The short answer is Yes.
At the start of a new season each team and fan base will have a certain set of expectations for the coming campaign. Much of that relates to where your team was at the end of the previous season.
For Baltimore they were just a few plays away from making a Super Bowl appearance for the first time in 11 years. The reasons for coming up short hardly seem to matter at this point. The facts are for a second time in the Lamar Jackson era the team went into the post-season with the Number One seed and couldn’t make it to the final game of the season to compete for a championship.
As I start typing about the Ravens 2023 season again the disappointment of what could have been starts flooding back.
Baltimore was the best team in the NFL during the regular season. This isn’t an opinion, they proved it week in and week out on the field. They rolled over teams like the Lions, 49ers, and Dolphins to a 13-4 record. However, they stumbled at the final hurdle at home against Kansas City to drop Lamar Jackson’s playoff record to 2-4.
Jackson, the unquestioned face of the franchise won his second Most Valuable player award in 2023. He showed flashes of brilliance last year that demonstrated his maturation as a decision maker, especially as a passer as he posted career highs in completion percentage and passing yards. His running ability and a knack for improvisation still make him one of the most dangerous players on every snap. Over his career he’s shown that he can win during the regular season as a 58-19 record over six seasons will attest.
All that’s left for Jackson at this point is to make it to Super Bowl and it win a championship.
You can call it what you will but for me it’s the price of success. There is no box left to check except, winning a Lombardi trophy.
Of course, it won’t be easy to get back to where they were even a season ago.
The franchise has had to seriously retool after losses to personnel, coaching, and scouting this off season. Even so, they still have a core of incredibly talented players on both sides of the football and a head coach that already has one championship ring to his credit. If the team can stay relatively healthy, they could make another deep run in 2024.
On offense the biggest question is the offensive line, which replaced three of its five starters. They will rely on two rookies Roger Rosengarten and medical redshirt Andrew Vorhees to replace former veterans at their positions. While former third round pick Ben Cleveland will get his shot at being a full time starter. It may take time for this group to gel and the learning curve will be steep for the first timers.
On defense, the biggest loss was Defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald who became the new head man in Seattle. Inside linebackers coach and former Raven Zach Orr was the internal replacement and I’m wondering how much he will change from the previous coach considering he built an elite defense during his tenure.
Orr still has Pro Bowl players at his disposal such as Justin Madubuike, Roquan Smith, and Kyle Hamilton but there should be growing pains as Orr shifts into a defensive signal caller role.
The Ravens will be tested immediately as they open the season against the world champion Chiefs. That contest begins a tough five game stretch with games in Dallas and division rival Cincinnati and a home match-up with the Bills. The team will have a very clear idea, where it stands in a loaded AFC and what work will need to be done.
Either way there will be no excuses, all that’s left for the Ravens to do is go to a Super Bowl.
Matt has lived in Maryland his entire life and is a graduate of Calvert Hall and Towson University. has always been an avid Baltimore sports fan. Since 2007, he has been writing and talking about Baltimore sports, especially the Ravens. His work has appeared on Ravens Gab, Russell Street Report, and he currently co-hosts a podcast “The Blitz- A Ravens podcast” with Brent Harris.