The 2024 NFL season kicks off Thursday night with the Ravens’ much-anticipated rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs. After that, it’s a long march to a potential Super Bowl title.
Here are Baltimore Banner staff members’ predictions for the playoffs, league Most Valuable Player honors and the Ravens’ season.
| Giana Han | Kyle Goon | Chris Korman | Paul Mancano | Jonas Shaffer | Brandon Weigel | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MVP | Texans QB C.J. Stroud | Bills QB Josh Allen | Cowboys QB Dak Prescott | Packers QB Jordan Love | Texans QB C.J. Stroud | Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes |
| Super Bowl | Chiefs | 49ers | Ravens | Bills | Packers | Lions |
| AFC | Chiefs | Chiefs | Ravens | Bills | Ravens | Chiefs |
| NFC | Lions | 49ers | Eagles | Lions | Packers | Lions |
| AFC North | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Browns | Ravens | Ravens |
| AFC South | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans |
| AFC East | Dolphins | Bills | Dolphins | Dolphins | Bills | Jets |
| AFC West | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs |
| AFC wild cards | Bengals, Bills, Chargers | Browns, Dolphins, Bengals | Bengals, Bills, Jets | Ravens, Bills, Bengals | Jets, Bengals, Dolphins | Dolphins, Bengals, Jaguars |
| NFC North | Lions | Packers | Lions | Packers | Packers | Lions |
| NFC South | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Saints |
| NFC East | Cowboys | Eagles | Cowboys | Cowboys | Eagles | Eagles |
| NFC West | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers |
| NFC wild cards | Packers, Eagles, Rams | Lions, Cowboys, Rams | Packers, Eagles, Saints | Lions, Eagles, Rams | Lions, Cowboys, Seahawks | Cowboys, Packers, Falcons |
Kyle Goon, columnist: 11-6, divisional round
This feels like the Super Bowl-or-bust season for the Ravens, but their offensive line could muck up the opportunity. The defense feels just about as talented as last year’s, especially in the secondary. The Lamar Jackson-Derrick Henry combination should be dynamic, but the receiving corps is light, and unsteady hands up-front could mean the Ravens’ game-changers struggle for seams in the run game. A reasonable prediction is that the Ravens still manufacture an 11-6 season and win a competitive division, but unless the OL gets huge debuts from guys like Andrew Vorhees and Roger Rosengarten, making it out of the divisional round of the playoffs will be a huge task.
Giana Han, reporter: 11-6, divisional round
The Ravens have a lot of the weapons they need to make another run. But if that’s their goal, it’s a bad time to build the offensive line from the “bottom-up.” Reigning MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson can make up for a lot of things, but the line is central to the offense’s success. If those guys can get up to speed, the Ravens can go far. But should they struggle, this season could fall apart. Barring injuries, the defense looks to be solid again, even if it doesn’t end up as a historical unit like last year’s. They’re loaded with talent, just not depth. The Ravens will be a very good team this year. They just might not be the best.
Jonas Shaffer, reporter: 11-6, Super Bowl
The 2023 Ravens were one of the NFL’s most impressive regular-season teams in recent memory, and dominance is hard to sustain. Lamar Jackson probably won’t win another MVP. The defense probably won’t blanket as many Top-10 offenses. The staff might not produce another sure-thing head coaching candidate. But it’s that same variance in the modern-day NFL that makes it so tempting to pick against the Kansas City Chiefs to come out of the AFC. If history suggests a three-peat is unlikely, why couldn’t that season-ending loss come before the Super Bowl? And if the Chiefs aren’t making it to New Orleans, why couldn’t the Ravens?
Paul Mancano, “Banner Ravens Podcast” host: 10-7, divisional round
I was incredibly tempted to script a magical Super Bowl run for the Ravens — another title every 12 years, another Big Game in New Orleans — but I kept coming back to the offensive line, turnover on defense and lack of a WR1. Like general manager Eric DeCosta, I, too, expect “hiccups” from the O-line to start the season, and the Ravens’ first five opponents — the Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals — won’t apologize for taking advantage of an inexperienced bunch. But that group should be playing its best ball by the end of the season, in theory. I expect this team to do enough to reach the postseason with a 10-7 record, thanks in large part to a midseason trade for a wide receiver (Davante Adams, anyone?), but to fall in the divisional round to the Bills.
Chris Korman, editor: 12-5, Super Bowl champion
The Ravens, you’ll probably recall, went 12-4 and looked like a juggernaut the year BEFORE they won their last Super Bowl. That season, they were 10-6 and lost four of their final five games (and also lost by 30 to the Texans in Week 7.) It didn’t seem like their year, until it was. I could see it playing out similarly this year, though I expect more early struggles and better play late. As confident as John Harbaugh sounds, there’s no way to get such an inexperienced offensive line ready for the real thing. They’ll be something of a mess. And working Derrick Henry into the mix will take some time, too. I’ve got reservations about whether Zach Orr can replicate what Mike Macdonald did last year, but why not believe in him until proven otherwise? Trying to predict the NFL season is inherently absurd, and if you’re going to do it, you might as well be bold about at least part of it.
Whether the Ravens — and Lamar Jackson in particular — can get “over the hump” (or whatever cliché you want to use) in the playoffs is not of particular interest to me. Jackson is a two-time MVP and clearly one of the very best players in the league; he’ll find ways to make plays in playoff situations when given the chance. The lack of balance — and daring — on offense in the AFC championship game felt more troubling, and for that reason, the next evolution of Todd Monken’s offense is the most intriguing part of this season. If he can find a way to integrate all of the talent — particularly the two world-class tight ends — it will be nearly impossible to stop this team.
Brandon Weigel, editor: 11-6, AFC championship game
Lamar Jackson is the reigning MVP. “King Henry” is set to take the throne. One of the best tight end duos in the NFL will create matchup issues. And the vaunted Ravens defense will continue to terrorize opponents. But this team is only going to go as far as the offensive line will take it, and while it’s a talented group, DeCosta is rightly warning of “hiccups” with three new starters in the fold. They’ll be tested early against Kansas City’s Chris Jones, Las Vegas’ Maxx Crosby and Dallas’ Micah Parsons. After a nasty opening gauntlet, which also includes a home game against the Bills and a road matchup with the Bengals, the Ravens’ line should begin to gel, and the team will get hot and start reeling off wins.
I see them getting to 11, even if the “hiccups” appear at points later in the season, and finishing as the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the AFC. Maybe they get shot at a rematch with the Chiefs in the AFC championship. But it’s hard to envision them getting past Kansas City in the playoff bracket. Yes, still. Remember, last year’s Super Bowl champion Chiefs team leaned on its defense until quarterback Patrick Mahomes turned it on in the postseason. Now that they’ve given Mahomes elite speed threats in Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and rookie Xavier Worthy, it’s feels like the richest team in the conference is only getting richer.
