2009 Baltimore Ravens NFL Season Predictions

Written June 15, 2009 by Jason Lowry

Baltimore Ravens 2009 Predictions The Baltimore Ravens weren’t expected to be as good as they were in 2008, after finishing 2007 at just 5-12 and entering last season with a rookie quarterback, few were picking this team to make it back to the playoffs. The Ravens wound up finishing the regular season 11-5 and pulled off to road wins in the postseason before eventually falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game. The Ravens have had trouble being consistent over the last few years, and that is something they hope to change with another trip to the postseason in 2009.

The Ravens defense will no longer have Rex Ryan calling the shots, as the long time defensive coordinator is now the head coach of the New York Jets. Ryan wasn’t the only guy from the Raven’s defense heading to the Jets, as linebacker Bart Scott, safety Jim Leonhard, and defensive end Marques Douglas all signed with their former coordinator. The Ravens did make some moves to better there team in 2009. The first was resigning linebacker Ray Lewis to a multiyear contract. The Ravens also signed center Matt Birk to fill the void at center left by Jason Brown. The Ravens added corners Domonique Foxworth and Chris Carr to help out the secondary that also lost starting cornerback Chris McAlister. After a very successful 2008 draft that landed the team franchise quarterback Joe Flacco and eventual starting running back Ray Rice, the Ravens had would likes to be another solid draft in 2009. The Ravens used their first round selection on Mississippi offensive tackle Michael Oher, and the team hopes he can step in right away at the right tackle spot. The Ravens also added some depth with their 2nd round pick of DE/OLB Paul Kruger and their 3rd round selection of corner Lardarius Webb. The only concerns I have with the Ravens offseason moves, was this team did little to help Flacco in the passing game, as they remain without a solid playmaker in the receiving game.

Can’t wait for another season of NFL betting? Now is a great time to take advantage of the $500 football match bonus at BetUS. Just deposit at least $500 and get an addition $500 just for signing up.

Even without a star player on the outside to help the receiving game, the Ravens should once again have one of the best rushing attacks in the league next season. Starter Willis McGahee is starting to decline, but this team has one of the more versatile backups in the game in Le”Ron McClain, who can not only get it done running the ball, but is an excellent lead blocker as well. Also expect to see a lot more of 2nd year man Ray Rice, who could be used more to keep the wear and tear off of McGahee’s aging body. Many thought the Ravens might of reached a little to far on Flacco, and it looked as though they might have early in the season, but Flacco quickly recovered and posted a 90.2 passer rating in his final 11 games and led this team to two postseason wins. Considering with what Flacco had to work with in the passing game, its pretty surprising he did as well as he did. The team’s No.1 receiver is still Derrick Mason, but he is now 35 and no where near the player he use to be. Other than that the team has a bunch of guys who have yet to live up to their potential in Mark Clayton, Demetrius Williams, and newly acquired Kelly Washington. The team is hoping that tight end Todd Heap can return to being one of the better pass catching tight ends, but just incase he struggles again in 2009 the Ravens signed L.J. Smith from the Eagles. Flacco’s has to love what this team is doing with their offensive line, as they look to have one of the best lines in the league for years to come. If Oher is able to step in and take over at right tackle, center Matt Birk will be the only starter over the age of 25, and if Oher doesn’t start and Terry Adams is the man, he is only 26. Its hard telling how much better the offense will be in 2009, but you have to feel like they can run the ball just as well as they did in 2008, and Flacco only has room for improvement. Bet the Ravens +300 to win the AFC North at Sportsbook.com.

It’s not as if I think the Ravens defense will be bad in 2009, I just don’t think they will be as good as they were in 2008. The team will really miss the play of linebacker Bart Scott, and new defensive coordinator Greg Mattison has some pretty big shoes to fill. The Ravens should once again have a very solid defensive line, as the very talented defensive tackle Haloti Ngata continues to get better and better. In fact the Ravens haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in their last 35 games, and no one is more responsible than Ngata. At linebacker the team should be able to adjust for the loss of Scott, as they still have two very talented players in Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis. The question is how well will Tavares Gooden be taking over for Scott at one of the inside linebacker spots.The secondary should remain strong with the addition of Foxworth to play along side corner Fabian Washington. At safety the team still has one of the best playmakers in Ed Reed, but he is no where near the run stopper he once was. At the other safety spot, the team is hoping that the hard hitting Dawan Landry can return to form after missing most of last season with a serious neck injury. Overall there are a ton of teams that would die to have a defense as capable of this unit, but this team needs its defense to play at a very high level if they want a shot at taking over Pittsburgh in the AFC North. Bet the Ravens +2000 to win the NFL Super Bowl at Sportsbook.com.

My Prediction: 2nd in AFC North (10-6) I think with a pretty easy schedule and a solid returning core, the Ravens will return to the postseason in 2009 as a wild card. If the defense struggles to perform without Ryan calling the shots, this team could slip out of the postseason, as there are number of teams that will be right around the 10-6 mark in 2009. I personally think they will be good enough to make it back, but I don’t think they will have what it takes to make it out of the first round.

Hoping to hit it big with your NFL picks this upcoming season? Be sure to return back at the beginning of the season for our expert NFL picks and make sure you have the very latest NFL odds for every game at Betfirms. See where I have the rest of the teams finishing the season in my 2009 NFL predictions article.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

No comments yet, but your thoughts are welcome!

Comments

Got something to say?