It’s hard to think that the Baltimore Ravens won’t be back in the playoffs in 2026. They made all the necessary changes to put them on a collision course with a playoff berth. From the head coach hiring of Jesse Minter to the blockbuster signing of Trey Hendrickson, the pieces for success are falling into place.
While Minter might be a first-year coach, he could certainly make some noise in the playoffs if he gets the chance. And in an article for NFL Spin Zone, Lou Scataglia believes Baltimore’s ceiling is an AFC Championship berth, which would certainly be a satisfying achievement.
However, that projection might feel like a backhanded compliment if you look just one line lower in Scataglia's piece. He has the Cincinnati Bengals one-upping Baltimore with a Super Bowl appearance being their best-case scenario.
Looking at where both teams are, that’s a slight jab.
Baltimore Ravens should feel slighted by recent best-case scenarios for 2026
The Ravens may have Super Bowl aspirations in 2026, but it’s fair to say that they might be a year away from making those dreams a reality. A trip to the playoffs is a very realistic road for Minter in his first season, but rolling through the AFC all the way to the Super Bowl might be a bit overambitious, as it’s incredibly rare to do in your debut campaign as a head coach.
The Bengals having a pathway to the Super Bowl open for them, though? Personally, I’m not too sure about that. Obviously they made it there back in 2021, but outside of a dominant trio between Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins on offense, that team is very suspect.
Even after putting up an absolute disaster-class in that 2021 playoff run, the Bengals’ offensive line remains a substantial red flag. They put Burrow in harm’s way too often, which is the kind of story that Ravens fans are very familiar with. For Baltimore, at least they made efforts to upgrade theirs, whereas Cincinnati? Nope.
Then there’s the ticking time bomb that is the Bengals’ defense. They made a game-changing trade this offseason for Dexter Lawrence II. That’s one Pro Bowl-caliber player. As for the rest of the group, I guess you could say the likes of Dax Hill, Jordan Battle, Myles Murphy, and Boye Mafe are fine players, but the unit lacks much depth and is still a significant question mark.
In comparison, the Ravens are due to turn around their defensive struggles thanks to Minter’s playcalling and a litter of talent. On offense, while they could hit some rough patches, they still have Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Zay Flowers. Add in an exciting new playcaller in Declan Doyle, and they could produce some big-time results.
Overall, Baltimore could fall short of The Big Game due to inexperience and uncertainty on the coaching staff. It’s hard to imagine that Cincinnati has a higher ceiling, though. Everything imaginable went wrong in Charm City last year, and they still finished ahead of the Bengals. Now, with the Ravens aggressively making improvements, it just seems they opened their window more than the other teams in the AFC North.
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