Baltimore Ravens 2021-2022 Season Preview, Odds and Win Totals

For as talented as the Baltimore Ravens are, they never seem to shy away from taking on any adversity.

After a 5-1 start, with their only loss to the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Ravens came off a bye with a disappointing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at home. They would bounce back against the Colts on the road in a dominant defensive performance to improve to 6-2, but then lost three in a row, all by a single possession to the Patriots, Titans and Steelers.

From that point forward they didn't lose again, winning five consecutive games down the stretch of the season, going from 6-5 on the outside of the postseason looking in, to being firmly in the mix at 11-5 and into the Wild Card round.

The Ravens pledged to improve in their passing game, and picked up multiple options via the draft and free agency to give Lamar Jackson more downfield weapons. Their defense was terrific, finishing second in the NFL in points allowed, but still in need of improvement with their pass rush.

A very good team, Baltimore will look to show why they are capable of jumping into the top tier with teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, and perhaps the Buffalo Bills, for why they should be considered the premier threat of the AFC.

Baltimore Ravens 2021 Team Outlook

After his 2019 MVP season, expectations for Lamar Jackson in his third season may have been unfair. He lead the NFL in passing touchdowns, touchdown percentage, and QBR, along with rushing for 1200 yards and an additional seven touchdowns. He also never turned the ball over, throwing just six interceptions all season. In 2020, he was still very good, but the passing touchdowns dropped by 10, his interceptions went up by three, and his rushing yardage fell by just over 200 yards. He still finished as a top 10 fantasy quarterback, but it felt worse than it was considering his expectations as the top QB on the board between him and Patrick Mahomes.

His offensive line had their share of positive moments, but their struggles in the playoffs continued as well. The Ravens via Pro Football Focus went from a top 3 line in 2019, to a bottom 10 in 2020. The good news is Ronnie Staley should be back at left tackle after missing several games a season ago. They brought in veteran right tackle Alejandro Villanueva from their rival Pittsburgh Steelers to replace Orlando Brown Jr. who was traded to the Chiefs for a first round pick, but Villanueva is in the twilight of his career as he approaches his age-33 season.

Jackson's back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons helped pave the way for the Ravens as the top running team in the league. Baltimore rushed for over 3,000 yards as a team in 2020, with plenty of contributions from rookie J.K. Dobbins and veteran Gus Edwards who rushed for a combined 1,528 yards on just 278 combined. That's an average of 5.5 yards/rush! Dobbins is expected to handle a larger workload in 2021, considering he would have been in the top 5 in rushing attempts during his final season at Ohio State.

The passing game desperately needs to improve, however, ranking dead last in the NFL for both passing attempts and yardage. Jackson has shown his ability to be a terrific and accurate passer, but he needs more help from his receivers. Baltimore got the message and added veteran wideout Sammy Watkins from the Chiefs, as well as rookie Rashod Bateman out of Minnesota in the first round. The two of them along with last year's leading receiver Marquise Brown should make for a talented trio that will put far more pressure on opposing defenses. Brown led the Ravens with 100 targets last year. Their second highest targeted wideout was Willie Sneed with 48.

At tight end, Mark Andrews remains one of the better options in the league, but he witnessed a down year as well, seeing his targets, receptions, touchdowns and yards all regress.

Defensively, the Ravens 2nd-ranked unit mostly returns from a season ago, but how sustainable will it be for another year?

Up front, Don Martindale's defense will need to keep their core healthy as they get up in age. the Ravens' interior lineman all are over 30 years old, but still productive players. Derek Wolfe was recently signed to a contract extension, but Baltimore will need better seasons from both Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams, especially generating pressure towards the pocket.

At linebacker and edge rusher, Pernell McPhee returns to the team where he saw his greatest seasons of his career, and longtime edge rusher Justin Houston provides veteran leadership on the outside. Patrick Queen in his first season out of LSU led the Ravens in tackles, but he'll need more support from Malik Harrison and Tyus Bowser alongside.

The secondary is special, led by elite cover corner Marlon Humphrey. Marcus Peters still has a special ability to create turnovers with four interceptions last year and now 31 over his career. Jimmy Smith will also return for year No. 11 in the league,. Chuck Clark and DeShon Elliott will return at safety, where both players finished second and fourth respectively on the team in tackles.

Baltimore Ravens 2021 NFL Draft

Needing to address the 32nd ranked pass offense, Baltimore took Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman with their first overall pick. Bateman went down early on in Training Camp with a groin injury and will miss several weeks following surgery. In the second round, the Ravens grabbed Jayson Oweh, an edge rusher out of Penn State as Baltimore will need to get younger at a pressing position moving forward.

