Baltimore Ravens
Offense
After what was a down year for the entire offense, the team brought in Gary Kubiak to run the show and help the Ravens return to a ground-and-pound system. Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce both struggled behind a porous offensive line, while the loss of Anquan Boldin as a possession receiver left Joe Flacco without a go-to target.
Steve Smith is as perfect a fill-in for Boldin as it gets, and we’ll see how much the veteran has left in the tank. Dennis Pitta will be healthy to start the year and Rice has looked especially spry in preseason action. Flacco is a strong fit for Kubiak’s offense, and as long as the offensive line plays well the Ravens are primed for a bounce-back year.
Defense
Baltimore finished just outside the top 10 NFL defenses in 2013, but it felt like the unit had taken a major step backward. The losses of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed left gaping holes at middle linebacker and at safety, but the moves the team made this offseason should fix that.
C.J. Mosley was drafted in the first round and will be plugged in at middle linebacker, and the team paired Darian Stewart with 2013 first-rounder Matt Elam to sure up the back end of the D.
Outlook
If all goes to according to plan, the Ravens should be competing with the Steelers and Bengals for the AFC North. We’re not even two years removed from Flacco being a Super Bowl MVP, and the team has plenty of talent in place to return to the postseason.
What the veterans contribute will determine how far this team goes. Steve Smith, Daryl Smith, Terrell Suggs and Rice — they are all being counted on to play major roles. If they’re up to the task, don’t sleep on Baltimore.
