The Baltimore Ravens are a near lock to make the playoffs in 2025 and should be a contender, yet again, to win the AFC.
The Ravens have made the postseason six out of the last seven seasons with Lamar Jackson as their QB. Jackson has won NFL Offensive MVP honors twice, and last season, the Baltimore Ravens finished with the No. 1 overall offense in the NFL.
Unfortunately for the Ravens, the AFC has been dominated by the Kansas City Chiefs in recent years and Baltimore hasn’t been able to get past them to reach a Super Bowl. The closest John Harbaugh’s team got was in 2023, when the Ravens reached the AFC Championship game where they fell to the Chiefs 17-10.
But if last year’s Super Bowl wasn’t a blue print on how to topple Kansas City, then one doesn’t exist. The Eagles defense wreaked havoc on Patrick Mahomes from the opening whistle until the clock ended, and for the first time, the Chiefs QB looked completely rattled and couldn’t find an answer.
With a dominant defensive line and pass rush and elite secondary, the Eagles were a step ahead of Mahomes and the Chiefs offense all night. The Eagles sacked Mahomes 5.5 times in the Super Bowl while forcing two critical interceptions. Ultimately, Philadelphia cruised to a dominating 40-22 victory.
So while the Ravens are returning nearly every key weapon from last year’s No. 1 offense including Jackson, Derrick Henry, Mark Andrews, Zay Flowers, Ronnie Stanley and the rest of the offensive line, they need to focus on the defensive side of the ball if they are going to knock off the Chiefs.
Anthony Palacios of "Last Word on Sports" predicts the Ravens might make a major move to bolster the defense by trading for Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs.
"It’s never a bad time to add more cornerbacks to strengthen a team’s roster," Palacios claims.
"Last season, the Baltimore Ravens had a questionable secondary unit where veteran Marlon Humphrey was carrying most of the weight. However, they should know Humphrey is aging and he will need another cornerback to shed the success of what this Ravens secondary unit is looking for.
"Diggs might be running out of gas, but he could salvage this unit as a backup behind Nate Wiggins to reduce the stress."
