Heading into the 2024 season, expectations were sky high for the Baltimore Ravens as in the Lamar Jackson era they have consistently been the most dominant regular season team in the NFL. However, their performance come postseason time has really regressed as they have had multiple very weak playoff performances in this era. In the 2023-24 season, they advanced the furthest in the playoffs that they have ever advanced with Lamar Jackson making the conference championship for the first time. But their postseason demons came back to haunt them once again in a loss at home to the Chiefs. However, that season Lamar Jackson had his best postseason ever and the Ravens still came up only one possession short of the eventual Super Bowl Champion Chiefs in the playoffs. This past season the Ravens were not as dominant in the regular season as they were in the previous season or in years past. They still won their division however but were not able to secure the 1 seed or the 2 seed as Baltimore lost a few regular seasons to clearly inferior competition such as the Raiders and Browns. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens looked superb in their playoff win against the Steelers as Lamar posted a remarkable 132.0 passer rating while the Ravens committed zero turnovers, only had three penalties, and kicker Justin Tucker did not miss a kick. Prior to the 2024-25 postseason the Ravens in the playoffs made too many mistakes and/or Lamar Jackson underperformed. In the postseason loss vs the Bills, Lamar did not necessarily choke as he has in years past as he still posted a very high passer rating of 114.4 but the mistakes the Ravens made indeed cost them. In the playoff loss vs Buffalo, the Ravens committed three turnovers to the Bills zero turnovers, two of which were by Lamar Jackson, along with 5 penalties to the Bills 1 penalty. Star tight end Mark Andrews also dropped the game tying two-point conversion as well. The fact that Baltimore made all those mistakes compared to the next to zero mistakes the Bills made, and the game still came down to the wire on the road, shows me that the Ravens were clearly the superior team to the Bills but made too many mistakes. That thinking is also further evidenced by the Ravens beating the Bills 35-10 in the regular season. Ravens top wide out Zay Flowers not being available for the postseason loss against the Bills also was a factor in that game. Lamar Jackson has seem to mostly overcome his playoff demons but the question remains if the Ravens can put it all together next season. Putting it all together would entail the following. Lamar not reverting back to lackluster playoff performances and continuing to improve his level of play in the playoffs. The Ravens being sound on special teams and not making mistakes in regards to turnovers and penalties. Along with the Ravens being on their A game with regularity in the regular season to secure higher playoff seeding. The Ravens have all the talent and have done each of the aforementioned items from time to time, it is just a matter if they can execute all the above with consistency and regularity. As winning a Super Bowl, which they are more than capable of doing, would require them to execute all the above with consistency and regularity.
On the offensive side of the ball the Ravens with Lamar Jackson at the helm have been one of the premier offensive teams in the league on a year in year out basis, including this past season. The Ravens offensive ranks for the 2024 season can be found.
2024 Ravens Key Offensive Ranks
3rd in points per game
1st in yards per game
1st in offense grade according to Pro Football Focus
As you can see from the above data the Ravens on the offensive side of the ball were one of the premier if not the premier team in the NFL this past season. Lamar Jackson is one of the premier quarterbacks in the game today and one of the premier quarterback talents the game has ever seen. Lamar Jackson had a historically great season where he finished with the 4th highest passer rating ever in a season and also led all quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns as well. Jackson however finished 2nd in the MVP voting and many including myself believe he deserved the award, but voter fatigue likely kept him from winning a third MVP. I have conducted a unit-by-unit analysis of the Ravens on the offensive end starting with the offensive line which can be found below. I have included the offense grade that each player was assigned over the course of this past season. I have also included my own subjective grade that encompasses how strong of players I deem them to be in totality outside of just 2024. This subjective grade is based upon yearly statistical output and yearly subjective grades given to them by Pro Football Focus.
