The Ravens enter this season with high hopes once again. Quarterback Lamar Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP, leads Baltimore’s offense, giving them both a high floor and a high ceiling. Despite gaining just the 19th-most yards per game last season, the Ravens scored the seventh-most points, accumulating just five less than the Kansas City Chiefs. Much of the conversation around Baltimore’s offense over the recent years has focused on the lack of high-level wide receiver play, and Baltimore did not significantly address that issue this offseason. The Ravens added Sammy Watkins via free agency and used their first-round pick on wide receiver Rashod Bateman, but those players likely won’t have the instant impact that Baltimore has been searching for at the position. Once again, though, the Ravens offense will be built around the ground game. Baltimore has paced the league in rushing yards in each of the last two seasons. Now, the Ravens have an improved offensive line after signing Kevin Zeitler and Alejandro Villanueva this past offseason. Gus Edwards is in line to have a breakout season.

If you’ve followed football for a while, you probably think of strong defenses when it comes to the Ravens, and last year was more of the same. Baltimore was firmly in the elite tier of NFL defenses, allowing the second-fewest points per game and seventh-fewest yards per game. The defense lost Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue in the offseason and didn’t make a major splash to replace them, but nonetheless, the Ravens will be solid defensively once again.

The Ravens were defeated in the Divisional Round of last year’s playoffs after going 11-5 in the regular season. With the core of the team still in place a season later, Baltimore looks to be in position to return to the playoffs and will vie for the AFC North title. It will be a difficult division to win with Cleveland and Pittsburgh as company, but the Ravens are capable of doing it.

Regular season record prediction: 12-5