The Baltimore Ravens kick off the NFL season on Thursday with a matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
After coming a win shy of reaching the Super Bowl last year, the Ravens once again have their eyes set on a championship.
But before the Ravens can get there, they have 17 regular-season games, with one of the league's hardest schedules.
The Ravens return much of their core, but they also suffered offseason losses along the offensive line, defense, and on the coaching staff. Baltimore is largely relying on young, unproven depth to fill those positions, which will be a major test on the coaching staff and overall organizational philosophy.
Heading into a big 2024 season, here are nine bold predictions for how the Ravens season will play out.
1. Lamar Jackson has the most efficient passing season of his career
Jackson had an MVP season in Year 1 of Todd Monken's offense. He returns for Year 2 with more comfort in the offense, largely the same offensive weapons (plus the addition of Derrick Henry), and a focus on intangibles like calling audibles and changing his cadence.
The result? We're predicting Jackson has his most efficient season as a passer. That means career-highs, or near-career-highs, in stats like completion percentage, yards per attempt, adjusted yards per attempt, passer rating, interceptions, and more. We're not specifically predicting that Jackson will set career-highs in throwing yards or touchdowns, but Jackson will improve his accuracy and the distance of his completions.
2. Lamar Jackson gets sacked the most of his career
This is the other side of the coin. The Ravens' rebuilt, unproven offensive line looks like it will be their biggest weakness. Jackson got sacked on 7.5% of his pass attempts last season, the second-highest of his career, according to Pro-Football Reference. And that was with a more seasoned, proven offensive line.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta admitted that there will be "hiccups" as the offensive line develops. That could mean a lot more of Jackson scrambling, and likely, getting hit.
3. The Ravens trade for an offensive linemen during the season
There are question marks surrounding the offensive line. DeCosta has said the Ravens want to be more financially flexible to make moves if they need to. So, a trade for a lineman could make sense.
Great offensive linemen are rarely traded during the season — teams aren’t often looking to dump good blockers. But the Ravens could simply target a proven veteran who could give their line more stability and ease some of the burden on first-time starters like Andrew Voorhees, Roger Rosengarten, and Daniel Faalele.
3. Derrick Henry's rushing yards decrease — but his touchdowns increase
There are some factors could cause Henry's rushing yards to slip without him necessarily declining in ability.
First, if the Ravens' passing game reaches another level, they might eat up yards that won't go to Henry.
The Ravens also have some running back depth this season. Justice Hill is still around to spell Henry. And there is Keaton Mitchell, last year's breakout running back who will begin the year on the PUP list. If Mitchell looks as spry in his return as he did last year, the Ravens may give him more touches to try to save Henry for the postseason.
Henry should still get plenty of opportunities to score, though. If the Ravens get deep into the red zone, expect them to feed Henry and let him punch the ball into the end zone. The Ravens haven't had a weapon like this, and they will use him.
4. Isaiah Likely leads the Ravens in receiving touchdowns
Likely's five receiving touchdowns last year was tied for second on the team, and that was with only eight starts.
The Ravens have said they want to involve Likely more this season. Reports out of Ravens training camp have consistently conveyed that Likely has looked like a weapon in the passing game. He has made explosive plays and highlight-reel catches.
Likely, who said he's been studying every receiving position to better understand offensive roles, could be in line for a big season scoring the ball. Though he may not have as many catches or yards as Mark Andrews or Zay Flowers, he could break off big plays and become a frequent target in the end zone.
5. Odafe Oweh leads the Ravens in sacks
Oweh only had five sacks last year, but Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the most consistent pass rushers at pressuring quarterbacks. Oweh just didn't always get his hands on them.
That changes this year. The departure of Jadeveon Clowney should open up opportunities for Oweh. By all accounts, Oweh had a strong training camp, with John Harbaugh saying they had to "rein" Oweh in because he was in the backfield so often.
Now entering his fourth season, with his fifth-year contract option picked up, Oweh makes a leap this year.
7. The Ravens lead the NFL in interceptions
The Ravens' secondary is incredibly deep and talented. Marlon Humphrey is healthy and slimmed down, Brandon Stephens is ready to build upon a breakout year, and Nate Wiggins looks the part of a starting corner. At safety, they have the Swiss Army Knife that is Kyle Hamilton, Marcus Williams, Eddie Jackson, and Ar'Darius Washington.
The Ravens' secondary feasted on the offense early in training camp, routinely picking off Josh Johnson and Devin Leary. Granted, that was against backups, but the Ravens play some quarterbacks this year who can occasionally be loose with the ball, like Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Daniel Jones, and more. They finished third in the NFL with 18 interceptions last year, and could build on that number this year.
8. The Ravens have an inconsistent, frustrating season
How can you predict an emotional reaction to a season?
Here's the thinking: The Ravens have a lot of top-end talent, but they are lacking in depth in several areas. They are relying on several young, un-tested players to fill in gaps, and there will be a lot of adjustments as the season goes on.
When it all comes together, the team will look great and produce some highs. The Ravens have the talent to compete with any team, and they will surely have some rousing wins over good opponents this year.
But even last year, in a 13-4 season, the Ravens had some head-scratching moments: two losses to the inferior Steelers, a blown lead to the Browns, an overtime loss to the Gardner Minshew-led Colts.
We're expecting the Ravens to have some severe ups-and-downs this year. Don't be surprised if the morning talk shows debate if the Raven are Super Bowl contenders one week, or whether they’re cooked the next.
9. The Ravens go 11-6 and lose in the divisional round of the playoffs
When the Ravens schedule was released, we went through predicted the results of every game. We predicted an 11-6 season, and we're standing by it.
The Ravens have a tough schedule in terms of opponents. They have a late bye (Week 14). And they have a brutal December schedule, with three games crammed into 10 days.
As mentioned, the Ravens have elite top-end talent, but their depth is questionable. It's unclear if they can withstand injuries to those top players.
Injuries inevitably happen, and the Ravens may be drained by the end of the season. Barring some all-in move(s) during the season, it feels like this roster is too incomplete to make it to the Super Bowl
