The Baltimore Ravens have had arguably one of the most talented teams in the NFL since QB Lamar Jackson became the team's starter in 2018.
Baltimore has made the postseason in all but one year (2021) that Jackson has been the starter. A Super Bowl appearance, though, has eluded it, having advanced no further than the AFC title game in 2023 when it fell to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Former safety and current analyst Ryan Clark appeared on Monday's edition of ESPN's "First Take" and was asked which team is under the most pressure to reach the Super Bowl. He did not hesitate with his answer.
"It's the Baltimore Ravens. The Baltimore Ravens have had one of the greatest players in football since Lamar Jackson's rookie year," Clark said. "The Baltimore Ravens have walked into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed and they've hosted the AFC championship game and never been past that.
"This is a team that has a Super Bowl-winning coach. This is a team that's had a No. 1 defense, you have a two-time MVP at the quarterback position. Last year, you had a 1,900-yard rusher. Now, you lost Zay Flowers late in that season, which was big, right? He had some injuries and so he wasn't available versus Buffalo. You had the drop by Mark Andrews, but there is no quarterback, there is no team that's been closer, or that we have thought to ourselves at different points of the season that they were the best, that hasn't gotten it done yet. And so to me, it's the Ravens."
.@Realrclark25 says the Ravens are under more pressure to win the Super Bowl than the Lions ✍️ pic.twitter.com/15JBgf2Sw6
— First Take (@FirstTake) July 21, 2025
With the two-time MVP Jackson under center, running back Derrick Henry in the background and Flowers coming off a career-best 1,059 receiving yards in his second season, Baltimore's offense is loaded. Don't forget about the veteran tight end Andrews, either, after posting a team-high 11 receiving TDs last season.
Baltimore's defense was not as vaunted a season ago as it typically is but still allowed an eighth-best 21.2 points per game, per TeamRankings, which is plenty good enough to carry it throughout the season when the offense is clicking.
If you just look at the overall talent on the field, the Ravens are as close to winning a Super Bowl as any team in the league. To fully capitalize and take that next step, Baltimore must stay true to who it is and find ways to win postseason games when everything is on the line.
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