Offensive guard Ben Cleveland out of Georgia fell to Baltimore in the third round, along with defensive back Brandon Stephens out of SMU. On Day 3, they spent the bulk of their draft capital on skill positions on both sides of the ball in Oklahoma State wide receiver Tylan Wallace, Ohio State corner Shaun Wade, and Notre Dame defensive back Daelin Hayes.

Baltimore Ravens Team Odds: Division (+105), Conference (+700), Super Bowl (+1500)

The Ravens enter the season at the top spot of what should be a fairly competitive AFC North division. Over at WynnBET Sportsbook, the Ravens are slight favorites at +105 odds over the Cleveland Browns (+155). The Pittsburgh Steelers, after winning the division last year have fallen all the way to +400 odds this season, with the Cincinnati Bengals trailing everyone at +1800.

Baltimore finds themselves third amongst all AFC teams to win the conference at +700 odds, with the Kansas City Chiefs (+240) and Buffalo Bills (+550) as the lone two teams ahead. For Super Bowl 56, both the Ravens and Browns hold +1500 odds to win a ring, trailing the San Francisco 49ers (+1300) and just ahead of the Green Bay Packers (+1600).

Baltimore Ravens Regular Season Win Total: 11 WINS | OVER (-110), UNDER (-110)

Ben Heisler: 

The Ravens are extremely talented, but like many NFL teams, they're flawed and in a competitive division.

Count me in as a Lamar Jackson believer, even before the MVP season. My issue is that the Ravens just haven't provided enough weapons around him at wide receiver for him to be as successful as he can be. 2019 was one year, and NFL defenses can start to scheme around you. The additions of Watkins and Bateman are useful when they are both healthy, but with Bateman starting off the season with a serious groin injury and Watkins constantly spending time on the injury list, that definitely creates a cause for concern. Even WynnBET has concerned about how good their passing offense can be this season.

I do think J.K. Dobbins will flourish in this offense, and that's great news for Lamar to have some more help. Dobbins was a beast both around the goal line and in the open field last season, with teams needing to account for Jackson as a dual-threat. Dobbins' averaged 6 yards/carry a season ago, which should open plenty of eyes.

Ultimately, I still like them to be a playoff team, but they'll be pushed by the likes of Cleveland and Pittsburgh throughout the season. Factor in Cincinnati being much improved, and some easy wins may not be as easy as they used to be. 11 seems like a fair number to tag on Baltimore for this season, leading them to a push on the number set by the oddsmakers, but still a shot at +325 odds if the exact total hits.

PREDICTION: PUSH

EXACT WIN TOTAL: 11 WINS (+325)

Donnavan Smoot:

Baltimore has been one of the more interesting teams to watch in the NFL ever since Lamar Jackson took over at quarterback. The Ravens have reinvented themselves, but also have stayed true to their strong defensive identity. 

The Ravens had the second-best scoring defense last season, and were top 10 in yards allowed and turnovers created. Their pass defense was the strength of the defense, allowing the 4th-lowest net yards per attempt. Baltimore needs to improve in its run defense, as it was in the bottom third in yards per attempt (4.6). Even with a subpar rushing defense, the Ravens are going to be one of the league’s best defenses. 

Baltimore’s strategy is to win the old-fashioned way, pairing good defense and an overwhelming rushing attack. The Ravens have been the best rushing team for the last two seasons and that isn’t going to stop this year, especially since they still have a lack of depth at wide receivers. 

The Ravens tried to get Jackson help with Rashod Bateman, but he’s expected to miss serious time. Jackson is going to have to do what he does best and create plays on the ground. 

With or without receivers, the Ravens are going to be formidable. Their main competition is going to be the Cleveland Browns, who have a similar philosophy. However, between the two teams, Jackson is the most dynamic and his ability to make something out of nothing is what is going to keep the Ravens at the top of the division this season.

PREDICTION: OVER 11 WINS (-110)

EXACT WIN TOTAL 12 WINS (+400)

Peter Dewey: 

The Baltimore Ravens won their first playoff game under Lamar Jackson last season, and I think that has set the tone for more success going forward. 

Baltimore’s offensive weakness was its receiving core, and it may still be, but the additions of Sammy Watkins and Rashod Bateman should help Jackson open up the field more after regressing a little from his MVP season in 2019. 

