ultimately, the only expectations that matter are what we have for ourselves,” said Ravens wide receiver Miles Boykin. “If we go there and say our expectation is to win a Super Bowl, we will have to start with week 1. I think [Harbaugh] is great for talking about this and talking about how it starts at week 1. It doesn’t start at week 16; it doesn’t start at the Super Bowl. You have to put together a Super Bowl team. “
Jackson doesn’t lose many regular season games that he should win, which is why Baltimore is favored in every game this season is so important. The Ravens are 15-1 as betting favorites with Jackson as the starting quarterback. Baltimore’s winning percentage of .938 as a favorite with Jackson is the best in the league, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
According to the Caesars Sportsbook, the Ravens’ toughest games will take place on September 28 against reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles on October 18. Baltimore is listed as a 2.5-point favorite in both games.
“We have the Ravens and Chiefs pretty much dead, even on neutral ground,” said Jeff Davis, director of trading at Caesars Sportsbook.
2:12
Stephen A. Smith demonstrates that Lamar Jackson has not yet done enough to be considered one of the top two quarterbacks in the NFL.
Few saw Baltimore and Kansas City on an equal footing last summer, when the Ravens were ranked # 16 in the ESPN Pre-Season Football Power Index and had the third best chance at winning l ‘AFC North, behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.
Now Jackson is on the cover of the video game Madden. The Ravens fire a dozen Pro Bowl players. Baltimore is the No. 2 consensus team in the NFL, behind the Chiefs in the Power Rankings.
There are no ambush teams this season.
“I think there is always a challenge when you have a target in the back, and that comes with the territory,” said attacking tackle Ravens All-Pro Ronnie Stanley. “Everyone is going to bring their best game when they play you, so you just have to be ready for it. And, if you’re not ready for it, then you really don’t deserve to be the best. So just comes with the territory. “
ESPN’s David Bearman contributed to this article.
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