The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2023 season with a refreshed sense of optimism after narrowly avoiding a full-blown crisis in the offseason.
The team made the playoffs with a 10-7 record last season before getting immediately bounced by the Bengals in the AFC Wild Card round. Of course, the final month of the season was defined by franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson going down with a season-ending injury for the second year in a row. Jackson’s pursuit of a long-term deal with the organization intensified in the offseason and after they placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on him, he requested a trade. However, the impasse between the two sides would end in April as the QB agreed to a five-year, $260 million contract with $185 million in guarantees.
With the contract situation now in the rearview, Jackson now leads the team into a new year and he will have a few new receiver weapons to work with in veteran Odell Beckham Jr. and rookie Zay Flowers. Below, we’ll go over the best and worst-case scenarios for the Ravens in the 2023 season.
Ravens best-case scenario for 2023
A healthy and revitalized Jackson returns to MVP form and leads Baltimore back to Super Bowl contender status. With new offensive coordinator Todd Monken scheming things up, the Ravens become one of the deadlier offenses in the entire league with Jackson, JK Dobbins, Mark Andrews, Flowers, and Beckham all making plays. Meanwhile, All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith leads a defense that is able to terrorize the likes of Joe Burrow, Deshaun Watson, and Kenny Pickett within the AFC North.
This would boost Baltimore back toward the top of the AFC pecking order, where it would be rubbing elbows with the Chiefs, Bills, and Bengals as the top dogs in the league. Jackson has been hounded for not making it past the Divisional round during his time as starter and they would have a good shot at finally breaking through to the AFC Championship Game.
Ravens worst-case scenario for 2023
Jackson once again deals with an injury that puts a ceiling on the Ravens’ success. This would once again force the team to start backup Tyler Huntley down the stretch, leading to them barely earning a Wild Card spot or missing the playoffs altogether. In the former situation, they would assuredly be bounced out of the postseason by one of the stronger contenders in the league.
The worst-case scenario doesn’t just stop at a potential Jackson injury. There’s a possibility that Beckham’s best days are behind him and after not playing for over a year, he becomes a diminished version of his younger self. There’s also a possibility that the Ravens’ inefficient passing attack doesn’t get resolved with the addition of Monken, forcing the offense to rely heavily on the run game and Jackson’s legs to carry them through.