Ravens Offensive Line Starters
LT – Ronnie Stanley – (32/60) offense grade in 2024 over 1089 snaps, B to B-
LG – Andrew Vorhees – (50/59) offense grade in 2024 over 268 snaps, C to C-
C – Tyler Linderbaum – (5/43) offense grade in 2024 over 1094 snaps, A-
RG – Daniel Faalele – (52/83) offense grade in 2024 over 1107 snaps, C
RT – Roger Rosengarten – (46/87) offense grade in 2024 over 933 snaps, C to C+ so far as 2024 2nd rounder
Ravens Reserve Offensive Lineman
C/G – Corey Bullock – 0 career snaps, undrafted 2024
G – Ben Cleveland – (42/59) offense grade in 2024 over 49 snaps, C+
C – Nick Samac – 0 career snaps, 7th round 2024
Ravens Offensive Lineman from 2024 not currently or no longer on team
C/G/T – Patrick Mekari – (54/83) offense grade in 2024 over 998 snaps, B-
G/T – Josh Jones – poor offense grade in 2024 over 46 snaps, C to C+
Ravens 2024 Offensive Line Ranks
7th in pass blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus
19th in run blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus
13th in pass blocking efficiency
3rd in sacks allowed
As you can see from the above sets of data the Ravens had a hit and miss offensive line this past season and there are also question marks on the offensive front heading into next year. Starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley is inconsistent but has a very high ceiling and had a meager year this past season. Starting right tackle Roger Rosengarten who was a 2nd round pick in 2024 had a respectable rookie season but was pretty average and still has a lot of room to grow. Tyler Linderbaum at center is the strong point of the Ravens offensive front and had another remarkable season ranking among the best centers in the NFL. Patrick Mekari was solid for the Ravens starting at guard last season but has since departed the team for the Jaguars. The remaining guard spot outside of Mekari was a question mark for Baltimore last season as the Ravens got below average production from it last year. Both guard spots with the departure of Mekari now remain a big question mark on the Ravens offensive front. The Ravens last season with the questionable starting five they had outside of center Tyler Linderbaum still was productive. They allowed the 3rd fewest sacks, Pro Football Focus graded them 7th in terms of pass blocking grade, and they ranked above average in terms of pass blocking efficiency as well. However, given the average nature of the Ravens five starters those pass protecting measures are indeed perhaps a bit overblown because of how elusive quarterback Lamar Jackson is. Jackson, being arguably the most elusive quarterback in the NFL and maybe the hardest to bring down for sacks, certainly contributed to the Ravens pass protecting metrics being a bit misleading. The average to mediocre nature of the Ravens offensive line however was unveiled in how they were graded in terms of run blocking which was below average ranking 19th in the NFL. Heading into next season, questions remain on the Ravens offensive front everywhere outside of center Tyler Linderbaum. The team has resigned Ronnie Stanley who has an elite ceiling but who can be very inconsistent. It remains to be seen what kind of year he will have next season. 2024 2nd round pick Roger Rosengarten had a decent rookie season but certainly did not blow anyone away. His improvement will be a big question mark for the Ravens heading into next season. Both the guard spots remain the biggest question mark for Baltimore as of now as they have two average to mediocre caliber players slated to start at the two positions currently. The team has very questionable depth on the offensive line as well as they have no established player that they can rely upon to replicate the production of starters. The Baltimore offensive line is a big question mark but the questions on the offensive front are masked by Lamar Jackson being perhaps the most mobile elusive quarterback in the NFL. Along with the Ravens having maybe the strongest running back room in the league as well. I have conducted a similar analysis of the Ravens skill position players which can be found below.
