2018 Ravens: 5 reasons Baltimore is a Super Bowl contender
The 4-3 Baltimore Ravens have had their share of joyful and heartbreaking moments in 2018, but they are still legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
When it comes to the NFL, most fans and analysts would agree that the NFC seems to be far more stacked than the AFC. Teams like the Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, and New Orleans Saints have everyone’s attention and are the standard for complete success. In fact, these teams have made it so easy to overlook the AFC’s top teams and realize the playing field is much more even when ignoring depth of each conference’s teams.
How quickly everyone forgets that four of the last six Super Bowls have been won by an AFC team. Not only this, but five different NFC teams have made the Super Bowl compared to just three teams from the AFC. Yes, diversity and parity is great, but it becomes overrated when looking at quality.
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Why bring this up? Because while everyone is focused on the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC, many are quick to overlook the Baltimore Ravens as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Many media members have gone as far as to claim the team is far more of a pretender than a contender. This opinion couldn’t be more inaccurate.
Yes, the aforementioned AFC teams have much flashier offenses and MVP candidates, but the Ravens host a complete squad from the team itself all the way to the coaching staff and front office. What the Ravens have managed to assemble is rare and needs to be appreciated more regularly. So, today we will dive into a more detailed look and assess why the Baltimore Ravens are true and bona fide Super Bowl contenders.
5. Coaching staffs are clicking:
It all starts with coaching. Your football team will only be as good as the men coaching them, just ask guys like Larry Fitzgerald or Calvin Johnson about their team’s post-season success. When it comes to the Baltimore Ravens, you can immediately check off the Head Coaching spot as filled. John Harbaugh has been to the big-game before and won it all. Harbaugh has also been a wildly successful coach since being hired back in 2008. While his recent track record has been underwhelming, it’s hard to look past his overall success with the team.
However, the real story about this coaching staff has to be the play-calling of its coordinators. Offensive Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg has finally established a good rhythm and chemistry with Joe Flacco (more on him to come) and has the weapons on offense to open everything up and have a complete showing on a weekly basis. Meanwhile, Defensive Coordinator Don Martindale has unleashed the defense and this squad is a wrecking crew that no team wants to face.
The Ravens have seen a long drought in regards to their coordinators successes with the team, while Harbaugh has been the only constant. Now with a complete coaching staff, the Ravens are headed in the right direction towards sustained success. The post-season is easily within reach for the team, but it’s the coaching staff that will help take them over the top and into the Super Bowl.