The Baltimore Ravens have an incredibly challenging three games coming up. Let's make our picks and predictions for those games. The Ravens are 0-2 for the first time since 2015. The Ravens have started 0-2 four times in their NFL existence. They failed to have a winning record or make the playoffs all four times.
History is not on their side. However, this team is more than talented enough to turn the season around. Even after starting out 0-2, the AFC North division remains wide open. The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the division at 2-0, but they severely lack a downfield presence on offense and they have overachieved by all accounts. The Ravens can catch them.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is still taking the league by storm. He hasn't slowed down a bit after his MVP performance last season. While all that's great news for the Ravens, their schedule isn't great news. They are going to be dragged through the wringer these next three weeks and the next three games will determine if this is a true contender or not.
Let's try to predict the Baltimore Ravens' next three games.
Baltimore Ravens picks and predictions for the next three games in 2024
Week 3 @ Dallas Cowboys
As usual, the Dallas Cowboys are all over the place. In Week 1, it looked like they were going to be one of the best teams in the NFL. They pummeled the Cleveland Browns and looked every bit a Super Bowl contender. Their defense absolutely smothered the Browns as they won 33-17.
However, the next week, their defense completely fell apart. Talk about a stark contrast. In Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints, Dallas couldn't stop a nosebleed. The Saints ran all over them, scored on every position, and secured victory easily 44-19. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has struggled early and we expect that to continue.
Which Cowboys team will we see in Week 3 against the Ravens? We're going to go with the latter. The Ravens offense will impose their will early and often and grab their first win of the season.
Prediction: Ravens win 30-21 and run for over 200 yards with 3 rushing touchdowns.
Week 4 vs. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are undefeated after beating the Arizona Cardinals 34-28 in Week 1 and the Miami Dolphins 31-10 in Week 2. Their offensive numbers suggest they're a wagon, but looking further aside from their high point totals, they're pretty middle-of-the-road.
The Bills average the 23rd most passing yards per game and the 18th most rushing yards. Those aren't overwhelming numbers by any stretch. What the Bills do almost better than anyone in the league is capitalize on their scoring opportunities.
Expect the Ravens to find a way to beat the Bills in a shootout to secure their first home win of the season at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD. There should be lots of touchdowns in this game between the two high-profile quarterbacks - Bills QB Josh Allen and Ravens QB Lamar Jackson.
Prediction: Ravens win 31-27 on a last-minute drive capitalized by a Lamar Jackson TD pass to Mark Andrews
Week 5 @ Cincinnati Bengals
Are the Bengals good this year or not? In all fairness, the Bengals' season is going almost the same way the Ravens' season is. They lost 16-10 in Week 1 to an anemic New England Patriots team, much like how the Ravens lost 26-23 to a mediocre Las Vegas Raiders team in Week 2. And both teams have lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals are always a threat to score points, but Ja'Marr Chase doesn't look like himself this season, Joe Burrow hasn't found his rhythm yet, their running game is trash, and Tee Higgins is still battling a hamstring injury. For lack of a better word, the offense is hamstringing this team.
Neither the Bengals nor the Ravens will walk into this AFC North rivalry winless. The Ravens will be confident coming into this game as their offense has been rolling with back-to-back 30-point performances. However, it's a much different game, decided by the defenses.