Ravens Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
WR – Zay Flowers – (16/110) offense grade in 2024 in 17 games, B+
WR – Deandre Hopkins – (23/110) offense grade in 2024 in 16 games for Chiefs and Titans, B+
WR – Rashod Bateman – (56/110) offense grade in 2024 in 17 games, C
WR – Tylan Wallace – (66/110) offense grade in 2024 in 15 games, C
WR – Devontez Walker – 1 career reception, 2024 4th rounder
WR – Anthony Miller – (32/110) offense grade in 2024 in 1 game, C
WR – Malik Cunningham – 0 career receptions, undrafted 2023
WR – Keith Kirkwood – DNP in 2024, C to C-
WR – Dayton Wade – 0 career receptions, undrafted 2024
TE – Mark Andrews – (4/45) offense grade in 2024 in 17 games, A to A+
TE – Isaiah Likely – (12/45) offense grade in 2024 in 16 games, B to B+
TE – Charlie Kolar – (19/45) offense grade in 2024 in 13 games, C to C+
TE – Zaire Mitchell-Paden – 0 career rec, undrafted 2022
Ravens WRs/TEs from 2024 not currently or no longer on team
WR – Deonte Harty – (105/110) offense grade in 2024 in 1 game, C+
WR – Diontae Johnson – (67/110) offense grade in 2024 in 12 games, B-
WR – Nelson Agholor – (76/110) offense grade in 2024 in 14 games, C to C+
As you can see from the above sets of data the Baltimore Ravens receivers were stout primarily led by wideout Zay Flowers and star tight end Mark Andrews. Isaiah Likely is also effective as the team’s number two tight end as well. Last season the team however lacked high caliber players outside of those three individuals, especially in terms of wide receivers. Zay Flowers although he is very effective has not proven to be a superstar at the position as of yet at least. The remaining wide outs last season outside of Flowers left much to be desired as all the remaining wideouts in 2024 outside of Diontae Johnson graded in the C range. With Diontae Johnson being cut from the team before the postseason even began. The lackluster wide out play outside of Flowers was one of the biggest things that kept the Ravens from being the top scoring offense in the NFL although they still finished third in that department. Zay Flowers missed the Ravens postseason loss against the Bills and although Rashod Bateman was solid in place of him, no other wide out on the roster was in Zay Flowers’ class. To address this wideout issue outside of Zay Flowers the team has signed wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to go alongside Flowers. Hopkins in his prime was in the definitive discussion for being the best wide receiver in the NFL. Although he is now past his prime, he is still very productive ranking above average to well above average in terms of an offense grade every single season for the past 4 seasons. The combination of Andrews, Likely, Flowers, and Hopkins will be one of the premier receiving combinations in the NFL today. I evaluated the running back unit of the Ravens in a similar fashion which can be found below.
Ravens Running Backs
HB – Derrick Henry – (1/58) offense grade in 2024 in 17 games, A to A+
HB – Justice Hill – (13/58) offense grade in 2024 in 15 games, C+ to B-
HB – Keaton Mitchell – (58/58) offense grade in 2024 in 4 games, B+ to A-
HB – Rasheen Ali – 10 career attempts for 3.1 ypa and 0 career receptions, 2024 5th rounder
The Ravens in the Lamar Jackson era with him being the premier dual threat quarterback in the NFL have always placed an emphasis on supplementing him with a strong backfield so the Ravens can be the premier running team in the league. This emphasis they placed on the running back unit of the team was further exemplified by the acquisition of Derrick Henry this past offseason who is in the definitive discussion for being the best overall running back in the league. Henry was also graded as the best running back in the NFL this past season as well. Outside of Derrick Henry the Ravens had primarily Justice Hill out the backfield who is solid but not spectacular. The Ravens can expect Keaton Mitchell to play much more next season after struggling with a torn ACL in his first two years in the NFL. Mitchell, who was a rookie in 2023 was having an outstanding season where although it was in a relatively small sample size of snaps, he was graded as the best running back in the NFL in the time he did play. He, however, suffered a torn ACL which ended his rookie season and he was not able to return until deep into 2024 campaign. The Ravens being fine with Henry and Hill out the backfield ostensibly limited Mitchell’s time on the field to preserve his health as he played in only 4 games with 15 carries and 1 reception. Mitchell was also incredibly subpar in the very limited time he spent on the field where he ranked last among all qualified running backs in terms of an offense grade after ranking first in that same department the previous season. The health and production of Keaton Mitchell is a big question mark for Baltimore going forward but if he is healthy, he has the potential to be one of the premier number two backs in league. Worst case scenario, Justice Hill will be solid and productive serving as the number two back to Henry who is arguably the best in the league at the position.
