The Baltimore Ravens have served notice that they are going to make a run at going deep in the playoffs on an every-year basis. Head coach John Harbaugh is clearly one of the best in the business and he has a slew of great players he can depend on.
The most important is clearly quarterback Lamar Jackson and he could get a lift this year from running back Derrick Henry, who signed as a free agent after a great run with the Tennessee Titans. But they have another dynamic player in defensive lineman Justin Madubuike. He is already a solid contributor, but he could turn into an All-Pro in 2024.
The Ravens have been a playoff team in five of the last six seasons, winning 10 or more games in each of the years that they played into the postseason. They are slight favorites over the Cincinnati Bengals to passionate about their most beloved sports teams, and they have the opportunity to bet on the Ravens, per MDBetting.com.
Jackson is a gamebreaker for the Ravens
Much of the credit for their recent success must go to Jackson, who has been a dual threat for the Ravens for the last five years. When he was drafted out of Louisville, Jackson was viewed as a remarkable athlete who still had something to prove as a passer.
He has more than passed the test, as he is a two-time Most Valuable Player, a two-time All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowler.
Jackson completed 307 of 457 passes for a career-high 3,678 yards with 24 TD passes and 7 interceptions in 2023. He also continued to get the job done as a runner, gaining 821 yards on 148 carries and scoring 5 touchdowns. He has never rushed for less that 695 yards in a season and has gained as much as 1,206 yards in 2019.
Jackson is a game-changing player, as is Henry. When it comes to power running backs, few players can compare with the former Titan.
Ravens should bet a big assist from Henry
Henry is a four-time Pro Bowler and has been a first-team All-Pro. He was the NFL's offensive player of the year in 2020.
Henry is a tower of strength at 6-3 and 247 pounds, and he has been a game-changer since the 2018 season. He was the league's leading rusher in 2019 and 2020, and he did it in dominant fashion.
Henry carried the ball 303 times for 1,540 yards with 16 touchdowns in 2019 and he followed that up with his monstrous 2020 season. He carried the ball 378 times for 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns.
There was an unstoppable characteristic to Henry's powerful style, and while he has not been quite as prolific since, he did rush for 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns last year.
A healthy and reinvigorated Henry should be able to take some of the offensive pressure off of Jackson.
Defense will get a jolt from Madubuike
While Jackson and Henry are likely to be in the headlines, the Ravens have long been known for their defensive excellence.
The anchor of the defense is inside linebacker Roquan Smith. Since coming over from the Chicago Bears midway through the 2022 season, he has taken the responsibility for the Ravens defense on his shoulders. He had a brilliant 2023 season, with 158 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 8 passes defensed, 1.5 sacks, 1 interception and 1.5 sacks.
Smith did not have to do it all himself as he received a big assist from Madubuike.
He was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M, and he was a role player for his first three seasons in the league.
However, he came into his own last year as he used his speed, moves and long arms to get around offensive linemen and become a major disruptive force in the offensive backfield. Madubuike led the Ravens with 13.0 sacks and he also had 56 tackles and 1 forced fumble.
His brilliant performance resulted in his first Pro Bowl appearance.
Much more expected from Madubuike
Now that Madubuike has tasted real success in the big-time, Harbaugh and Ravens executive vice president/general manager Eric DeCosta are counting on Madubuike to build off the success he had a year ago.
The Ravens demonstrated their belief in Madubuike by giving him a four-year, $98 million extension that included a $53.5 million signing bonus.
Madubuike is expecting quite a bit of himself, including another season with 10 or more sacks.
“It's definitely double digits for sure,” Madubuike said. “I know I'm that type of player. I know I expect highly of myself and I have to hold myself to that standard. Just taking it one day at a time. Staying present and put the work in.”
There appears to be no doubt that he is on his way up and his success could be one of the most important factors to the Ravens season
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