New regime, same dream: 10 reasons the Ravens can win the Super Bowl

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When the Ravens kicked off training camp in late July, there was no escaping the Super Bowl hype. Not even after one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. Not even with a handful of unanswered roster questions. The Ravens were still among the NFL’s favorites to win it all.

Summertime hype has become the norm in Baltimore. Those are the franchise’s expectations, fair or not. First-year coach Jesse Minter could not change them, so he hoped instead that the Ravens could change how they approached them.

“This is a group that is, I would say, really hungry — not thinking about the end goal yet,” Minter said. “I think they know that that’s what we all want to do, but [there’s] a willingness to go day by day and focus on the process and build this thing up so that, when those moments happen, we’ll be at our best.”

And their best could be the NFL’s best. With the Ravens’ season opener Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts just six days away, here are 10 reasons this could be the year they claim the franchise’s third Lombardi Trophy.

1. Lamar Jackson’s next evolution is underway.

Jackson has developed into a one-size-fits-all quarterback. He won his first NFL Most Valuable Player honor in 2019 in coordinator Greg Roman’s run-heavy offense, bamboozling defensive fronts with his speed and play-action ability out of shotgun and pistol formations.

Jackson won his second MVP in 2023 (and nearly his third a year later) in coordinator Todd Monken’s more balanced, more sophisticated offense, expanding his passing range to the sidelines while growing more comfortable with under-center snaps.

Under coordinator Declan Doyle, the hope is that Jackson can still do more. He’s changed his footwork to accommodate a more timing-based passing offense that the Ravens hope will ease Jackson’s burden as an improviser. He’s also expected to line up more often under center, where he’s been one of the NFL’s most efficient quarterbacks throughout his career.

As questions swirl about Jackson’s future in Baltimore, as critics point to his playoff record and injury history, it can be hard to remember just how dangerous Jackson was before early-season injuries knocked him off course last year. Over the Ravens’ first three games, he averaged 240.7 passing yards per game and 9.6 yards per pass attempt on 72% accuracy while posting 7.9 yards per carry, 10 total touchdowns and no turnovers.

Jackson’s never had a play-caller like Doyle. And Doyle’s never had a quarterback like Jackson.

2. There’s a new guy in charge.

When owner Steve Bisciotti fired John Harbaugh in January after 18 seasons as coach, he pointed to the Ravens’ late-game collapses as justification. The team had lost six games after holding a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter since 2019, tied for the NFL’s most in that span. “It’s not something that winning organizations do,” Bisciotti said.

Minter returned to Baltimore with a new voice and a new mantra: “We will be at our best when our best is needed.” That vision has guided how the Ravens work out, how they’re coached, how they practice. And it could guide how they close out games.

Players have praised Minter for the clarity of his vision, his even keel and his more player-friendly approach. Unlike the more animated Harbaugh, he treated his moments of displeasure during his first training camp like secrets, preferring to address his players collectively rather than singling them out. Practices have been shorter and held earlier, away from the beating afternoon sun.

Will Minter’s methods build a team that can withstand the crucible of playoff football? That’s still to be determined. But, after years of January frustration, at least the Ravens are trying something new and listening to someone else.

3. The secondary should be much improved.

The Ravens were supposed to have the NFL’s best secondary last year. Then Ar’Darius Washington and Jaire Alexander got hurt, Marlon Humphrey never got right, Nate Wiggins’ development flatlined and the team’s connectivity suffered. No defense in 2025 allowed more completions of at least 20 air yards than the Ravens (34).

Minter has the tools to fix those cracks. His 2025 Los Angeles Chargers defense, led in the secondary by star safety Derwin James and held together by a handful of young defensive backs and retreads, ranked eighth in pass defense efficiency, according to FTN. The Chargers allowed just 15 deep completions last season, tied with the Miami Dolphins for the NFL’s fewest.

Minter’s handiwork was evident this summer. The Ravens’ first-, second- and third-string passing offenses had few big plays in camp, and opposing quarterbacks totaled just 394 passing yards in the Ravens’ three preseason wins. According to Pro Football Focus, even with the Ravens resting their starters in those games, the team finished with the league’s seventh-highest coverage grade.

Minter’s defenses have excelled in zone coverage, where their attention to detail and communication skills help shut down passing lanes. But the arrival of pass game coordinator and secondary coach Mike Mickens, a well-regarded college assistant whose Notre Dame defensive backs thrived in man coverage, could also help give the defense a curveball.

4. They have one of the NFL’s best position coaches.

Few offensive lines had a more unexpected drop-off last year than the Ravens’. In 2024, they finished the season ranked third in both pass block and run block win rate, according to ESPN, the team’s fifth season in a row with top-10 metrics.

Last year, even with five starters returning and enjoying mostly good health, the Ravens fell to seventh in pass block win rate and 17th in run block win rate. Jackson had the highest sack rate of his career (10.7%) and was pressured on 42.4% of his drop-backs, according to PFF, also the highest rate of his career (by far). The team’s red-zone ground game was often pushed around.

What the Ravens lost from their starting lineup in free agency — most notably Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum — they could more than make up for in coaching. Dwayne Ledford is considered one of the NFL’s best offensive line coaches and, after leaving the Atlanta Falcons for Baltimore this offseason, is also believed to be among the highest paid.

General manager Eric DeCosta has touted his ability to take younger players and “make them really, really good.” The Ravens will need that magic touch; they could have two first-time starters in their season opener (center Jovaughn Gwyn and rookie Vega Ioane), along with two developmental backups (tackle Carson Vinson and guard Emery Jones Jr.). Ledford’s importance in reestablishing the Ravens’ identity as a physical team can’t be overstated.

