So that’s that.
In a yawner of a Super Bowl, the Eagles flexed their considerable roster muscle and outclassed the Chiefs, 40-22, in somewhat humiliating fashion. Losing GMs throughout the NFL looked on with fawning envy, including those in the AFC North.
While the AFC North’s collective outcome wasn’t too awful at .500 (34-34 overall), it’s also not very good – isn’t a .500 record the very definition of mediocrity?
Over the next month or so, I’ll offer a few paragraphs on each team’s 2024 outing and potential offseason direction. The first installment is about the division leader.
Enjoy.
Baltimore Ravens (12-5), L @ Bills in AFC Divisional Round
Arguments can be made to claim the 2024 Ravens were arguably more effective that their more-statistically buoyed 2023 counterparts, particularly on offense, where QB Lamar Jackson fell just shy of his second consecutive NFL MVP award. If not for a worrisome 0-2 start that also featured a loss to the lowly Raiders – at home, no less – the Ravens might have held home field advantage in the playoffs (although it must be noted they squandered that privilege in 2023).
The offense, bolstered by the addition of mammoth RB Derrick Henry, continued its ascent into one of the best in the NFL, with Jackson and Henry alternating hero roles seemingly every week. WR Zay Flowers posted his first 1,000-yard receiving season and Pro Bowl berth. TE Mark Andrews, despite a season-killing drop of a two-point conversion in the playoffs, posted another excellent season, ably backed up by counterpart Isaiah Likely. And the offensive line, considered a possible weakness at season’s outset, played very well in the second half of the season, fueling the Ravens’ playoff run.
The defense took some time to jell, not fully coalescing in the secondary until a loss to Pittsburgh in Week 11 forced the Ravens to move S Kyle Hamilton to a “true” safety position, as opposed to the “freelancing everywhere” role he’d previously inhabited. The Ravens posted the best defense in the NFL the last six weeks of the season, so it’s clear this actually worked (direct evidence of strategic success is rare in the NFL, so I’m going to point it out here). Standouts on defense include Hamilton, CB Marlon Humphrey and Edge rushers Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh.
In a surprising development, the Ravens featured subpar kicking. Possible Hall of Fame placekicker Justin Tucker was beleaguered by missed FGs and PATs for much of the season (and by an exhumation of his dubious activities, to put it charitably, at spas earlier in his career).
The offseason stands to be interesting if not exactly transformative. The team worked out a contract extension with offensive coordinator Todd Monken, providing some continuity for Jackson to continue his recent success. RB Henry has publicly stated he’d like to finish his career in Baltimore. While there’s some decisions to be made, primarily along the offensive line and with oft-injured starting LT Ronnie Stanley, the team is expected to return largely intact, with some tweaks and depth added to the defense and secondary in particular. Most mock drafts already have the Ravens selecting a CB or S with their first pick in April’s draft.
Next week: Steelers. See y’all then.