Tyus Bowser and Pernell McPhee are going to have to fill the shoes left by the departure of Matthew Judon and Yannick Ngakoue in free agency, but the rest of Baltimore’s defense is relatively intact from the 2020 campaign.

The Ravens are the favorites in the AFC North, and with the Pittsburgh Steelers due to take a step back from last season’s 12-4 campaign, I like Baltimore to hit the over on its win projection this season and compete for the division title this season. 

PREDICTION: OVER 11 WINS (-110)

EXACT WIN TOTAL: 12 WINS (+400)

Iain MacMillan:

It seems like an obvious thing to say, but the Baltimore Ravens season truly comes down to how Lamar Jackson performs. He took a significant step back in 2020 after an MVP season in 2019, so the question is whether or not he can return to being a top three quarterback in the league, or he’ll look closer to how he did last season.

Of all 32 NFL teams, this may be the one that puzzles me the most, but I have to take a stand so I’m going to say the Ravens take a step back this season.

The Ravens ranked dead last in passing yards per game in 2020, averaging only 171.9 yards per game. I don’t think that’s sustainable in the modern era of football, even with someone as talented as Jackson as your quarterback. Baltimore did acquire some help in the passing game, including Sammy Watkins and first round pick Rashod Bateman, so I could certainly be proven wrong this season.

The Ravens will once again have one of the top defensive units in football, and if the team succeeds this year, the defense will play a starring role.

I’m willing to be wrong about Baltimore this year, but I think a win total of 11.5 is a tad too high for a team that seems to stumble whenever they face high-level competition.

PREDICTION: UNDER 11 WINS (-110)

EXACT WIN TOTAL: 10 WINS (+400)

Will the Baltimore Ravens Make the Playoffs? | MISS THE PLAYOFFS (+220), MAKE THE PLAYOFFS (-320)

Ben Heisler: 

The Ravens, like most NFL teams are flawed, but even if multiple parts of their team regress, I still think they're a playoff team in a difficult division. Their rushing attack is so stable, and once Bateman comes back healthy, that will make a monumental difference in their passing game.

The defense needs to stay healthy as they all start climbing in age, but the system works and the Ravens are tested and experienced. They may not win the division, but they're certainly a postseason contender.

PREDICTION: YES (-320)

Donnavan Smoot:

Baltimore is going to make the playoffs this year. It just depends whether it will be by way of a division crown or wild card spot. I’m taking the Ravens to win the AFC North. They’ve won the division two of the last three seasons. The Steelers took the title last season, but are expected to take a step back this year. 

That leaves the battle between Baltimore and Cleveland. As much hype as the Browns have this season, it might lead to a let down. The Ravens may be getting overlooked in the division and that’s okay with me. They are going to run the ball down the league’s throat again this year and it will take them to another AFC North title.

PREDICTION: YES (-320)

Peter Dewey: 

The AFC North isn’t going to have three playoff teams again in 2021, but the Ravens are still among my picks to make the postseason. 

Jackson, J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards are going to lead one of the league’s best rushing attacks once again this season, and with an upgraded receiving core, I think the Ravens take a step forward in 2021. 

The division will be tough to navigate, but I’m taking Jackson over any other quarterback in the AFC North, so give me the Ravens to make the playoffs, even at the -320 juice. A better value would be to grab them at +105 to win the division this season.  

PREDICTION: YES (-320)

Iain MacMillan:

One of the biggest challenges that the Ravens will face this year, is that they’ll be playing in arguably the best division in football. The Cleveland Browns are trending upwards, the Pittsburgh Steelers are always a tough game, and the Cincinnati Bengals are expected to take a step forward this year.

They were edged out by the Steelers in the division last season, and it’ll be interesting to see how they bounce back.

I’m going to stick to my guns on my take that Jackson will regress again this season. He’s obviously one of the most talented players in the league, but we have seen time and time again that quarterbacks who run the ball continually take damage, and the peak of their ability doesn’t last as long as pocket quarterbacks. I’m excited for Jackson to prove me wrong, but for now, I’ll be betting on his regression.

PREDICTION: NO (+220)

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Every day from the start of NFL Training Camp, the BetSided team of Ben Heisler, Donnavan Smoot, Peter Dewey and Iain MacMillan are breaking down the win totals, playoff and Super Bowl odds for every team in the NFL.

Check back Thursday at 1 p.m. EDT when we preview the betting outlook for the Cleveland Browns and check out our earlier team-by-team betting previews.

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