Can the Ravens Make History and Three-Peat the AFC North?
Three pundits believe the Ravens will make history this season.
Since the division realignment in 2002 put the Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cleveland Browns in the AFC North, no team has won the division three consecutive times. A team has won it two straight seasons on five occasions (Steelers twice, Ravens twice, Bengals once), but another has always played spoiler.
Entering 2025, the Ravens have another shot at being the first in AFC North history to three-peat, and ESPN's Jamison Hensley, Brooke Pryor, and Daniel Oyefusi all believe they will do so.
Jamison Hensley: "Yes, as long as [Lamar] Jackson stays healthy. Of the five regular seasons that Jackson has finished, the Ravens have won four AFC North titles. The only exception was 2020, when Baltimore was second in the division. With Jackson as its starting quarterback, Baltimore is 20-9 (.690) in the AFC North, putting up an impressive 27.9 points per game. Plus, this has the makings of being the Ravens' most complete team in his eight seasons."
Daniel Oyefusi: "The Bengals' defense has nowhere to go but up, and the [Joe] Burrow-[Ja'Marr] Chase-[Tee] Higgins trio always gives Baltimore all it can handle. The Steelers' defense has often been a conundrum for Jackson and now Pittsburgh has added [Aaron] Rodgers. However, the Ravens have what is arguably the franchise's best roster in the Jackson era, a team filled with not only star power but well-rounded depth in key spots. The AFC North will be a grind, as it always is, but Baltimore will emerge as division champs again."
Brooke Pryor: "Sorry to the Steelers fans reading this, but the Ravens are the division's most complete team. The Bengals are the Ravens' biggest three-peat threat, but as the rosters stand now with the Bengals' contract drama, the Ravens have the strongest identity and foundation in the division. That could help them get out to a faster start and establish an early division lead with a Week 2 game against the Browns and two more AFC opponents in the first four weeks."
While three agreed, ESPN's Ben Baby dissented, arguing the Bengals will come out on top this season.
"The Bengals did not have a very good year last season and still finished 9-8," Baby wrote. "That is despite blowing two second-half leads to the Ravens that ultimately cost the Bengals a shot at the division title. Cincinnati should be in a position to not only contend for the division crown but also take full advantage of a schedule that is ranked the 14th-hardest after a third-place finish last year. The Bengals also retooled their team to be significantly better against AFC North opponents, especially when it comes to being better defensively near the line of scrimmage. Adding T.J. Slaton in the middle should help solidify Cincinnati's run defense for those big games against the Ravens."
Marcus Williams Talks About Poor 2024 Start
Last season, the Ravens benched safety Marcus Williams in favor of Ar'Darius Washington after Week 10,at which point they were ranked last in pass defense (294.9 yards per game).
During the season, Williams didn't discuss much regarding the change. But in an interview last week with former New Orleans Saints teammate Terron Armstead, Williams discussed what led to the rough defensive start last fall.
"There's a lot of stuff on my side that I could have done better," Williams said. " I take accountability for whatever action I did that they didn't like, but I didn't know what actions those were. But I take accountability for them. Maybe missed opportunities, maybe missed plays I could have done better on."
After benching Williams in favor of Washington, the Ravens' defense became one of the NFL's best. They were ranked No. 1 in scoring defense, team defense, and defensive EPA (expected points added) per drop-back. They were No. 2 in pass defense, allowing 171.2 yards per game, a 123.7-yard difference.
"They could've communicated properly and effectively so that there was no missed communication when the switch was going to occur," Williams said. "I mean, I've played football for a long time. You don't just get bad overnight. And most people on the outside will believe that plays that were given up may have been on me, but they don't really know the depths of the coverage or what we were actually running, what we were told. They don't really know, but as a safety, my responsibility is to do whatever I can to show up in the [television] screen and maybe, possibly make a play."
With it all in the past, Armstead asked what Williams, who is still a free agent, would like to say to the organization and Ravens fans.
"I appreciate all the fans," Williams said. "I appreciate the coaches. I appreciate them giving me the opportunity. I appreciate them blessing me. It's a blessing to be able to play for the Ravens, a great organization. Many greats have come through there, and I'm very appreciative of them. I mean, they blessed me and my family, and I wouldn't change doing any of that for the world because, ultimately, I got paid. I feel like I played through injuries over there. I went through a torn pec, I dislocated my wrist, and I still played. And I still had great plays, so to have a dislocated wrist, come back in the same year, get a pick the first game I come back, then the next year, tear my pec, no surgery, only miss three games, come back. I put it all on the line for the Ravens."
Jeff Zrebiec Answers Concerns on Run Defense, Inside Linebacker Rotation
The Ravens lost two of their top run defenders this offseason in Michael Pierce (retirement) and Brent Urban (free agency). And while Ravens fans who participated in a mailbag for The Athletic Jeff Zrebiec shared concern about the run defense, Zrebiec doesn't see it being an issue.
"[The] Ravens played 19 games last year, and they allowed more than 85 yards rushing in just six of them. That's impressive," Zrebiec wrote. "Pushing things forward, you almost have to accept that you're going to give up some runs when you go smaller and don't play a whole lot of base defense. You sacrifice a little with your run defense to impact opposing quarterbacks and play the pass more. With all the talented quarterbacks on the Ravens' schedule this year, teams will be doing them a favor if they try to run a lot."
Part of the run defense will involve which inside linebacker, Trenton Simpson or Teddye Buchanan, will start beside Roquan Smith this season. Zrebiec sees it being a real competition as training camp kicks off on Wednesday.
"Buchanan has a puncher's chance to beat out Simpson," Zrebiec wrote. "He'll have to grow up fast, learn the defense and build rapport with Smith. But he has the athletic profile to make the jump. Simpson has a decent hold on the job heading into camp, but it's hardly ironclad. Iowa inside linebacker Jay Higgins is probably the undrafted rookie to watch. He lacks ideal NFL size and speed, but he was an extremely productive college player, leading the nation in tackles in 2023 and registering 124 tackles, four interceptions and two forced fumbles last year."
