The Ravens-Bengals matchup in Week 15 is one of the most interesting games of the season.
Orr: “It’s impossible to project that a game will be close this far in advance, but both Bengals-Ravens games last year were decided by three points or fewer. One of the two Bengals-Ravens games in 2023 came down to a field goal, as did one more the season before. And in all those games, the Ravens had arguably the greatest kicker in NFL history. While we’re not quite sure what Cleveland will look like and cannot be sure at all what Pittsburgh will look like, we know that Baltimore and Cincinnati will more than likely be relevant in the AFC North, especially if the Bengals are on one of their trademark torrid stretches to try to back themselves into the playoffs. Now, Justin Tucker is gone. …. Baltimore is a championship-or-bust team with a former special teams savant as its head coach and one of the few teams in the NFL with a kicking-specific coach. Can sixth-round pick Tyler Loop, the theoretical leader in the clubhouse for the kicking job, steel his nerves in time for a game that could have major playoff implications?”
Game that has gotten tougher: vs. Bears, Week 8.
Zrebiec: “The Bears haven’t had a winning season since 2018, and they haven’t won a playoff game since 2010. Still, the arrival of former Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson as their head coach and the strengthening of the offensive personnel around second-year quarterback Caleb Williams have many predicting that Chicago will make a huge jump this year.”
One game the Ravens can’t afford to lose: vs. Browns, Week 2
Zrebiec: “We’ve discussed the Ravens’ rigorous start. If they go into their bye with a 3-3 record, they’d be in decent shape. What they can’t do amid a stretch where they also play the Bills, Lions and Chiefs is overlook the Browns. That would be an extremely damaging loss, not only because of who else the Ravens have to play early, but also because Baltimore won’t play its second AFC North game until mid-November.”
The Ravens’ record will be …
Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame: “12-5. The Ravens are one of the league’s most talented teams, and they will need all of it. Baltimore has four challenging games in the division with Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, and then additional road tilts against the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Bills and Chiefs. John Harbaugh’s club could play great football away from home and still be looking at 4–4 or 5–3.”
NFL Network Analytics Expert Cynthia Frelund: “Projected wins: 11.6. The Ravens begin by playing their three most difficult projected matchups of the season within the first four weeks: Week 1 at the Bills on “Sunday Night Football:, Week 3 vs. the Lions on “Monday Night Football” and Week 4 at the Chiefs. One late-season game to circle is the Week 17 showdown with the Packers at Lambeau Field. This could be pivotal for both teams, in terms of playoff seeding – Baltimore is likely to be contending for the AFC’s top seed and lone playoff bye. My model forecasts Lamar Jackson and Co. to pace the conference by 0.2 wins.”
Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer: “Over 11.5 wins. The Ravens went 12-5 to take the division, and there’s no indication they are a weaker team even with the combined challenges of the AFC East and NFC North. They should repeat as division champions, this time with tighter competition.”
Zrebiec: “11-6. This is a difficult schedule for the Ravens, so it’s conceivable that they can be a better team yet still finish behind last year’s regular-season pace. They’ll be judged on what they do in January anyway. So much will depend on injuries, as it always does, and the ability of a handful of young players to step into bigger roles. On paper, this is a Ravens team with one of the better rosters in the NFL and plenty of motivation from past playoff flameouts.”
Fox Sports’ Greg Auman: “11-6. The Ravens could be a better team than last year and still finish with a worse record than the 12-5 they went in 2024. They face the entire NFC North, arguably the toughest division in the league, and their three games as a result of a first-place showing are the Chiefs, Rams and Texans — no easy draw there. They could be a top-10 team and still go just 4-2 in the division. The key is whether they can hold off Cincinnati with an improved defense and Pittsburgh (with Aaron Rodgers?) and avoid opening the playoffs on the road, as they have just one road playoff win in the past 10 years.”