Getty Matt Judon high fives Ravens fans.
The Baltimore Ravens struck out in the playoffs after this season, but should that fact harm their status as contenders in 2020?
That answer is a complicated one, and likely up for debate in plenty of spots across America after a stunning upset wiped the team out short of the AFC Championship game. The fact is even being debated by those on television who talk football for a living.
The Good Morning Football crew discussed that recently and had an agree to disagree moment. Peter Schrager and Nate Burleson sat on two different sides of the argument regarding the Ravens in 2020.
“Favorites? They just got their butts whipped by a team that’s playing this Sunday. Favorites next year? No. I’ve got to say the Kansas City Chiefs or the Tennessee Titans are the favorites for next year,” Schrager said.
Burleson didn’t agree.
“Last year, the Chiefs got bounced in the playoffs. We crowned them going into this season because Patrick Mahomes was the MVP. The last few years, we’ve been talking about how good the Saints are. They get bounced every single season,” he said. “So the Ravens get bounced in the playoffs. Why does it have to stop here? They were as talented as everybody. Lamar Jackson will be our MVP. Yeah they didn’t play as well they wanted to and got beat by a better team. Lamar Jackson has been a starter for a year and some change. Imagine what he’s going to do when he knows the playbook like the back of his hand.”
The truth, as always, likely lies somewhere in the middle. It’s easy to see why folks would be nervous about crowning the Ravens after this season’s playoff upset, but also understandable that they’re not likely to go anywhere as a contender.
Ravens Already High in 2021 Super Bowl Odds
A look at some very early odds was revealed by Caesars on this past week, and perhaps surprisingly, the Ravens were high on the list in spite of their frustrating finish to 2020. As a whole, the Ravens have the second best odds to take home the Lombardi Trophy at 7-1 a year from now.
Here’s a look at some of the early odds for next season:
Next year’s Super Bowl odds released from @CaesarsEnt today:
Chiefs 6-1
Ravens 7-1
49ers 8-1
Saints 11-1
Patriots 14-1
Steelers 15-1
Cowboys, Packers 18-1
Seahawks 22-1
Browns, Eagles, Rams, Vikings 25-1
At this point, of course, very little of this matters considering the current Super Bowl hasn’t even been decided, the offseason hasn’t taken place and neither has the draft. Little is known about what shape teams will take moving forward and what will play out next year in terms of injuries or other pitfalls that take place.
For now, though, Las Vegas isn’t exactly betting on the stench of failure hanging over the Ravens for very long.
Peter Schrager Disses Ravens Playoff Loss
Some folks don’t think the loss was that significant, but others think it was quite a big deal. One of those people can be counted as Peter Schrager of the NFL Network. On an episode of Good Morning Football following the loss, Schrager debated with his co-hosts about the severity of the loss and where it leaves Baltimore’s legacy after this season, and admitted he thinks this one will cut Baltimore deep for a long time to come.
“This is the most brutal loss a tam can have in franchise history, 14-2, you’re out by the divisional round and were embarrassed on your home field,” he said. “This is as big a gut punch. This is now just a forgettable team in NFL history. They didn’t even make it to the championship round.”
As for what the Ravens’ legacy is now following this failure to start off 2020, Schrager thinks the answer is quite obvious, and it’s not a great one for Baltimore fans.
“Their legacy is they couldn’t get it done. They couldn’t finish the job and when they needed to, they laid and all-time egg,” he said. “An absolutely brutal, destructive loss for a team that was so fun, that we were thinking was the future. This one is one that sits with you for decades. There were few teams in NFL history that were as fun and as fascinating as this. No one is going to remember Mark Andrews came into this one banged up. They’re going to remember they couldn’t get it done.”
Plenty on how 2020 is remembered will hinge on what happens later on this year, and then again in 2021 if the Ravens get back into the postseason to get another crack at ending their current losing streak in the playoffs.
Only time will tell how successful they can be.
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