After finishing the 2020 season with an 11-5 record and a playoff win against Tennessee, the Baltimore Ravens headed into 2021 with hefty expectations.
Through the first 12 weeks of the year, Baltimore sat atop their division with eight wins and only three losses. Led by 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson, it was as tough a task as any to beat the Ravens in a duel. Then, things took a turn for the worst in Baltimore.
With a record of 8-4, Lamar Jackson would suffer an injury 10 snaps into a week-14 contest against Cleveland, effectively ending his season. As a result, the Ravens would lose each of their final 6 matchups at the 8-3 mark, finishing outside of the postseason with a 8-9 record.
Now, looking to start fresh entering the 2022 season, the Ravens go back to the drawing board in an attempt to get back into the NFL playoffs. How does Baltimore get there?
2 things Lamar Jackson and the Ravens must do to return to the NFL playoffs
2. Keep Lamar happy
This sounds rather straightforward, and it is.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens didn't agree to terms on a new contract this offseason, but the 25-year-old quarterback elected to attend mandatory camp regardless. By all indications, this means things between the two sides are well enough for both parties to trust the process. If you're Baltimore, you can't mess that up.
Jackson appears all-in for training camp, with or without a new deal. QB coach Adam Dedeaux, with whom Jackson worked this offseason in L.A., is scheduled to visit camp to check out Jackson's play. So, no clear signs of any holdout. https://t.co/yVvVVX34iz
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) July 21, 2022
It's very simple – The Ravens move as Lamar does. Nothing made this more clear than when the 8-3 Ravens of one season ago finished under .500 without their star quarterback on the field. This only makes sense, as Lamar Jackson is a two-time Pro Bowler, a first-team All-Pro recipient, and the winner of the Most Valuable Player award for the 2019 season.
Through Lamar's four-year career, the former Louisville quarterback has logged 84 interceptions and 9,967 passing yards. On the ground, Jackson has posted an additional 3,673 yards with 21 scores.
If Baltimore wants to compete, it all starts with Lamar, and thus starts with keeping their quarterback's contract situation in good graces. The two might not agree on a new deal before the new season starts, and if that's ok with Jackson, then life is good in Baltimore. If not, the Ravens must be willing to do all they can to keep their superstar in high spirits, in order to give the team their best chances of succeeding moving forward.
Either way, the Ravens need to eventually work out a deal with Lamar, but as long as Jackson is content for the time being, everyone is living good. Keep it that way.
1. Limit injuries
Look, it's football. Players will always suffer injuries, and as unfortunate as it is, sometimes this is met with a tragic end to the season. While you can't set your team up to have an injury-free year, you can make sure conditioning is alive and well.
While injuries remain unavoidable and often times unpredictable, it seems like there's a handful of teams we can always expect to pile up the injury list. One of these teams is the Baltimore Ravens. Unfortunately for Baltimore, last season was no different.
The running back room took the most noticeable hit, losing halfbacks JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards before the '21 season kicked off. The offensive line had a big hit as well, losing the team's no.1 player on the line, Ronnie Stanley, just one contest into the year.
Of course, nothing hit harder than the loss of Lamar Jackson down the stretch, paving the way for the Ravens to lose all 6 of their final games, ultimately falling out of playoff contention.
If Baltimore has any serious aspirations of contending, the team must minimize opportunities for the players to suffer injuries. It's hard to win games in the National Football League, and it's that much harder when you're missing a chunk of your starting unit.
As the Ravens figure it out, keeping Jackson up will prove to be the most important thing to Baltimore's season. We saw how quickly things went south without Lamar just one season ago, and that can happen again if Jackson misses significant time for the second year in a row.
Luckily, for Ravens fans, the good news is Baltimore has done a lot to ensure their quarterback's safety this offseason. The team drafted Tyler Linderbaum in round-one of the 2022 NFL Draft, and signed right tackle Morgan Moses to play the counterpart of now healthy Ronnie Stanley.
Moses earned a PFF grade of 71.0 last season, and Linderbaum was the consensus no.1 center prospect coming out of college in this year's draft. Stanley was graded 79.9 during his last healthy year.
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