NFL: 5 most likely teams to reach the AFC Championship game

Assuming they learn how to win at home in January, they’ll be there.

One could easily argue it’s the Baltimore Ravens‘ year to win the Super Bowl. While the Ravens have won two Super Bowls since 2000, No. 3 will be with Lamar Jackson as their star quarterback. In his first two years in the league out of Louisville, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner has taken the league by storm. It’s only a matter of time before he brings a Lombardi back to the Charm City.

Baltimore had the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs last year with a jaw-dropping 14-2 record. However, they lost at home in the AFC Divisional Round to the No. 6-seeded Tennessee Titans. This is twice now the Ravens have bowed out in their first postseason game at home, falling to the Los Angeles Chargers at home to end their 2018 campaign. Baltimore needs to figure it out.

Simply put, the Ravens’ roster is too talented to come up short of reaching the AFC Championship game this season. They are the presumptive favorite to win the AFC North for the third year in a row. The Pittsburgh Steelers and maybe the Cleveland Browns will push them in the divisional race, while the Cincinnati Bengals start anew with Joe Burrow as their franchise savior.

Overall, Baltimore is too well-coached and too deep defensively to not win 12 games this year and multiple playoff games. While getting the No. 1 seed again is totally in play, the Ravens must arrive on the big stage in January. If they go 0-3 in Jackson’s first three playoff starts, it’s going to be all that we talk about next offseason. It’s AFC title bout or bust for Ravens Flock in 2020.