Our 2019 NFL Preview takes us to the AFC North, where the Baltimore Ravens look to build upon their first Division Title since 2012, which was coincidentally when they last tasted Super Bowl glory. After a three-year hiatus from the Playoffs, Baltimore reaped the benefits of making a bold and crucial decision during the middle of the campaign: turning over the reigns of the franchise to Rookie Quarterback, Lamar Jackson. The First Round Pick did not disappoint, steering the club to a 10-6 record to propel them to the Postseason, where they met an untimely end at the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC Wild Card. With the Ravens all in on Jackson as the undisputed Starter, fine-tuning the attack to his unique skill-set, will they be able to further build upon last season’s success? Is their style of play even sustainable? Read on and find out, folks…
Bucking the Trend
At the end of the First Round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Ravens surprised many by trading up to No. 32 Overall, where they selected Heisman-winner, Lamar Jackson (58.2%, 1,201 YDS, 6.08 NY/A, 6 TD, 3 INT, 48.7 QBR), out of Louisville. Initially serving as Joe Flacco’s backup, the Rookie eventually supplanted the former Super Bowl MVP after the veteran suffered a slew of poor performances before being sidelined with injury. At that point, the team was a middling 4-5 and staring at their fourth consecutive season without a Playoff Birth. And it’s with that said, that John Harbaugh made the bold decision to appoint Jackson as the Starter following the Bye Week, changing his team’s trajectory in the process. As a result, Baltimore went 6-1 down the stretch, with the young Quarterback thriving in a very run-heavy Offense, helmed by Greg Roman, who replaced the terminated Marty Mornhinweg as Offensive Coordinator midway through the season. Over the final seven games of the year, the Offense averaged 25.1 Points on 385.7 Total Yards, in large part to a rushing attack that churned out a whopping 229.6 Rushing Yards per Game. In an era in which most teams were flooding the field with a variety of pass-catchers, these guys decided to turn back the clock and run the football down their opponent’s throat with great success, while dominating Time of Possession in the process. Of course, Jackson was a huge component to Roman’s revamped scheme, which really invoked his early days cultivating the San Francisco 49ers’ Zone-Read scheme with Colin Kaepernick running point. The Rookie rushed for 695 Yards and Five Touchdowns on a staggering 147 Carries, which we have to remember came over the course of just SEVEN Starts. That means that this kid was averaging 21.0 Carries a Game, which is unheard of at his position, coincidentally leading to a league-high Twelve Fumbles. And that’s the flipside of the proverbial coin in employing such a tactic: can he in fact sustain such a workload? Harbaugh has already come out and proclaimed that he plans on increasing Jackson’s burden as a rusher, which may not be the most ideal thing for the 22-Year Old. However, it worked to devastating effect at times in 2018, and with the Quarterback still developing as a passer from the pocket, this may very well be a necessity for the Ravens. Time will tell if he manages to hold up under the physical toll…
Out with the Old, In with the Old?
While Jackson’s success certainly provided Baltimore with a sense of a new beginning, the franchise also said goodbye to a number of veterans this past Offseason, who had been foundational pieces of their roster for a decade or longer. With just a year remaining on his record-breaking $120 Million Contract signed after leading the club to their second Lombardi Trophy, the aforementioned Flacco (61.2%, 2,465 YDS, 6.04 NY/A, 12 TD, 6 INT, 58.7 QBR) was offloaded in a trade with the Denver Broncos, ending an 11-year marriage with the Ravens that had grown stale over the past few years. Indeed, the writing was on the wall for the oft-injured 33-Year Old the moment that Jackson was drafted, with the immediate cap relief allowing new General Manager, Eric DeCosta, to replenish his roster. Another pillar of the organization, Terrell Suggs (34 TKL, 13 TFL, 15 QBH, 7.0 SK, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 TD, 6 PD), also moved on, signing with the Arizona Cardinals in Free Agency, brining an end to a 16-year run in which he was selected to Seven Pro-Bowls and earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2011. In addition to those two prominent figures, Harbaugh & Co. also parted ways with veteran Safety, Eric Weddle (68 TKL, 2 TFL, 4 QBH, 1.0 SK, 3 PD), Pro-Bowl Linebacker, C.J. Mosley (105 TKL, 6 TFL, 2 QBH, 0.5 SK, 1 INT 5 PD), and emerging Edge-Rusher, Za’Darius Smith (45 TKL, 10 TFL, 25 QBH, 8.5 SK, 1 FF, 2 PD), with each player signing elsewhere during the Offseason. So in his first year on the job, how did DeCosta supplement his roster, you ask? The longtime Executive reeled in former All-Pro Safety, Earl Thomas (16 TKL, 3 INT, 5 PD), who had vigorously sought a way out of Seattle, along with inking Pro-Bowl Tailback, Mark Ingram (138 CAR, 635 YDS, 4.7 Y/C, 6 TD), to bolster a Backfield that given the projected game plan, needed quality depth. DeCosta also added talent via the Draft, gifting Jackson one of the most prolific Receivers available, Marquise Brown, while adding another promising prospect, Jaylon Ferguson, to help replace Suggs and Smith.
