Ravens 2016 PredictionsÂ
Tony Lombardi
In the spirit of my Good, Bad, Ugly & The Megan Fox (following each Ravens game)
GOOD
– The Ravens will have four players with 700+ yards receiving
– Joe Flacco‘s TD Pass:Interception ratio will be greater than 2:1
– Two RB’s will eclipse 600+ rushing yards and the leader will be Kenneth Dixon with 800+
– Terrance West will score 12+ TD’s
– Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith will combine for 20+ sacks
– The Ravens will improve from a (-14) turnover differential to a (+6)
– The P-Word is back in play as the Ravens earn a wild card berth with a (10-6) record
– Anthony Levine leads the secondary with 4 interceptions
BAD
– Elvis Dumervil‘s foot ailment will be a regular problem throughout 2016 and he’ll register just 5 sacks and play in just 10 games
– Staying with the injury theme Devin Hester‘s season will be cut short as his turf toe problems resurface. He’ll play in just 8 games.
– Shareece Wright‘s preseason woes continue and he’ll be replaced in Week 4 by Will Davis
–Â Jerraud Powers will be released when the Ravens reach the bye
UGLY
Despite the team’s modest success thanks to the offense, pressure mounts to replace Dean Pees with Leslie Frazier. John Harbaugh will resist the temptation yet the blame for the team’s first round exit from the playoffs will rest squarely on the shoulders of an underachieving defense.
THE MEGAN FOX
Joe Flacco has his best campaign as a Raven on his way to a Pro Bowl season during which he racks up 4300+ yards passing, 30+TD’s and a 98.0 passer rating.
Brian Bower
– Breshad Perriman leads the Ravens in receiving yards and touchdowns.
– Kenneth Dixon surpasses 1000 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns.
– Za’Darius Smith and Matt Judon lead the team in sacks, combining for 21.
– Joe Flacco throws well over 4000 yards (4275) and career-low nine interceptions.
– Anthony Levine leads the team in interceptions with seven.
– Ravens will finish 10-6 and be will be back in the Super Bowl hunt.
Dev Panchwagh
– Kamar Aiken ends up with 80 catches this season
– Ravens finish as a top 8 pass offense under Trestman
– Eric Weddle has more than 3 INTs, first time since 2011
– Matt Judon eclipses Pernell McPhee‘s 6-sack rookie season with 8.5
– Terrance West will be the leading rusher for the team (by yardage total)
– Flacco throws for well over 4,000 yards and 30+ TDs (first time in his career)
Ken McKusick
Joe Flacco continues his streak of never starting a game where the Ravens do not still have a chance to win the Super Bowl as the Ravens contend for the playoffs.
– Pees adopts the dime and the Ravens run it defensively on at least 15% of defensive snaps, up from 2% the last 3 seasons. Anthony Levine has a quiet, productive year, but Ravens fans notice LBs aren’t getting beat as much on crossing routes.
– With an improved back end and health, the Ravens interception rate increases from a league-low 1.1% to a league average 2.4%. Points allowed per game plummet from 25.1 to 20.
– The offensive line gels into an above average run-blocking unit that moves into the league’s top 10 converting short-yardage plays. Pass blocking does not come as easily and the Ravens drop from the fewest sacks allowed per play to 10th.
– The team scores 23 PPG, but that number is muted by the Ravens sitting on some 4th-quarter leads as the team outscores opponents by approximately 50 points.
– Dixon and Perriman become the playmakers Ravens fans hope, but Ronnie Stanley provides the Ravens with the biggest offensive positional boost over 2015.
– The defensive MVP goes CJ Mosely who returns to his 2014 gambling ways behind a talented defensive line. He’s in the backfield frequently versus the run and pass and in the right spot to both cause and convert turnover opportunities.
[Check out some fans’ BOLD PREDICTIONS]
Ryan Jones
– Dennis Pitta will lead tight ends in catches and yards
This would have been the case even if Ben Watson hadn’t gone down with a season ending inury, but now Pitta is the clear leader of the group. His health is no doubt a concern but before his finger injury he looked impressive. You can’t deny the chemistry that Pitta and Flacco have, and as long as Pitta is on the field Flacco will consistently target him.
– The Lardarius Webb to Safety transition will not work
I don’t get it. The Ravens remain loyal to Webb and are paying him like a top five player at his new position, despite the fact that he hasn’t played well at his old position since 2011. Ozzie Newsome has invested heavily in the safety spot in recent drafts with little success. Right now, Webb seems like the best option, but at some point this season Kendrick Lewis will replace him next to Eric Weddle.
– Za’Darius Smith Leads the Team in Sacks
Smith has largely flown under the radar this offseason with the focus on new acquisitions and players returning from injury. But with defenses focusing on Suggs and Dumervil, Smith will emerge with somewhere in the 10-12 sack range.
– The Ravens Finish 10-6
Baltimore will grab one of two wild card spots and travel on the road once again in the playoffs. Ultimately their secondary will once again be there downfall as they are unable to contain the likes of Tom Brady or Ben Roethlisberger.
Adam Bonaccorsi
– Matt Judon carries his great preseason over to the regular season, while recording 7 sacks along the way. Fans want to shout ‘Juuuuuu’ for him, but realize it’s likely to be misconstrued and refrain.
– Joe Flacco finishes with 4000+ yards, doubles up his TD:INT ratio (call it 32:16) and still national pundits will say he’s average at best.
