
Oddsmakers see a handful of teams in the NFL as near-locks to win double-digit regular-season games.
The Ravens are understandably in that class after going 23-10 over the past two regular seasons.
In 2024 and beyond, the question in Baltimore is whether two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson can lead this team to more playoff success.
Baltimore Ravens 2024 Futures Odds
FanDuel | DraftKings | bet365 | Caesars | |
Super Bowl odds | +1000 | +1000 | +900 | +900 |
AFC Champion odds | +550 | +550 | +475 | +550 |
AFC North odds | +145 | +145 | +125 | +145 |
Win total over: 10.5 | -122 | -120 | -110 | -110 |
Win total under: 10.5 | +100 | +100 | -110 | -100 |
The Ravens have longer Super Bowl odds than reigning champ Kansas City and 2023 NFC champ San Francisco, but no other teams have higher expectations than coach John Harbaugh’s squad.
Despite playing in a tough division that produced three playoff teams a year ago despite shaky QB situations — for one reason or another — in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, Baltimore is seen as a lock to once again earn a playoff berth.
Baltimore Ravens 2024 Betting Outlook
Is 2024 the year Baltimore breaks through in the playoffs?
Last year marked the fifth time in six seasons, dating back to 2018, that the Ravens won 10 regular-season games and reached the playoffs.
Ravens fans need no reminder of how those five trips to the postseason played out. But that won’t stop us from offering a refresher on this team’s 2-5 playoff record dating back to Jackson’s rookie season in 2018.
Note: Baltimore went 8-9 and missed the playoffs in 2021.
Ravens Playoff Results Since 2018
AFC Playoff Seed | Round Eliminated |
Result | Spread in loss | Playoff W-L | |
2023 | 1 | AFC Championship | KC 17, BAL 10 (home) | -4 | 1-1 (beat HOU in Div.) |
2022 | 6 | Wild Card | CIN 24, BAL 17 (away) | +8.5 | 0-1 |
2020 | 5 | Divisional | BUF 17, BAL 3 (away) | +2.5 | 1-1 (beat TEN in Wild Card) |
2019 | 1 | Divisional | TEN 28, BAL 12 (home) | -10 | 0-1 |
2018 | 4 | Wild Card | LAC 23, BAL 17 (home) | -3 | 0-1 |
What will year two of the Jackson-Monken combo bring?
Jackson thrived in 2023 in his first season under offensive coordinator Todd Monken. He ran away with the NFL MVP award, capturing 49 of 50 first-place votes. This year, Baltimore returns most of the key pieces from an offense that was among the NFL‘s most potent a year ago.
A scary thought for opposing defenses is that the offense averaged better than 28 points per game last year with rookie Zay Flowers as its No. 1 wide receiver.
Baltimore also effectively weathered the loss of stud TE Mark Andrews for the final six games of the regular season. Their success without him — they went 5-0 while he was sidelined in November and December before dropping a meaningless regular-season finale against Pittsburgh — flew under the radar.
It was notable that the offense didn’t miss a beat for that stretch given that Andrews led the team — or tied for the team lead — in catches in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. In six years in Baltimore, Andrews has been Baltimore’s receptions leader in all but two seasons: his rookie year in 2018, and his injury-shortened 2023 campaign.
Assuming Andrews is healthy, the combo of him and Flowers, who should be even better in his second season in the league after catching four TD passes from Weeks 12-16 last year, should give Jackson enough pass-catching talent to replicate his success in 2023.
Baltimore also has the luxury of a second tight end, Isaiah Likely, who filled in for Andrews nicely, with five TD catches.
Veteran workhorse Derrick Henry to lead new-look backfield
As long as Jackson is under center, the Ravens are going to be difficult to defend on the ground. And they should have an even more effective rushing attack than usual in 2024.
This offseason, Baltimore pivoted away from the RB-by-committee approach it has used throughout Jackson’s career, signing former Titans star RB Derrick Henry as its feature back.
Henry has over 2,000 career carries under his belt and is entering his age-30 season. He nevertheless should not be underestimated, especially alongside a rushing threat like Jackson.
Another Baltimore RB to keep an eye on is Keaton Mitchell. He tore his ACL last December, but before that, he flashed as an undrafted rookie out of East Carolina, with 8.4 (!) yards per carry on 47 rushing attempts last year.
Can Ravens D remain elite without Macdonald?
Remarkably, the Ravens defense was even better than the offense in 2023, especially considering the offensive no-show at home against Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game.
Baltimore held the opposition under 20 points in seven of the final eight games of 2023 — including the 34-10 Divisional Round win over Houston and the 17-10 loss to Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game.
Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who led the Baltimore in D in 2022 and 2023, left this offseason for the head coaching job in Seattle, and the front seven lost pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney and linebacker Patrick Queen to free agency.
Still, Baltimore’s defense remains loaded with young stars. From 26-year-old DT Justin Madubuike and Odafe Oweh (25) up front to LB Roquan Smith (27) in the middle of the field to the secondary, where Kyle Hamilton (23) and Geno Stone (25) form a versatile, imposing duo at safety, this defense should remain among the league’s best despite the loss of Macdonald.
Baltimore Ravens 2024 Best Bets
- Ravens to win AFC North (+145) FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars
- Ravens win total: over 10.5 (-110) bet365
This team is inching closer — if it isn’t already there — to Super Bowl-or-bust territory.
The Ravens, like the Lions, Dolphins, Eagles and Bills, figure to have no trouble piling up a bunch of wins during the regular season. That makes them enticing to win their division at +145, and a safe bet to go over 10.5 wins.
Keep in mind that last year’s team went 13-4 despite playing its backups in a meaningless regular season finale that it lost 17-10.
Henry should help Baltimore’s offense continue to confound opposing defenses. On the other side of the ball, the defense has too much young talent to fear a significant step back, even after the loss of a coordinator as respected as Macdonald.
So, will Jackson and Baltimore get over the hump in January in the quarterback’s seventh season as a Raven?
They’ll have a chance, especially if they earn homefield advantage again. But right now, the memory of last year’s playoff loss to the Chiefs, which featured an underwhelming supporting cast around Patrick Mahomes, looks like a wound that could fester for years to come.
The likely presence of Mahomes, Bengals QB Joe Burrow, Bills QB Josh Allen and Texans QB CJ Stroud in the AFC playoff field makes Baltimore a “believe it when we see it” proposition as far as AFC playoff contenders go.
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