Ravens Over / Under Season Wins
After winning a Super Bowl just two years ago, QB Joe Flacco and his Ravens regressed in 2013. An 8-8 season and finishing third in the AFC North division was not palatable to general manager Ozzie Newsome and the Maryland faithful.
The Ravens spent the offseason attempting to re-load on the fly, so the team’s success this season will hinge on how it breaks in the new faces and how Flacco and troubled RB Ray Rice can bounce back from unimpressive seasons (and offseasons, in the case of Rice).
Over Under Lines
- BALTIMORE RAVENS
- Head Coach: John Harbaugh
- 2013 Record: 8-8
- Over/Under for Wins in 2014: Over 8.5 (-145), Under 8.5 (+115)
After Flacco got his big-dollar contract extension following the Super Bowl glory, he failed to live up to the money last year. He needs to get his groove back in a hurry, and the team is hoping new offensive co-ordinator Gary Kubiak can help him do so.
Baltimore didn’t stop at nabbing Kubiak. The Ravens pried veteran star WR Steve Smith away from the Panthers; he’ll pair with a fellow Smith, speedy Torrey who had 65 receptions for 1,128 yards last year. Throw in WR Jacoby Jones and TEs Owen Daniels and Dennis Pitta into the mix and the passing game should be functional.
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Rice raises a major question mark. He will miss the first two games of the season will his offseason assault charge and he sorely needs to redeem his image and his performance. If he doesn’t expect ascendant back-up Bernard Pierce to have a continually larger role in the offense.
A lot of Baltimore’s success will depend on how the offensive line plays. Offensive tackle Eugene Monroe is an athlete more than a mauler, while OG Marshal Yanda is definitely a mauler. The Ravens don’t have much depth in the unit, especially with Yanda coming off a shoulder injury and fellow guard Kelechi Osemele rebounding from a back ailment.
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The defense should be quite strong and it’s led by the linebacker corps. Terrell Suggs, Daryl Smith and Elvis Dumervil all do their jobs admirably, throw in Alabama rookie C.J. Mosley in the mix and the unit can be dominant.
Lardarius Webb has already proven himself as a great CB, this could also be the year that fellow starter Jimmy Smith takes a leap. The team still has massive NT Haloti Ngata chewing people up on the interior of the D-line.
The special teams units are in good shape with Justin Tucker at kicker and Sam Koch handling the punts, buttressed by cover units that are always among the NFL’s best.
The return game is a question mark because the team wants to use Jones more as a No. 3 receiver. Expect reserve WR Deonte Thompson to get a look.
The Ravens look like a better team this season, especially if Flacco can once again up his performance. However, if any offensive lineman get injured, the team could be in trouble.
Expect a modest improvement on last year’s record for Baltimore.
2014 Record Prediction: 10-6
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