Why the Baltimore Ravens can reach Super Bowl 52
It’s almost a foregone conclusion that the Patriots will host the AFC Championship game, it practically happens every year. After that, things are there for the taking and the Ravens just may doing the taking:
The AFC boils down to the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers, if you listen to most of the the guys on ESPN, NFL Network and FS1 (though Shannon Sharpe picked the Baltimore Ravens to go to the Super Bowl). The Oakland Raiders are getting some hype because Derek Carr is that good. Don’t forget about the Baltimore Ravens.
Based on history, the Ravens are the most likely team to knock out the Patriots, if they met in the postseason. By now, the New England knows it can beat Baltimore; they also know that Baltimore can beat them. The Patriots will always take the Ravens seriously, even if they wouldn’t admit it. The Ravens won there in 2009, should have won in 2011 and did win in 2012. If the Ravens get to the playoffs you can’t assume New England goes to the Super Bowl.
The Ravens have won nine of the last 13 games against the Steelers. The Steelers may have eliminated the Ravens last season, but things could go very differently this season. Baltimore almost won in Pittsburgh, without Jimmy Smith.
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Smith has proven to be the closest thing to Antonio Brown’s kryptonite. The fact that the Ravens were even close to winning that game, should give the Steelers pause. The 2016 Ravens were 8-8. The 2017 Ravens look much improved.
The moral of the story here is that the Ravens are contenders. They’re not favorites. There is still a lot to prove for John Harbaugh’s team. The Patriots are the most complete team in the NFL. The Steelers have three of the best offensive players in the league. The Raiders have a ton of weapons for Carr. Baltimore may have a history of winning big games, but this version of the Ravens is clearly an underdog. That however, is the role that the purple and black love.
The Bottom Line:
Everyone keeps talking about the Steelers as the Patriots biggest challenger. Everyone keeps talking about the Raiders. I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: the Baltimore Ravens are better than people think. They improved their roster immensely. Tony Jefferson and Eric Weddle are an incredible combo. Terrell Suggs has help in the pass rushing department. Jeremy Maclin makes their offensive goals viable. Great defense, decent offense and the best kicker in the league, that’s the Ravens formula.
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The Ravens have veteran leaders who are Super Bowl champions. They have a head coach that has a habit of winning in the playoffs. If Baltimore gets to the postseason, they are contenders. You can pencil the Patriots into the Super Bowl. If you had to bet on a team, it should be New England. Just make sure your pencil has an eraser. The Ravens could shock the AFC once again.