Can the Ravens Win the Super Bowl?

We all know how it ended last year. After improving on the losing record and lack of postseason in 2021, the Ravens were looking good for a deeper run into the playoffs, only for Lamar Jackson to get injured and the whole season to fall apart soon after.

A loss to Cincinnati in the wild card game wasn’t entirely difficult to predict, considering all the factors head coach John Harbaugh was dealing with. But can he get the team back on track in 2023? Most of the top sportsbooks seem to be cautious about backing Baltimore – which is completely understandable at the moment. But will things change before the new season kicks off in September?

The Lamar Question

Let’s try to get this out of the way immediately. A lot will depend on what Lamar Jackson and the franchise decide to do over the next few months. After placing the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, he is now free to negotiate with other teams. Talks between Jackson and the Ravens have now broken down.

But there hasn’t really been any other team biting. Most QB news has been dominated by Aaron Rodgers and there haven’t been many rumors about Lamar. If he were to go, it would be good to sort things out soon and bring in some other big players. Otherwise Coach Harbaugh could start the season behind the pack.

Defense Wins Championships

One aspect of the Ravens that Lamar Jackson’s decision will have virtually no effect on is the defense. In 2021 Baltimore had one of the worst defenses in the league. There were just 34 sacks all season and it gave up more rushing yards than any other team in the NFL.

But 2022 turned that right around. There were improvements throughout the D and it ended up giving up the third-lowest number of points per game. If that can continue to be strong point in 2023, the Ravens could be on their way back to a cohesive season on both sides of the ball.

Injuries Will Be Key

The other thing that has to be remembered about Lamar Jackson – aside from whether he will actually be in Baltimore this year – is whether he will be fit. An injury in week 13 was only supposed to keep him out for the short-term. He missed the rest of the season and the Ravens were one and done in the postseason.

Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay all missed chunks of the regular season too and Baltimore still went 10-7. There was a downward turn after Jackson sat out in week 13. But if the roster can stay relatively injury-free this season, the team will have a much better chance.

AFC North Chaos

Coming back to win the division a year after losing the Super Bowl probably proved that the Bengals are the new power team in the AFC North. But that is not to say that it is a given that they will win it again. Cincinnati will be favorites, but the other three can all stake a claim with a good season.

The problem for the Steelers, Browns – and, yes, the Ravens – is that it would not be a real big surprise for any of them to have an amazing regular season, or to completely tank. All three can be boom-or-bust and the Ravens need to make sure that they keep ahead of the game and not allow anything to slow them down.

Super Bowl 58 Winners?

So, can we answer the original question? Not really. There are still too many variables that are unknown this offseason. Whether Lamar Jackson stays or goes will answer a lot of them though. One thing to note is that the sportsbooks didn’t change their odds for a Ravens Super Bowl win at all when it was announced that he would be tagged non-exclusive.

That suggests that the inside track is that he will remain in Baltimore. If that is the case, it is then a question of whether he can keep injury-free. These may all seem like a lot of ifs and buts, tempering any hope of a Super Bowl appearance. But if everything does go right for the Ravens, there is no reason why there can’t be a B-More party in Vegas next year.