2011 Baltimore Ravens Team Preview | NFL Predictions
The 2010 playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers will stick with the Baltimore Ravens for many years.
2011 Baltimore Ravens Team Preview/Predictions
2010 Record: 12-4
ATS Record: 8-7-1
The Ravens and Steelers are mere images of each other – they’re teams built on defense and physicality.
The Ravens boast one of the best front sevens in football, which includes the best defensive lineman in football, Haloti Ngata. Terrell Suggs is a top linebacker with the ability to get to the opposing quarterback. Ray Lewis is getting older, but at the end of the day he still is Ray Lewis. In the secondary, when Ed Reed is healthy, he is still a game changer.
Baltimore is still great at stopping the run, but its secondary was exposed last year against elite passing teams.
Quarterback Joe Flacco is still quite turnover prone – far too much for the Ravens’ liking – but for all of his shortcomings in the realm of ball security, the Delaware product is a solid NFL quarterback and a guy who has been able to win playoff games in two of his first three NFL seasons.
That’s not bad for a man who is still learning the position. Flacco, it should be said, also looks good on a comparative basis because former Rutgers running back Ray Rice is still the centerpiece of this offense.
Rice’s bullheaded running and his ability to catch passes out of the backfield make life a lot easier for his quarterback. The offensive line is one of the better ones in the business. Marshal Yanda is one of the best guards in football, and don’t forget about Michael Oher, who very well could the best offensive tackle in football.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Ravens struggled last season at times namely because of their lack of ability to stretch the ball downfield. Flacco is decent as a game manager, but he’s not the high-level playmaker of other quarterbacks in the upper reaches of the AFC. Second-round draft choice Torrey Smith, a receiver out of Maryland, will try to help Baltimore develop a more potent vertical passing game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
While this team was anything but bad on defense in 2011, it has not played up to the standards Ravens fans are used to. Most of Baltimore’s lingering issues on defense exist in its secondary, which must improve in 2011 if the Ravens are going to unseat the Steelers both as division champions and AFC champions. Baltimore made the first step in addressing this problem when it drafted Jimmy Smith, the best cover corner in the draft.
Smith had some character issues that caused him to slip down the draft board and into Baltimore’s hands, but it’s not as if players on the Ravens’ defense have failed to deliver on-field results because of their character. Team General Manager Ozzie Newsome is banking on “the Ray Lewis effect” to get Smith to play to his potential.
Yes, the Ravens will a look a little different in 2011, but the main formula will be in place. It is hard to see the Ravens beating the Steelers, but they will be right in the middle of the wild card race in the AFC. Another shot at Pittsburgh in the playoffs is very possible.
The question then becomes, “Will the Ravens finally be able to beat the Steelers in a winner take all playoff game?” If not they will continue to think of what could have been against the Steelers.
2011 Ravens Futures
Super Bowl Odds: +1350
Conference Odds: +645
AFC North Odds: +115
2011-2012 NFL Regular Season Wins: Over 10.5
2011 Ravens Predictions:
Place they’ll finish in AFC North: 2nd
Place they’ll finish in AFC Conference: 5th
Over/Under Wins Prediction: OVER
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