Category: Baltimore Ravens

Does First Team AP All-Pro vote mean Lamar Jackson will win the NFL MVP?

Lamar Jackson had more first team AP All-Pro votes than Josh Allen setting the Ravens QB up to win back to back MVP.

The results of The Associated Press 2024 NFL All-Pro balloting, as selected by a national panel of 50 media members, are in, and Lamar Jackson (30) had more first-place votes than Josh Allen (18).

The results suggest that after Josh Allen was the presumed front-runner for weeks now, it could be and should be Jackson who walks away with the award.

According to ESPN Stats&Info, Jackson has been the 8th quarterback since the 1970 merger, earning three or more first-team All-Pro selections.   Jackson’s other first-team All-Pro selections came in 2019 and 2023.

Furthermore, according to Evan Kaplan, the last time a first-team All-Pro quarterback didn’t win the award was 2012, when Adrian Peterson was named the NFL MVP.
.

Obscure statistical trend forecasts a Ravens Super Bowl win

Here is another interesting statistical coincidence for you to ponder as the NFL postseason begins this weekend. 

A lot of sports fans and sports media are huge numbers nerds. Many of us love statistics, and that’s one of the primary reasons why we got into sports in the first place.

Statistical coincidences are even more fascinating—the correlations that we might want to believe are potentially causational but are almost certainly spurious.

Here is another one for you as the NFL postseason begins this weekend.

Stuckey, known only by one name, like Drake or Neymar, is a sports pundit with The Action Network.

He’s also pointed out a statistical trend here that every Ravens fan hopes to see continue. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t. We fixate on them when they hold true but forget about them when they miss the boat.

You might have heard about the “Redskins Rule:” if the Washington Football Team/Commanders/Redskins wins their final home game before a U.S. Presidential election, the incumbent party wins.

However, this rule did not hold in November. It has now failed in three of the past four outcomes after being upheld 19 straight times, dating back to 1936.

Or you can take the Kentucky Wildcats-New York Yankees Title Theorem. Kentucky won the NCAA Tournament in 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, and 1998. And the Yankees won the World Series in all six of those years.

But what about Kentucky winning it all in 1948 and 2012? The Yankees did not claim the World Series title in either of those years, so the rule isn’t always upheld.

Ravens have 3 players make the NFLPA ‘All-Pro team’ voted on only by players

Baltimore Ravens had Lamar Jackson, Roquan Smith, and Kyle Hamilton make the NFLPA’s All-Pro team voted on only by the players

NFL players wanted more say in the postseason award process, and on Wednesday, the NFLPA unveiled the third annual Players All-Pro Team for the 2024 season.

Baltimore has one of the NFL’s best teams and three players represented on the list with quarterback Lamar Jackson, linebacker Roquan Smith and defensive back Kyle Hamilton getting first team votes.

NOTE: PLAYERS WHO MISSED 5 OR MORE GAMES AS OF WEEK 15 WERE INELIGIBLE.

Derrick Henry was beat out by Saquon Barkley at running back, while Lamar Jackson has been the first team quarterback two of the last three years.

Mark Andrews & Isaiah Likely make life easy for Ravens’ Lamar Jackson

Baltimore Ravens TE’s Mark Andrews and Isiah Likely are responsible for 1,150 of QB Lamar Jackson’s 4,172 total passing yards in 2024.

Baltimore Ravens tight ends Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews have combined for 97 receptions in the team offense this season. Those 97 receptions have yielded 1,150 of quarterback Lamar Jackson’s 4,172 total passing yards in the 2024 NFL season.

Like Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter, Andrews and Likely are equipped with premier talents and are identical. Like Ken, Likely plays as the younger, impressionable professional, while Andrews is more rugged and disciplined. Andrews has the locker room leadership needed to keep things afloat, and he will be looking to push Likely and rookie wide receiver Devontez Walker into excellence during the NFL playoffs.

Jackson doesn’t have to do much preaching and teaching, his guys know their spots and how to adjust on broken plays. Plus, Jackson knows he can rely on Andrews and Likely to contribute in the passing game and get physical when its time to run-block when it’s time to go to the run game.

Expect Jackson to target Likely and Andrews at increased volumes with wide receiver Zay Flowers out on injury this Weekend. Jackson can target his tight ends if the Steelers attempt to bring additional blitz concepts from the linebacker position in the AFC Wild Card round.

