Getty Lamar Jackson plays against the Titans.
The Baltimore Ravens are ready to tackle the 2020 NFL season, and there is plenty of optimism about where things are trending for the team ahead of next season.
Not only have the Ravens improved dramatically this offseason, they will face an easier schedule. In addition to that, they are the only team in the league to this point that is favored for every single one of their games when the 2020 season comes around. That’s in direct contrast to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who aren’t favored in one following the schedule release.
ESPN’s Field Yates pointed out this interesting fact with a new tweet.
Just one NFL team is currently a favorite in all of its games this upcoming season: the Ravens.
Just one NFL team is currently an underdog in all of its games this season: the Jaguars.
(Lines via @PointsBetUSA)
The Ravens look like the top team coming into the 2020 season, and this is merely another reason why. This is quite a dramatic fact which only seems more impressive considering the fact the Ravens play the Eagles, Chiefs, Patriots, Titans and Texans this season, teams that figure to be decently strong.
At this point, no matter how strong, none of those teams can count themselves as favored as Baltimore.
Travel Provides Ravens Schedule Advantage
Baltimore won’t have to go far this season to play their games, and they will barely have to leave the Eastern Time Zone after doing so early on. In fact, the Ravens will only travel a measly 6,310 miles this season, which is one of the lowest totals in the league and lowest in the last few years.
The @Ravens do not leave the Eastern Time Zone after Week 2 … and that Week 2 game is in Houston. The Ravens only travel 6,310 miles this season, the fewest by any NFL team in the past four seasons.
What could the impact of this lack of travel mean? It’s possible it could mean a more well-rested team come playoff time if the Ravens are able to get there as most expect. It could also mean less wear and tear on the body and perhaps a smaller chance of getting injured.
Either way, this could be yet another advantage which explains why Baltimore is so heavily favored this coming year.
Ravens 2020 Schedule Strength Revealed
Most know the inherent difficulty the team will face within their own AFC North division, but how about from the schedule as a whole? Recently, CBS Sports looked at breaking down every team’s schedule from the hardest in the league to the easiest ahead of the schedule release. It shows that the Ravens should be sitting in a fairly favorable spot as it relates to next season given the teams they will play.
The site and writer Jared Dubin used over-under totals from opponents to rank the 2020 schedule. What he found when it came to Baltimore was a team that will have one of the easier schedules in the league this coming season. The Ravens have one of the lower opponent strength of schedules in the league, which leads them to have a fairly easy schedule. That’s interesting considering the Ravens finished in first place last season and carved up the league along the way.
As a whole, the schedule is tied for the 3rd easiest in football for 2020 based on opponent over-unders. The Ravens need to prove they can step up and deal with whatever comes their way, but on the whole, the team should be able to have a successful year given this early variable.
Naturally, even the worst of teams from 2019 have improved, so while the schedule might seem a bit lighter now, that’s not always how it works out when the games begin. Count on the Ravens still finding pressure to perform even though their schedule strength looks a bit easier now.
Ravens Already High in 2021 Super Bowl Odds
A look at some very early odds was revealed by Caesars a few months back, 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
So far, the offseason continues to progress through free agency and the draft and the Ravens have been very busy in both, having one of the best drafts in the league while also adding solid talent across the board in free agency. What do their odds look like now? The same at 7-1, as things have not been re-racked since early February.
The Ravens have a long way to go, but the schedule they will be dealing with should offer them some chances in order to make these dreams a reality in 2020-21.
At this point, all of the odds seem to be in the team’s favor.
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