The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the most successful franchises in the NFL since coming into the league in 1996. They have won two Super Bowl titles during that time with two different head coaches, though, as with the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s been a while since they’ve hosted the hardware.
According to former Steelers safety Ryan Clark, however, Baltimore won’t have to wait long. He recently picked his own former nemesis as his favorite to take home the trophy at the end of the 2023 season after years of ups and downs.
“My actual bold prediction is that the Baltimore Ravens will win the Super Bowl”, he recently told SB Nation’s Debbie Emery, via Baltimore Beatdown. “I just think it’s about who Lamar Jackson has been, without having help. So now you give him help. You give him a new offensive coordinator, and along with that, you have a defense that improves the entire season. I think they’re going to be a scary team”.
The Ravens have advanced to the playoffs in four of Jackson’s five seasons. The only exception was in 2021 when Jackson missed extended time at the end of the season, resulting in a lengthy and organizationally historic losing streak.
Despite their regular-season success, however, things have not gone well for the Ravens thereafter. They are 1-4 in the ‘Jackson era’, though the most recent loss in the Wildcard Round of the 2022 playoffs came with Tyler Huntley under center due to Jackson’s injury.
The organization’s only win in nearly a decade now came in the Wildcard Round of the 2020 playoffs, a 20-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans that saw the Ravens overcome an early 10-point deficit. Jackson tied the game late in the first half with his legs on a 48-yard touchdown run.
Despite his success as a quarterback, boasting a 45-16 record as a starter, Jackson’s health has played an integral role in Baltimore’s ability to succeed in the playoffs. That’s been especially true for the past two years, during which he has missed 11 total games, including their lone postseason game. His five games missed in 2021 were pivotal in their failing to qualify altogether.
One can certainly make the argument that things might have gone much differently had he stayed healthy—and it’s worth pointing out that Jackson never missed a game due to injury in his first three seasons, sitting out only due to COVID-19 and due to rest at the end of the 2019 season prior to the playoffs.
With that being said, they team has made significant changes, moving on from Greg Roman as offensive coordinator and remodeling its wide receiver room. At least on paper, the Ravens have surrounded Jackson with the strongest supporting cast he has yet had since entering the NFL. If he can stay healthy and simply do his job, Clark may end up looking smart, rather than disloyal (not that he has any obligations toward loyalty as a professional analyst, but that’s how some Steelers fans may feel).