– By Week 10, Darren Waller is the clear cut top tight end on the Ravens roster, while either Maxx Williams or Crockett Gillmore go on the IR by then (READ: NOT PITTA). Despite a suspension shortened season, Waller leads all TE’s in TD’s during the regular season.
– Breshad Perriman turns heads, scores a ton (call it 8), sells a bunch of jerseys (I’ll have mine on Week One!), and has half of Baltimore saying “I don’t know WHAT you’re talking about, I never called him injury prone or a bust…”
– Will Davis & Tavon Young outplay Jimmy Smith & Sharece Wright. Although I guess that’s not really bold, now is it?
– The Ravens start hot (7-3), finish lukewarm (3-3), and limp into the playoffs at 10-6. Remember last time they limped into the playoffs? Something about a Lombardi? Yea, not this time. 2nd round loss in the playoffs, but MUCH improved team from 2015 giving fans reason to hold their heads high.
Derek Arnold
– Kamalei Correa, the forgotten man since preseason games started, registers 4.5 sacks and two interceptions.
– Devin Hester, playing with the best special teams unit he’s seen in years, returns one kickoff and two punts for touchdowns.
– Joe Flacco and Breshad Perriman connect for three touchdowns of 50+ yards. Flacco and Mike Wallace add two more of 40+.
– The Ravens finish 10-6, tops in the AFC North. Pittsburgh goes 9-7, Cincinnati 8-8.
Mike Fast
– The Ravens go 9-7, and finish 3rd in the AFC North.
– Steve Smith, Sr. racks up the most receiving yards in a season in team history.
– Ronnie Stanley makes the Pro Bowl.
– Joe Flacco throws 30 TD/13 INT.
Tyler Lombardi
The Ravens will start off the season strong, racing off to a 3-1 start through the first quarter of the season.
The passing attack will have its best year since Flacco entered the league. He’ll record his first ever 4000-yard passing campaign. His leading receiver will be Steve Smith, but Breshad Perriman will end the year with just under 100 yards fewer than Smith.
The running attack, like the team as a whole, will start off the year strong, but will fall off as the year progresses. Justin Forsett will rack up over 100 yards in three of the first four games, but Kenneth Dixon will take over for him by the midpoint of the season after Forsett’s performance declines.
And after the first four games, the Ravens will win just 5 more games the rest of the year. Suggs will look like a player who has suffered two Achilles injuries and is nearing his mid-30s. Dumervil’s age will keep catching up with him, too, and he’ll struggle to stay on the field. An unproven group of pass rushers will be unable to make up for his absence, and the defense as a whole will suffer.
The Ravens end the season with an 8-8 record and out of the playoffs, despite the emergence of the offensive passing attack.
Kyle Casey
– The Ravens start off hot, finishing the first eight games at 6-2, but slow down with a tough second-half schedule to finish 10-6 and make the playoffs as a Wild Card.
– Joe Flacco has a nice rebound year off injury, but still fails to reach the 4,000 yard mark.
– Mike Wallace will be the surprise of the wide receivers with 50+ catches for 600+ yards and 5 TDs.
– No Ravens defender notches more than 10 sacks for the season, but at least three players finish with 6 or more.
– Devin Hester has no more than one return TD (kick or punt).
– Justin Forsett leads the team in rushing yards while Terrance West leads the team in rushing TDs.
– Crockett Gillmore leads all tight ends in receptions.
– No Ravens defender finished with more than 3 interceptions.
Joe Polek
– Joe Flacco connects with Mike Wallace in a way that he hasn’t with any wide receiver yet. Wallace goes to the Pro Bowl. Steve Smith Sr gets to 1,000 career catches and rides off into the sunset as a proud Raven and not-so-proud Panther.
– Justin Forsett and Kenneth Dixon lead a powerful running attack by the Ravens.
– Baltimore goes 10-6 and gets into the Playoffs as a Wild Card team
– Suggs and Dumervil lead the Ravens defense into Pittsburgh for the AFC Championship, but after a tough loss, both announce their retirement.
Kyle Rate
The Ravens will start the season on fire, taking advantage of a Charmin-soft schedule. Losing just two ball games before the bye, Baltimore cruises to a 10-6 record, tied for first in the division with the Bengals, but entering the playoffs as a wild card because (a) we’re the Ravens and that’s how we roll; and (b) RG3 hit Josh Gordon on a 80-yard bomb over Webb’s head to hand the Ravens an embarrassing home overtime loss to the Browns in November, giving Cincy the inner-division tiebreaker.
– Joe Flacco throws for 4,150 yards
– The secondary records 11 whole interceptions
– The Week 12 starting free safety will not have been a part of the team at the start of the season.
– Kenneth Dixon scores 7 touchdowns
The Ravens beat the Bengals in Cincinnati in the Wild Card Round but bow out against the Patriots in the Divisional Round once again, despite 3 touchdowns from Steve Smith Sr. in his last ever professional football game.
Cole Jackson
– Ravens finish 11-5 and win the AFC North.
– Breshad Perriman becomes the starting WR opposite Steve Smith Senior by Week 6. He finishes the season beating Torrey’s 1st year impact with 55 catches, 920 yards and 8 TD’s
– Terrance West leads the team in both rushing yards and rushing TD’s. Kenneth Dixon will have the most receptions for a RB as our change-of-pace back.
– Michael Pierce becomes a regular in the pass rush and has over 4 sacks.
– Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs combine for 22 sacks on the season.
– Flacco not only hits the 4000 mark, but surpasses 4,250 yards and adds 33+ TD’s to that.
