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With the Baltimore Ravens entering the 2025 season, there is no doubt that the team will be under a lot of pressure and high expectations to compete for a Super Bowl. As ESPN listed Ravens star Lamar Jackson lower than people thought on their quarterback rankings, the same outlet had them No. 1 in the starting lineup rankings, even over the Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles.
ESPN analyst Mike Clay would speak about Baltimore being the No. 1 team, speaking about their strengths and weaknesses, along with the X-factors and nonstarters to know about. Funny enough, he would label the strength of the team being the quarterbacks in Jackson and saying that Cooper Rush is a “solid backup,” while a weakness for the team is the guard spots on the offensive line.
“Lamar Jackson, an All-Pro in each of the past two seasons and the NFL MVP in 2019 and 2023, is one of the best in the business,” Clay wrote. “He fell just short of his second consecutive MVP last season even though he led the league in QBR (77.3) and produced career-high marks in passing yards (4,172) and passing touchdowns (41, the second most in the league).”
“New year, same ‘weakness' for a roster that is otherwise pretty stacked,” Clay continued. “On the left side, Patrick Mekari is out and will be replaced by Andrew Vorhees, Ben Cleveland, or perhaps a rookie. Daniel Faalele returns on the right side after underwhelming as a run blocker and ranking among the worst in the league in run block win rate (71.8%).”
ESPN explains why the Eagles are under the Ravens
While the Ravens prepare for training camp, the team that rivals them as the top team in the league, according to ESPN, is the Eagles, who dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. As for their strengths, Clay would have offensive tackle, which makes sense since the team's offensive line is one of the best units every season, whereas edge rusher is a weakness for Philadelphia.
“The defending champs have many strengths, but it's tough to beat arguably the league's top tackle duo, with Jordan Mailata manning the left side and Lane Johnson on the right,” Clay wrote. “Mailata ranked among the top tackles in PFF grade, pass block win rate, and run block win rate in both 2023 and 2024. Johnson is 35 years old but hasn't lost a step, ranking top 10 among tackles in pass and run block win rate last season.”
“Josh Sweat (free agency), Brandon Graham (retirement) and Bryce Huff (trade) are all gone, leaving Nolan Smith Jr. as the only established player on the depth chart,” Clay continued about the team's weakness. “Smith is likely to be joined in the starting lineup by 2024 third-rounder Jalyx Hunt, who was a solid backup as a rookie.”
It remains to be seen if ESPN's rankings will come true with the Ravens on top over the Eagles.