Carrying on a Legacy
Though they’re a comparatively younger franchise than their competition, the Ravens have enjoyed quite a bit of success in their twenty-four years of existence, winning five AFC North Titles, along with a pair of Super Bowls (2000 and 2012). However, few teams have managed to craft such an unmistakable identity, with Baltimore remaining a club built on physicality and defense, which hasn’t changed in their near quarter-century on the gridiron. During that span, they’ve harbored four winners of the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award, including Ray Lewis (2000 and 2003), Ed Reed (2004), and the aforementioned Suggs (2011), with the first two already enshrined in Canton, and the latter no doubt joining them someday in the not-too distant future. Furthermore, they have finished in the Top-Six in Total Defense on an astonishing TWELVE occasions dating back to 1999, highlighted of course by their record-breaking 2000 incarnation that relinquished the fewest points in a single season in NFL History. Needless to say, there’s a certain standard that players on that particular side of the football are expected to live up to, which will make this season fascinating as the next potential defensive stalwart makes his ascension. At 30-Years Old, how much gas does the aforementioned Thomas have left in the tank? That’s a fair question given the veteran is coming off a knee injury that relegated him to just four games in 2018. Or how about Jimmy Smith (45 TKL, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 9 PD), who in eight years with the franchise has flirted with becoming a Pro-Bowl Cornerback, but has suffered due to mental lapses, injuries, and most recently suspensions? Former First-Round Pick, Marlon Humphrey (37 TKL, 3 TFL, 1 FF, 2 INT, 15 PD) may just be in line to supplant him on the Depth Chart, emerging as arguably their most effective Corner despite only making Eight Starts. Will he take the next step and add his name to the list of Ravens’ greats? Or how about an unheralded Linebacker such as Matt Judon (44 TKL, 10 TFL, 20 QBH, 7.0 SK, 1 FF, 3 PD), who over the past few years has quietly racked up Fifteen Sacks in the shadow of Suggs? Few teams churn out defensive talent like Baltimore does, and it’s a good bet that one of these guys will take the reigns of the D in 2019. Bet on it.
2019 Forecast: 9-7
In many ways, the 2018 campaign served as a renaissance of sorts for the Baltimore Ravens, who throughout the first half of the term appeared to be a team that had run it’s course, stumbling to the end of an era in which the Powers That Be would press the proverbial Reset Button. And then something unexpected happened when John Harbaugh turned to Rookie Quarterback, Lamar Jackson, who spearheaded a throwback attack propelling the club to it’s first AFC North Title in six years. With that said, Baltimore still said goodbye to a number of prominent figures within the organization, including Joe Flacco and Terrell Suggs, along with longtime General Manager, Ozzie Newsome, whom retired following the end of the season. However, Harbaugh will remain, signing a contract extension that will keep him in Charm City for the foreseeable future, as he and new General Manager, Eric DeCosta, look to rebuild upon the team’s surprising success a year ago. It should be fascinating to see how Jackson progresses as a passer, particularly given some of the new faces that will be surrounding him, most notably Rookie Receiver, Marquise Brown. The Defense has plenty of holes to fill given the departure of so many veterans, but few teams have managed to replace defensive studs like the Ravens. With Earl Thomas in town, our guess is that they won’t miss a beat in terms of leadership. The AFC North remains tough, but the schedule is far from the most daunting, which should afford this team the luxury of taking their time to come together and fill those vacancies, which will likely keep them in the discussion for a return to the Playoffs, though Jackson’s evolution (and durability) will ultimately dictate just how far they go…