Overall, on the offensive side of the ball the Ravens were one of the premier offensive attacks in the league last season as they usually are led by superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson. The offensive line has question marks but was at worst average last season and although there are still questions being asked about it heading into next year, it will likely be average at worst heading into next season as well. The questions and flaws on the offensive front are indeed masked by Lamar Jackson being maybe the most elusive quarterback in the game today. They are also masked by the Ravens having one of the premier if not the premier running back room in the league. The collection of skill position players was very strong last season but they lacked a strong secondary wide out to complement Zay Flowers. This especially came back to haunt them in their postseason loss to the Bills were Flowers missed the game due to injury. The Ravens have since signed wide out DeAndre Hopkins to address the issue and I believe he will adequately fill the role. The signing of DeAndre Hopkins, the potential re-emergence of running back Keaton Mitchell, the improvement of 2024 2nd rounder Roger Rosengarten, along with tackle Ronnie Stanely potentially having a bounce back season, could all lead to Baltimore improving on the offensive end even further. The lackluster guard play, especially with the departure of veteran guard Patrick Mekari, is the biggest question mark on the offensive side of the ball. Perhaps Baltimore can look to the draft to address the guard positions and/or still sign free agents and/or make a trade. The Ravens scored the third most points last regular season but accumulated the most yards and Pro Football Focus graded them as the #1 offense in the NFL. The Ravens certainly have what it takes to improve for aforementioned reasons and potentially be ranked #1 in all three of those departments which would be historic and remarkable.
The defensive side of the ball was more concerning for Baltimore but they eventually turned into an elite defensive team as the season progressed. The ranks for the Ravens on the defensive side of the ball can be found below.
Ravens 2024 Defensive Ranks
7th in overall defense grade according to Pro Football Focus
9th in points per game allowed
10th in yards per game allowed
With the departure of Mike MacDonald as the defensive coordinator from the previous season where the Ravens ranked 1st in terms of points per game allowed in the regular season. The team promoted inside linebackers coach Zachary Orr to the defensive coordinator position prior to the 2024 season. Although the defense was not as good in the first season with Orr as the defensive coordinator as it was in 2023 with MacDonald where the team allowed the fewest points in the league. It was not too far off, especially as the season progressed and Orr become more experienced in the role. In the first 11 weeks of the season the Ravens defense indeed struggled with regularity. In weeks 1-11 the defense allowed 26 points to the Raiders, 38 points to the Bengals, 31 to Tampa Bay, 29 to the Browns, and 34 to the Bengals. The defense did perform well from time to time in weeks 1-11 such as holding playoff teams Denver and Buffalo to 10 points each. In week 12 with new defensive coordinator Zachory Orr the team seemed to catch their stride. As from week 12 until their playoff loss they allowed 20+ points only twice and never allowed more than 24 points, with the 24 points being allowed to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Eagles. The Ravens defense looked stout vs the Bills who had the league’s 2nd highest scoring offense holding them to under 30. Perhaps the Ravens defense could have held the Bills to a lower point total if Baltimore did not turn the ball over 3 times offensively. I have conducted a similar unit by unit analysis of Baltimore on the defensive end just as I did for the offense of the team which can be found below.
