Jan 11, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) celebrates with offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten (70) and teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second quarter in an AFC wild card game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Ravens Can Hang With Entire NFL

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 11:00 AM ET

A team's ceiling getting to be considered among the best in the NFL doesn't happen overnight. Years of team-building and accumulating impressive wins have put the Baltimore Ravens in exclusive territory, where their hopes of sealing a Super Bowl win in the near future have turned from idealistic dreaming to a waste of resources should they fail.

They're now going on several years of looking like a chief candidate to win the championship, making their ceiling more of a known quantity than some of their still-ascending peers. They've locked in impressive regular season records before, and only need to see the other side of that playoff hump to finally shake off the burden that's been placed on the team's back after years of fielding good teams that fell short.

Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports looked at the best and worse-case scenarios for every on-field product in preparing for this week's start to the 2025 regular season, and while they have their pitfalls to avoid, their front office has compiled a loaded roster that can hypothetically win it all this winter.

"They are one of the top five teams in the NFL and have one of the game's best quarterbacks inLamar Jackson," Kerr wrote. "Yes, Baltimore has a difficult schedule but the Ravens also have one of the deepest rosters in the league."

"There wasn't as much roster turnover this offseason, and Malaki Starks is expected to be a big boost to an already good secondary. DeAndre Hopkins adds more depth to the wide receiver room as well. This team appears primed to make another deep playoff run."

The meticulous attention to detail that the franchise has demonstrated in filling out the depth on the Ravens' more loaded position groups look to have pushed an already-good team into great territory, as they proved good enough to win 12 games just a season ago with a similar core.

Kerr sees these Ravens topping out at 14-3, the most wins they've recorded since Jackson's first MVP season in 2019, as well as the desired spot at the top of the NFL world with a Super Bowl win. The Ravens haven't ventured as far as the playoffs' final round since early 2013, when they won their last title, and they've only come within the AFC Championship Game once during the Jackson administration.

This isn't a promise of what the Ravens will be, as they've been known to succumb to slow starts to the regular season as well as occasional injuries to their star quarterback, but they have all of the roster tools to win three or fewer games and clean up in the playoffs in one fell swoop.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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