5. They have star potential on offense and defense.

The Ravens’ roster is considered one of the NFL’s best. Even with the team’s concerning depth along the offensive line, at wide receiver and at tight end, the Ravens have star potential at almost every level of their offense and defense.

There’s Jackson, of course, the ultimate force multiplier. Behind him is running back Derrick Henry, who, rather than slowing down last year, rushed for an NFL-best 664 rushing yards over the regular season’s final five weeks. Wide receiver Zay Flowers averaged more yards per route run last season than all but three regularly featured receivers. Both did so despite a flawed offensive line and Jackson’s nagging injuries. (Ioane, one of the best guard prospects in recent memory, could help with both.)

On defense, linemen Travis Jones and Nnamdi Madubuike, if healthy, could be one of the NFL’s best interior duos. Outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson is a four-time Pro Bowl pick looking to prove he’s still in his prime. Roquan Smith is one of the NFL’s smartest linebackers, still only 29 and enters the season with a slimmed-down look. Cornerback Nate Wiggins has shutdown potential. Kyle Hamilton is a superstar. And fellow safety Malaki Starks was more than capable as a first-round pick a year ago.

6. Their pass rush won’t be impotent.

The 2025 Ravens finished with just 30 sacks, tied for their second fewest in franchise history. They ranked near the bottom of the league in pressure rate, both with blitzes and without. Their most talented edge rusher didn’t pop until he left Baltimore. Their most talented interior rusher played just two games total.

The 2026 Ravens might not have the pass rush juice that the 2023 Ravens did (league-leading 60 sacks). They definitely won’t have the juice that the 2026 Los Angeles Rams will. But, even with the collapse of their March deal for Las Vegas Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby, the Ravens should have a more formidable front — and a more creative play-caller.

Hendrickson is only two years removed from leading the NFL in sacks and appears rejuvenated after an injury-plagued 2025 in Cincinnati. Fellow outside linebackers Tavius Robinson, Mike Green and Zion Young are well suited for roles as secondary or tertiary pass rushers. Jones was one of the NFL’s best pass-rushing nose tackles last year and now could have Calais Campbell (6.5 sacks in 2025) or Madubuike to help take the heat off. And Hamilton is one of the NFL’s best second-level blitzers.

7. The AFC doesn’t have an obvious favorite.

The AFC title race is wide open. And, outside Baltimore, there could be fatal flaws under each team’s hood.

The New England Patriots probably won’t have the NFL’s easiest schedule or the league’s healthiest roster for a second straight year. And, if their defense doesn’t improve (No. 23 in efficiency last year, according to FTN), Drake Maye will need to play at an MVP level again to return to the Super bowl.

The Bills are in the same boat. When Josh Allen is healthy, Buffalo is all but assured of a top-five offense. But the Bills finished 20th in defensive efficiency last year, according to FTN, then replaced their defense-minded head coach, Sean McDermott, with the offense-minded Joe Brady. Buffalo has a pass rush with limited upside, a fourth-round pick set to start at linebacker and C.J. Gardner-Johnson primed for significant snaps at safety.

The Houston Texans have the opposite problem. Their defense could be the NFL’s best; their offense is relying on a rebuilt line, an injury-depleted receiving corps and a quarterback in C.J. Stroud who has flopped in the playoffs.

Every other contender should hope for the best and prepare for the worst. The Kansas City Chiefs? Maybe once Patrick Mahomes gets a respectable receiving corps. The Chargers? Not with that interior offensive line. The Jacksonville Jaguars? Not with that line, either. The Denver Broncos? That depends on whether Bo Nix is finally better than average. The Cincinnati Bengals? They haven’t made the playoffs since the 2022 season.

8. Their schedule is far from daunting.

The Ravens opened last season in a hole: road games against the Bills and Chiefs and home games against the Detroit Lions, Texans and Rams. They lost all five on their way to a 1-5 start. They never really recovered.

This year, the Ravens’ schedule sets up more comfortably. They don’t play a 2025 playoff team until their Week 8 game in Buffalo. They face just two upper-tier quarterbacks over the first seven weeks. They’re favored in 10 of their first 11 games overall, according to DraftKings’ early odds.

Overall, the Ravens finished last season with the NFL’s 12th-hardest schedule, according to FTN. This year, it’s projected to be fifth easiest.

9. Their home-field advantage is bound to return.

The Ravens have poured way too much money into M&T Bank Stadium, not to mention their roster, for home-field advantage to disappear the way it did last year. The Ravens went 3-6 in Baltimore, the worst mark in franchise history.

Every month had one indignity or another. Harbaugh was booed off the field after a Week 5 blowout loss to the Texans. There were embarrassing back-to-back home losses to the Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. The final dagger was a double-digit fourth-quarter collapse in the Ravens’ home finale, a primetime loss to the Patriots.

Until last year, the Ravens had never finished with a losing home record since Jackson’s arrival in 2018. With a modest slate of non-AFC North opponents — the Ravens get the Jaguars at home on short rest, the Chargers after an extended break and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a bye — M&T Bank Stadium’s mystique is on the line.

10. They’re due.

Last year was supposed to be the year. They’d knocked on the door in the playoffs. They’d built a roster that looked as talented as any recent Ravens team. All they had to do was take the next step.

Instead, they went backward. Two steps back. Season-over-in-Week-18 back. Now the Ravens have a new staff, a new offense, a new defense — and the same expectations, the same ghosts, that have haunted them for years.

In the NFL, change is inevitable; whether the Ravens’ seismic offseason was for the better or worse remains to be seen. But the talent is still there. The quarterback is still there. The Super Bowl dreams are still there. At some point, the execution will get there, too … right?