Why the Ravens Were a Hot Pick for the 2020 Superbowl

With the NFL season drawing to a close and the 54th Superbowl almost upon us, fans are placing their bets on who will make it to the world-famous final match. The biggest sporting event in America will be held on February 2nd at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida and is expected to attract more viewing figures than the 98.2 million of last year.

According to William Hill’s NFL betting page, the Baltimore Ravens were the favourites for the Superbowl heading into the postseason. However, they’ve since been overcome by the Tennessee Titans, who progressed to the AFC Championship.

That said, it’s worth looking at what made the Ravens such a hot pick for the big title in 2020 and how they can use that heading forward.

Raven’s season at a glance

The Ravens have had one of the most impressive seasons NFL fans have witnessed since the turn of the century, with excellent statistics backing up an almost faultless system lead by their esteemed head coach John Harbaugh. It’s no wonder they were widely expected to cap it off with their first Superbowl win since 2013 – the time before that being as early as 2001.

In their first game against the Miami Dolphins, the Ravens scored 42 points in the first half, setting a new NFL record for most points in the first period of a season opener. They went on to win the game 59 – 10 and set the tone for what would become an amazing campaign.

Baltimore’s excellent offensive play earned them accolades not seen for years in the sport, with achievements such as grabbing the new NFL record for most rushing yards in a season with 3,296. This record was the first to break the previously held one by the New England Patriots of 1978, with 3,165 yards.

On top of this, the Ravens became the first team in NFL history to average a base of 200 passing yards and 200 rushing yards per game – a mind-blowing statistic that, at

just a glance, explains why they’ve been such a formidable force across all 17 weeks of play.

The Ravens topped the AFC North Division with 14 wins and 2 losses, only falling to the Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs in weeks 3 and 4.

Leading the way

It’s safe to say that the Ravens standout player this past season has been 23-year-old Lamar Jackson. The Florida born quarterback, who played college football at Louisville, has been a revelation and has already garnered multiple awards for his performances, including multiple players of the week winnings under his belt.

With a talent like Jackson leading the line, as well as players like the record-holding placekicker Justin Tucker in tow, many experts noted how the Ravens were more than capable to make it to the final game and are undoubtedly a Superbowl-calibre team who’ve kept up a consistently high standard of football throughout the season.

However, ultimately, they were beaten by the Titans in a thrilling encounter. Was it the three-week layoff that jolted the Ravens? Or maybe just the red-hot Titans, in electric form after beating Tom Brady and the Patriots? Whatever the case, they certainly shouldn’t be written off for Superbowl 55 if they can build on this season’s successes.