Zay Flowers injury updates: Latest news on Ravens WR ahead of AFC Wild Card game

Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers suffered a knee sprain in Baltimore’s win over Cleveland and could miss the Wild Card matchup with a knee injury

Zay Flowers made the Pro Bowl in his second NFL season, and if the Ravens have any shot at a Super Bowl, they’ll need their star pass-catcher to be healthy and involved.

Flowers’s status will be something to watch after the former Boston College pass catcher exited the Week 18 season finale with a knee injury after making a catch.

Flowers had an MRI earlier this week, and head coach John Harbaugh was hopeful about his availability. However, on Tuesday, Flowers missed the Ravens’ first practice of the week.

Flowers exited with one catch for 12 yards on two targets and will finish the regular season with a team-high 74 receptions, and four touchdowns, and his 1,059 receiving yards are the sixth-most in the AFC.

Deonte Harty, Nelson Agholor, or Devontez Walker could fill that role if Flowers didn’t play.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Ravens have four players make PFF’s All-Pro Team

Ravens have four players make PFF’s All-Pro Team

With the 2024 regular season over, PFF released its All-Pro Team for the year. Four Ravens landed on the team.

Lamar Jackson being selected as the first-team quarterback should be no surprise to anyone who has watched the two-time MVP put together his best season to date.

“Lamar Jackson delivered the best regular season of his career in 2024, earning an impressive 94.3 PFF grade—the sixth-best mark by a quarterback over the past decade,” PFF’s Gordon McGuinness wrote. “He paired elite playmaking with exceptional ball security, finishing with a 6.0% big-time throw rate and a position-best 1.4% turnover-worthy play rate.”

Jackson’s running mate, Derrick Henry, was chosen as the first-team running back, ahead of Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles. The now 31-year-old back defied father time and exceeded all expectations in his first season in Baltimore, finishing with the second-most rushing yards in his career and the second-most in the NFL.

“Henry topped the position with an astonishing 1,137 rushing yards after contact, marking the fourth time in his career he’s surpassed 1,000 yards after contact in a single season,” McGuinness wrote. “His physical running style was on full display as he forced a league-high 80 missed tackles on 325 carries. Henry’s performance earned him a 93.1 PFF rushing grade, the best among all running backs.”

Kyle Hamilton is the next Raven on the team, one of two safeties chosen. Through his first three seasons, Hamilton has proven to be one of the best defenders in the NFL. The versatile defensive back saved Baltimore’s defense this season by moving to the backend and replacing the struggling veteran safety Marcus Williams.

“At the three-quarter mark of the season, Hamilton was our choice in the flex spot on defense, having spent the first half of the year in the box and the slot for the Ravens,” McGuinness wrote. “In Week 11, the Ravens moved him into a deeper role, completely transforming their defensive success. He finished the regular season with an 89.4 PFF run-defense grade, an 89.0 PFF pass-rushing grade and an 87.9 PFF coverage grade.”

The final Raven to make the team was cornerback Marlon Humphrey. After a down year in 2023, Humphrey rebounded in 2024 with perhaps his best season to date as a pro. The veteran cornerback made several game-changing plays in big games for Baltimore this season, including both wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and leading the team in interceptions with six.

“In his eighth season out of Alabama, Humphrey delivered the best performance of his career, earning an 81.0 PFF grade,” McGuinness wrote. “Targeted 83 times in coverage, he allowed 51 receptions for 518 yards while recording 16 combined pass breakups and interceptions.”

The Ravens will need these four players to continue their excellent play into the postseason as they look to make a run at the Super Bowl.

 

 

Bears request interview with Ravens OC Todd Monken for head coaching job

Bears request interview with Todd Monken for head coaching Job

After two seasons of engineering one of the NFL’s top offenses, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken is drawing interest from other teams with head coach openings.

According to NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero, the Chicago Bears have requested an interview with Monken for their vacant head coach position.

The Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus in the middle of the season and finished the year with a 5-12 record. If Monken took the job in Chicago, he would already have a promising young quarterback in place: 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. Williams did not live up to the hype as a rookie, but the former USC Trojan showed enough flashes to warrant excitement going forward if provided a better environment.

The Ravens’ offense with Monken at the helm has been the definition of multidimensional, becoming the first team to cross 4,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in a season in 2024. Monken transformed Baltimore’s offense into one of the best passing attacks in the league after years of Greg Roman offenses in Baltimore faltered in that regard.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson has enjoyed two of his best seasons under Monken. After winning his second MVP award last season in Monken’s first year with the team, Jackson is poised to potentially take home a third MVP trophy for a historic 2024 campaign that saw him finish with the fourth-highest single-season passer rating of all time.

