Ravens Under Serious Pressure Before Season

The Baltimore Ravens have immense pressure to succeed this season.

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh holds out the Vince Lombardi Trophy after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens have been in the NFL's upper echelon for quite some time now, but have yet to make it to the Super Bowl in this window.

It's not as if the Ravens are lacking in talent. Lamar Jackson leads a deadly offense, particularly on the ground, and the defense is one of the stingiest in the entire league.

In the playoffs, though, this iteration of the Ravens has continiously come up short, and a common theme in their playoff losses is the offense going dry at the worst possible time.

With just one AFC Championship Game appearance in six years under Jackson, some fans are understandably getting impatient. So much so that NFL.com's Adam Rank believes this season will only be a success if Baltimore brings home the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

"There really is no other box to check. The Ravens were so impressive in the 2023 regular season because they basically outclassed all of the good teams that were in their way," Rank writes. "It wasn't like some of those squads that fatten up on the sub-.500 set and then try to squeak out wins against contenders. The Ravens obliterated powerhouses like the Lions and 49ers. They dropped 56 points on the Dolphins. They rolled.

"But once again, everything soured with a postseason defeat -- this time at home against the Chiefs. Baltimore has to win the Super Bowl, or this season can't be considered a success. Most Ravens fans will agree. The Orioles have a little bit of wiggle room, but not the Ravens. It's all or nothing."

If the Ravens are to finally get over the hump, they won't have an easy time doing so. They play in the AFC North, football's toughest division which saw all four teams finish above .500 last season. Not to mention the abundance of contenders they'll have to deal with in the rest of the AFC.

Then again, this team undoubtedly has the talent to go on a Super Bowl run. It's just a matter of putting all the pieces together.

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