Ravens To Make Playoffs Is 'Safest Bet We Can Possibly Make'

Baltimore poised to rebound.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens are a prime candidate to go from worst to first this season.

The safe money has them making a deep run in the playoffs after dealing with multiple critical injuries in 2021.

SI's Connor Orr predicts the Ravens are a team "that will either rebound off a surprisingly poor season last year or finally reap the fruits of a rebuilding process."

Here's the breakdown on the Ravens:

Baltimore Ravens.     

2021 record:

8–9, fourth in AFC North.     

Key additions:

Marcus Williams, Morgan Moses, Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum, David Ojabo, Kyle Fuller, Michael Pierce.       

The Ravens making the playoffs feels like the safest bet we can possibly make when talking NFL futures. In my recent 100 bold predictions column, I had the Ravens winning at least 12 games and Lamar Jackson reentering the MVP conversation.

Last year, despite having to re-sign half of the guys in Madden 2004 to play running back amid a rash of injuries and despite missing Jackson for five games, the Ravens were still one of the five most successful teams on early-down success rate (via Sports Info Solutions) and the best team in the NFL in red zone success rate.

Why?

The system works. It’s still incredibly hard to defend. That hasn’t changed. Now, with Jackson in a contract year, a host of healthy backs and quite possibly the deepest tight end room in football, everything is set up for the Ravens to take advantage of a division in flux.

The other teams poised for a rebound are the Chargers, Broncos, Colts, Saints, and Lions.