“Commanders vs Giants” Licensed Under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl LX champions, which means they’ll spend the next few weeks, maybe months, basking in the afterglow of their improbable victory. Meanwhile, every other NFL fanbase is already thinking about Super Bowl LXI and whether their team can win it. 

Maryland football fans, in particular, have a lot to ponder. The state’s two franchises, the Baltimore Ravens and Washington Commanders (who are based out of Landover), entered last season billed as potential Super Bowl contenders. The Ravens, in fact, were flat-out Super Bowl favorites. Yet, neither Baltimore nor Washington ended up making the playoffs.

Injuries are among the strongest factors to blame. Theoretically, then, it should be realistic for both to rejoin the ranks of the relevant next season. But do experts feel the same way?

Although Super Bowl LX just wrapped up, we needn’t wait any longer to find out. As the experts over at Sports Betting Sites note as part of their Xbet reviews series, early futures are now a staple of the industry. Especially when it comes to the NFL. 

This is to say: The Ravens’ and Commanders’ odds to win Super Bowl LXI are already in. And their place relative to the rest of the NFL says a great deal about how the general football intelligentsia currently views them.

Baltimore Raves are No Longer Contending for Super Bowl Favorite Status

Super Bowl LXI Odds: +1300

Rank: 5

On the one hand, this represents a stark fall from where the Ravens sat entering last season. On the other hand, they’re probably lucky to finish inside the top five considering all they are up against.

Chief among their concerns: Hammering out a new contract structure with superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson. Oh, and they need him to be healthy, too. Can’t forget about that.

Assuming the two-time MVP is ready to rock, though, Baltimore needs to chisel out more flexibility to spend in free agency. Jackson’s cap number currently clocks in at $74.5 million. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti has apparently already spoken with him about the need to restructure it so the team is better equipped to make splashes in free agency and on the trade market.

To be sure, fans should not root for billionaire owners to save money on their best players. But this is also the reality of the Ravens’ situation. They just finished 18th in points allowed per game, with one of the NFL’s worst fourth-down defenses. Their offense remains too dependent on Jackson’s legs to get the job done. 

Assembling more depth is a must. That depth must also fit the vision and tenets of new head coach Jesse Minter’s staff. 

Suffice it to say, the Ravens have a lot of work to do. If you find a way-too-early power rankings of NFL teams right now, they are more likely to rank closer to 15th or lower than the top five. 

Baltimore Raves are No Longer Contending for Super Bowl Favorite Status

Super Bowl LXI Odds: +6000

Rank: 21st

Talk about a year-over-year slide. The Commanders entered the 2025 season as a top-seven Super Bowl contender at most sportsbooks. Consensus now has them hovering around the bottom 10. Some even have Washington slipping between the still-not-that-promising division rival New York Giants.

Personnel turnover and roster holes are the heart of the skepticism. The Commanders have changed both their offensive and defensive coordinators, in addition to dispatching a handful of other defensively-oriented coaches. On top of that, they have clear needs at one of the top two spots at virtually every position.

Having Jaden Daniels under center arms Washington with a North Star around which to build. But the push to assemble talent around him must happen at an urgently large scale. More so than Baltimore’s Super Bowl odds, Washington’s championship chances could be defined by how successful they are over this offseason.

Fortunately for the Commanders, they currently rank sixth in available cap space to spend, according to Spotrac. Fans must not only hope that they use it aggressively, but that they actually use it well.

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