Ravens Front Seven
ED – Nnamdi Madubuike – (30/146) defense grade in 2024 over 812 snaps, B
NT – Travis Jones – (22/146) defense grade in 2024 over 599 snaps, B to B+
ED – Broderick Washington – (94/146) defense grade in 2024 over 448 snap, C to C+
ED – C.J Ravenell – 0 career snaps, undrafted 2024
DL – C.J Okoye – 0 career snaps, undrafted 2023
ED – Adedayo Odeleye – 0 career snaps, undrafted 2022
LB – Kyle Van Noy – (25/135) defense grade in 2024 over 630 snaps, B
LB – Roquan Smith – (48/92) defense grade in 2024 over 992 snaps, B
LB – Trenton Simpson – (66/92) defense grade in 2024 over 654 snaps, C to C+
LB – Tavius Robinson – (33/122) defense grade in 2024 over 266 snaps, C+ to B-
LB – David Ojabo – (107/135) defense grade in 2024 over 275 snaps, C
LB – Jacob Hummell – (11/92) defense grade in 2024 over 74 snaps for LAR, B+ in very limited snaps
LB – William Kwenku – looked strong in only 13 career snaps
LB – Odafe Oweh – (36/135) defense grade in 2024 over 636 snaps, B to B+
LB – Malik Hamm – 0 career snaps, undrafted 2023
LB – Adisa Isaac – solid in 32 career snaps, 2024 third rounder
Ravens Front Seven Players from 2024 not currently or no longer on team
DL – Michael Pierce – (9/146) defense grade in 2024 over 231 snaps, A-, retired
DL- Chris Wormley – (30/146) defense grade in 2024 over 33 snaps,
DL – Josh Tupuo – (99/146) defense grade in 2024 over 61 snaps, C to C+
DL – Brent Urban – (53/142) defense grade in 2024 over 280 snaps, C+
ED – Yannick Ngakoue – (122/135) defense grade in 2024 over 239 snaps, C
LB – Malik Harrison – (82/92) defense grade in 2024 over 371 snaps, C to C+
LB – Chris Board – (17/92) defense grade in 2024 over 167 snaps, C to C+
LB – Kristian Welch – (87/92) defense grade in 2024 over 53 snaps, C
Ravens Key Front Seven Metrics
4th in run defense grade according to Pro Football Focus
12th in pass rush grade according to Pro Football Focus
1st in rushing yards per game allowed
2nd in sacks
As you can see from the above sets of data the Ravens had a very stout front seven that ranked among the best in the NFL. They allowed the fewest rushing yards and were only 2nd to the Denver Broncos in terms of sacks accumulated. Although there are no stars on the Baltimore front seven there are definitive weaknesses and the front seven is comprised of many good above average players to well above average players. The fact that the front seven was so productive despite the relative lack of talent goes to show you that defensive coordinator Zachary Orr seems to know what he is doing. Overcoming the loss of interior defensive lineman Michael Pierce who recently retired and who was arguably their top front seven player will be a tough pill to swallow. However, the front seven was incredibly productive with him missing the majority of last season. I have conducted a similar analysis of Baltimore’s secondary which can be found below.
Ravens Secondary
CB – Nate Wiggins – (29/128) defense grade in 2024 over 679 snaps, B to B+ so far, 2024 1st rounder
SS – Kyle Hamilton – (2/104) defense grade in 2024 over 1043 snaps, A to A+
FS – Ardarius Washington – (8/104) defense grade in 2024 over 726 snaps, B+ to A-
CB – T.J Tampa – (122/128) defense grade in 2024 over 18 snaps, 2024 4th rounder
CB – Marlon Humphrey – (6/128) defense grade in 2024 over 903 snaps, A-
CB – Chidobie Awuzie – (64/128) defense grade in 2024 over 373 for Titans, B
SS – Sanousi Kane – (27/104) defense grade in 2024 over 22 snaps, B so far as 2024 7th rounder
FS – Beau Brade – (74/104) defense grade in 2024 in 11 snaps, C so far as 2024 undrafted
CB – Jalyn Armour-Davis – (90/128) defense grade in 2024 in 94 snaps, C
Ravens Secondary Players from 2024 not currently or no longer on team
S – Eddie Jackson – (91/104) defense grade in 2024 over 381 snaps, C to C+
S – Marcus Williams – (104/104) defense grade in 2024 over 601 snaps, B
CB – Brandon Stephens – (99/128) defense grade in 2024 over 1047 snaps, C to C+
CB – Arther Maulet – (123/128) defense grade in 2024 over 72 snaps, C to C+
CB – Desmond King II – (106/128) defense grade in 2024 over 19 snaps, B
CB – Tredavious White – (110/128) defense grade in 2024 over 403 snaps, C+
Key Ravens Secondary Metrics
8th in coverage grade according to Pro Football Focus
7th in passing yards per game allowed
