Another year, another playoff appearance for the Baltimore Ravens. That’s now six postseason appearances in seven seasons under head coach John Harbaugh’s regime, and not one first-game exit from all of those trips (not to mention bringing home the hardware three years ago in Super Bowl XLVII).
This 2015 season, the Ravens went through more significant changes than we’re used to seeing from the team, especially on offense. Let’s take a look into what had transpired during Baltimore’s offseason to see if Harbaugh can continue his mean streak of sound, playoff-caliber football.
And of course, the road to Super Bowl 50 will be rough one for the Ravens as the AFC North is poised to be the most competitive division in the league once more. Head on over to our complete previews for their rivals in the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.
[sc:Football ]
2015-2016 Baltimore Ravens Preview
Overview
After a subpar 8-8 2013 season, Baltimore found its winning form again in 2014, qualifying for the playoffs as before the eventual Super Bowl XLIX champs New England Patriots took them out of contention in the divisional round.
[sc:NFL240banner ]We’re already used to seeing Baltimore as a playoff contender year-in and year-out. So what was new? Well for one, the Ravens found ways to win with probably the most potent offense that the team has seen in years. The Ravens ranked 12th in the league in total offense last season – the team’s highest offensive ranking in the Harbaugh era.
That’s in large part thanks to the superb pairing of Joe Flacco and Steve Smith in the passing game. Flacco had career-highs of 3,986 passing yards and 27 touchdowns last season. Meanwhile, the ageless Smith even time-travelled back to his prime form. The 36-year old led all Ravens receivers last year in receiving yards (1,065), receptions (79) and yards per game (66.6).
Offseason Review
The Ravens no longer have Flacco’s other dependable receivers from last year, Torrey Smith and Owen Daniels, but the front office did their franchise player one better by getting “quarterback whisperer” Marc Trestman as the team’s fourth offensive coordinator in as many years.
Flacco also has youthful and suitable replacements in the passing game to make up for the losses in the receiving corps. Rookies Breshad Perriman at wideout and tight end Maxx Williams will likely get early starting nods to fill the voids left in the offense, and both will likely thrive under Trestman’s tutelage.
And how can we forget about Baltimore’s bread and butter? The defense still looks as stout as ever, even with the departures of Haloti Ngata and Pernell McPhee. Taking over Ngata’s role at left defensive end will be Timmy Jernigan, who showed lots of promise last year with four sacks in limited playing time during last season’s rookie campaign.
The terrifying one-two punch of linebackers Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil will be back to bully opposing quarterbacks once again. The two of them combined for 27 sacks and provided undeniable stability for Baltimore’s eighth-best defense in the league last season.
However, the secondary is still rather questionable. Baltimore ranked fourth in the league last year against the run, but only 23rd against the pass. If cornerback Jimmy Smith has a solid recovery from his Lisfranc foot sprain that made him miss the second half of the season, and if his fellow corner Lardarius Webb can bounce back from a down season, the Ravens defense will be in fine form.
Key Player – Justin Forsett
After releasing embattled starting running back Ray Rice, Justin Forsett seized the moment to take over Rice’s spot and broke out for 1,266 rushing yards (good for fifth in the league) and eight trips to the end zone. And with those numbers, the Ravens locked him up with a deserving 3-year, $9 million contract this offseason.
Now comes the hard part for Forsett, which is to equal or even surpass his 2014 outing. The journeyman had no more than 620 yards on the ground in each of his past five seasons prior to joining the Ravens, so this 2015 season will prove if Forsett’s breakthrough performance from last season was for real, or if it was a one-season wonder.
Luckily for Forsett, the Baltimore offensive line is still one of the the NFL’s finest, and new OC Trestman likes to maximize his running backs by getting them involved in the passing game. Forsett wasn’t too shabby as a receiver, having 44 receptions for 263 yards and 10 first down conversions from last season.
Solid yardage from the ground to complement Flacco’s aerial attack is Forsett’s main responsibility. But if he excels as one of the QB’s midfield targets as well, the Ravens – who are +140 favorites to win the AFC North – could very well have a tight grip of the top spot in the division throughout the season.
Key Game – vs. Pittsburgh (December 27)
Was there any doubt that we weren’t going to put the Steelers as Baltimore’s key opponent to beat? This has been the NFL’s most compelling rivalry for the better part of the new millennium, and how sweeter it is that these two will meet so late into the 2015 regular season. Playoff seeding and/or berths will be on the line, so this Week 16 affair has the makings of another instant classic.
There’s a lot going in favor of Baltimore this season against its bitter archenemy. Even though both teams have split the past six encounters at three wins apiece, the Ravens won the most recent one (and it was in the postseason all the more). The Ravens will also be at home for that post-Christmas match, where they are 47-11 with John Harbaugh at the helm.
However, Baltimore was fortunate in that playoff game from last year that Pittsburgh’s star running back Le’Veon Bell did not play due to an injury. Bell’s first game back from suspension this season is actually against the Ravens in Week 4 at Heinz Field, but you know for a fact that the level of animosity and intensity of both teams will be cranked up to 11 when it’s do-or-die time in that other late regular season showdown.
Best/Worst Case Scenario for the Season
Best Case Scenario
Flacco outdoes his career numbers from last season thanks to an even more formidable group of receivers. A top-5 Baltimore defense also proves to be immovable as expected. Back atop the NFC North and a trip to the Super Bowl for Harbaugh and Co. is not far from happening.
Worst Case Scenario
Forsett is a bust, and the young receivers prove little in their debuts. The defense suffers greatly due to a leaky secondary. No worse than third in the division, but no ticket to the postseason either.
Complete Schedule
WEEK
DATE
OPPONENT
TIME (ET)
1
Sun, Sep 13
@ Denver
4:25 PM
2
Sun, Sep 20
@ Oakland
4:05 PM
3
Sen, Sep 27
Cincinnati
1:00 PM
4
Thu, Oct 1
@ Pittsburgh
8:25 PM
5
Sun, Oct 11
Cleveland
1:00 PM
6
Sun, Oct 18
@ San Francisco
4:25 PM
7
Mon, Oct 26
@ Arizona
8:30 PM
8
Sun, Nov 1
San Diego
2:00 PM
9
Bye Week
10
Sun, Nov 15
Jacksonville
2:00 PM
11
Sun, Nov 22
St. Louis
2:00 PM
12
Mon, Nov 30
@ Cleveland
9:30 PM
13
Sun, Dec 6
@ Miami
2:00 PM
14
Sun, Dec 13
Seattle
9:30 PM
15
Sun, Dec 20
Kansas City
2:00 PM
16
Sun, Dec 27
Pittsburgh
9:30 PM
17
Sun, Jan 3
@ Cincinnati
2:00 PM
Writer’s Prediction
Despite a 9-7 winning record, the Ravens fail to go over their projected 9.5 win total for 2015 and miss out on the postseason altogether.
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