Losing Monken just a year after losing defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald would be a massive blow to the Ravens, who look to maximize their Super Bowl chances every year with Jackson in his prime.

 

A Brief Ravens vs Steelers playoff history lesson

The Steel city has the upper hand when it comes to the postseason history between these two teams, holding a 3-1 advantage in the series.

The Baltimore Ravens are the AFC North champions, having won the division by two games over their bitter rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Those same Steelers will face the Ravens on Saturday for the third time this season in an AFC Wild Card round game.

As the No. 3 seed, the Ravens will host the No. 6 seed Steelers in a postseason clash where they will have the advantage of momentum in addition to home field.

Pittsburgh enters the meeting having lost their last four, while Baltimore heads in, winning their last four and seven of their last nine.

However, Steel City has the upper hand in postseason history between these two teams, with a 3-1 advantage in the series.

Let’s briefly revisit the series, which has been staged entirely in Pittsburgh until now. Saturday will be the first postseason meeting in Charm City.

1/20/2002, AFC Divisional: Pittsburgh 27, Baltimore 10

This was the end of the Ravens’ first Super Bowl title defense. The game also reminded you how they won that first championship.

It wasn’t via the offense, which was a total no-show here. Baltimore gained only 150 yards and had just seven first downs. They also turned it over four times.

1/18/2009, AFC Title Game: Pittsburgh 23, Baltimore 14

The 2008 edition was your prototypical defense-comes-first Ravens squad. And while they said some prowess on offense at times throughout the season, the unit was woefully incompetent in this game.

The Steel Curtain D held Baltimore to 184 yards of total offense and forced five turnovers in this one.

1/15/2011, AFC Divisional: Pittsburgh 31, Baltimore 24

The Ravens had just 124 yards of total offense in this one. Are you sensing a theme here? When you consider that stat, plus the fact they turned the ball over three times, it’s astonishing they put up 24 points and kept it close.

1/3/2015, AFC Wild Card: Baltimore 30, Pittsburgh 17

Finally, the tide turned, as Joe Flacco and his 259 passing yards led the way to victory. Despite losing both the yardage and time of possession battle, Baltimore won decisively.

Ravens vs. Steelers: Early NFL wild-card betting favorite, playoff spread

Analyzing Saturday’s Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Wild Card game with odds and lines, predictions and best bets.

The Ravens (12-5) are the No. 3 seed in the AFC and will face their division rival Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7) at M&T Bank Stadium stadium on Saturday night in a Wild Card contest broadcast on Amazon Prime.

The Ravens and Steelers have met four times in the playoffs, but this will be the first time in Baltimore. Their last meeting was in the 2014 Wild-Card round, a 30-17 win for the Ravens.

We’re looking at game odds and betting favorites with preparation starting for both teams.

[Ravens vs. Steelers] game odds:

All NFL Odds via BetMGM:

  • Point spread: Ravens -10 (-105) Steelers +10 (-115)
  • Money line: Ravens -500/Steelers +425
  • Over-under: Ravens: 44 (-110)/Steelers 44 (-110)

The No. 3-seed Ravens (12-5) enter the Wild-Card round riding a four-game winning streak. The No. 6-seeded Steelers (10-7) are on a four-game losing streak.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”6305″ ]

Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.

Zay Flowers is hurt and Ravens rookie WR Devontez Walker is ready

Baltimore Ravens rookie WR Devontez Walker deserves his chance and OC Todd Monken has to stop blocking his shine.

Only one factor has prevented Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken from giving rookie wide receiver Devontez Walker more reps in the offensive scheme. With wide receiver Zay Flowers injured, Monken must deploy Walker in the AFC Wild Card round.

Wide receiver Rashod Bateman played great versus the Cleveland Browns, finishing with five receptions, a touchdown, and 76 receiving yards. Yet, quarterback Lamar Jackson only completed six of his 16 pass completions to wide receivers on the afternoon. Monken has to stop being so stoic and sure-minded just because his offensive talents have made him look like a genius this season. Both Walker and allow reserve receiver Tylan Wallace to be an asset to him.

In the playoffs, where teams like the Browns will not appear in 2025, the Ravens offense cannot afford to have continuous hiccups and empty offensive possessions. Neither can Monken allow his offense to stutter into a rhythm because the defense, though superb of late, has struggled versus the higher-tiered teams in the NFL.

Monken’s papass-heavy attack was ineffectiven Week 18, anbutalker can help his ideals come totrue if he giveshe rookie a chance.