As you can see from the above sets of data the Ravens had one of the premier secondaries in the NFL this past season. Similar to the front seven, the unit is comprised of many good above average to well above average players, but this time the Ravens have some star power sprinkled in every here and there in the likes of Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey. Both of whom are among the premier secondary players in the NFL. Cornerback Nate Wiggins who was a 2024 first rounder had a very strong rookie season and Baltimore can expect him to continue to improve. The Ravens saw inconsistent and subpar play from one of their three starting corner spots a season ago. Cornerback Brandon Stephens started for the Ravens last year and was consistently below average and the team has since signed Chidobie Awuzie who can be inconsistent but is mostly above average and has a very high ceiling to fill the void. With Wiggins’ potential improvement as a first rounder going into year 2 and with the Ravens filling the biggest void in their secondary, there is no reason that Baltimore cannot have the premier secondary in the league next season.
Overall, with the Ravens on the defensive end they had the number one scoring defense in the 2023 season but regressed this past season losing their defensive coordinator to a head coaching job. The team was still in the bottom half of the top 10 in the three aforementioned major defensive categories, however. Once new defensive coordinator Zachary Orr got into the groove of things later in the season the Ravens started to look like the 2023 Ravens on the defensive end. With Orr going into year 2 as the defensive coordinator there is no reason that the defense cannot return to its 2023 form where they allowed the fewest points in the NFL. Especially since they plugged their biggest hole on their defense by adding corner Chidobie Awuzie along with the potential if not the likely improvement of 2024 first rounder Nate Wiggins at corner as well.
The Ravens in the Lamar Jackson era have consistently been the best regular season team in the NFL but consistently faulter come playoff time. Previously it was primarily due to Lamar Jackson underwhelming in the biggest postseason games. He in the past couple of seasons has mostly overcome that, but he still has not given us the Brady types of games and he is still prone to make mistakes in the biggest games as well. Although Lamar has not choked in postseason losses the past two seasons, questions are still asked of how strong of a postseason quarterback he truly is. Even with his improvement in postseason play the past two seasons, the Ravens still have faltered as the team now makes several mistakes around Lamar come playoff time, and Lamar is still prone to make mistakes as well, accounting for 2 of the Ravens 3 turnovers in their playoff loss this past season. This past season not getting the number one overall seed also as they did in the 2023 season also factored into their playoff exit. The Ravens, when rolling on all cylinders, are as good if not better than anyone in the NFL and in my estimation when they are rolling on all cylinders, they are better than any AFC team including the Chiefs. They however cannot be trusted to roll on all cylinders come playoff time and they even falter from time to time in the regular season costing them higher playoff seeding such as vs the Browns and Raiders this past season. As Baltimore lost to both teams who both finished with amongst the worst records in the NFL. If Baltimore can consistently not make mistakes in the postseason, if they can consistently be sound on special teams in the postseason, and if Lamar Jackson can consistently replicate his regular season performance come playoff time, there is no reason that Baltimore cannot reach the Super Bowl next season. Because as stated previously the Ravens when on their A game are better than any team in the AFC including Kansas City in my estimation. I would also like the Ravens chances against likely Philadelphia or Detroit in that potential Super Bowl as the Ravens have the better quarterback than both teams. From a roster/coaching standpoint Baltimore is also in the same ballpark as both teams as well, with it being a game of quarterbacks more-so than anything else.
