Throughout most of the 2023 NFL regular season and heading into the playoffs, the Baltimore Ravens were considered the best team in the league, with superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson back to form as NFL MVP.
The Ravens were absolutely stacked on the offensive side of the football, with Jackson leading the charge, and formidable on the defensive side, but all that came to an end when they went head-to-head against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason.
Baltimore was thought to be built to beat Kansas City in the playoffs, especially with the Chiefs coming off an uncharacteristically mediocre regular-season campaign.
Everything seemed to align for the Ravens heading into their playoff showdown with the Chiefs, but then reality struck that they weren’t ready to take down Patrick Mahomes and company when the lights were brightest, as the team fell apart in the AFC Championship Game.
However, even though Baltimore was unable to advance to the Super Bowl, they will be able to get some measure of revenge in Week 1 of the 2024 campaign, as they’ll take on Andy Reid’s squad to start the season, but Jackson is viewing it as just another game.
“I don’t really care who we play; it really didn’t matter,” Jackson said, per ESPN Bet. “At the end of the day, our goal is to make it to the Super Bowl.”
Lamar and the Ravens know the assignment 🟣
They’re +900 to win Super Bowl LIX ✍️ pic.twitter.com/bMzzgZnUDR
— ESPN BET (@ESPNBet) May 27, 2024
Although Jackson is playing it off as if this season-opening game against the Chiefs doesn’t matter, it will matter as it will show whether this talented team is ready to go toe-to-toe with the defending champions in 2024.
Even though the Ravens let Odell Beckham Jr. walk in NFL free agency, the team did bring in another superstar, agreeing to terms with veteran running back Derrick Henry to give them that much more firepower on offense, which should tilt the scales in their favor.