5. The bar is set higher than it ever has been:
The Baltimore Ravens have to win a Super Bowl. There’s no getting around the fact that anything else wouldn’t be an acceptable finish. This is a Super Bowl or bust kind of season and to be honest, it’s the first time you could say that about the Ravens in a while. A few years ago Harbaugh was just trying to get this team back to the playoffs. After two playoff failures in a row, the Ravens have to show that they can win when it counts. Winning regular season games is nice, winning playoff games is a lot nicer.
The bar for the Ravens is set astronomically high in the 2020 season. Nothing ever goes perfectly. Injuries happen. Tough games and bad days happen unexpectedly. On paper you have a team coming off a 14-2 season with the easiest strength of schedule. 10-6 is usually a fair goal coming into the year and that would seem like an absolute failure with this squad.
The Ravens have what many people consider to be the most complete roster in the NFL. If the Chiefs weren’t the amazing team that they are, Baltimore would be the obvious favorite in the AFC by a large margin.
No matter what happens though, it comes back to the postseason. Jackson needs to prove that he can win playoff games. The Ravens need to prove that they are more than regular season winning streak specialists. In 2018 and 2019 the Ravens went into the playoffs playing their best football. Both times the playoff game was downright disappointing. The Ravens should be excited for the 2020 season. They have a legitimate shot to win it all. That’s the reason for concern. The Ravens have to win a Super Bowl. Only one outcome is acceptable going into a season where anything can happen.