The Ravens Are Still True Super Bowl Contenders

The Baltimore Ravens suffered all the cruelest of injuries at the beginning of the season, which was the major reason they started the season 1-5. At one point, they had seven Pro Bowlers simultaneously off the field (Nnamdi Madubuike, Lamar Jackson, Roquan Smith, Marlon Humphrey, Patrick Ricard, Kyle Hamilton, and Ronnie Stanley).

The ship has since steadied itself, and while Madubuike will miss the rest of the season with a career-threatening neck injury, the entire 53-man roster is healthy enough to take the field against the Vikings this Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

With a two-time NFL MVP at quarterback, one of the most feared running backs in the game, and having reached the playoffs six of the last seven seasons, the Baltimore Ravens are always a contender to win the AFC. While they have yet to take the final hurdle, the AFC is as wide-open as it has been since Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have dominated.

With NFL great DeAndre Hopkins in the receiver room, the Ravens are benefiting from him relaying his experience to budding stars Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman. He's also been stressing to them that nothing is guaranteed, no matter how good an individual player you are. At 33 years old, on a one-year deal, this will likely be his final realistic shot at adding "Super Bowl Champion" to his phenomenal resume after making the big game with the Chiefs last season. Doing so would likely end all speculation on whether or not he's a Hall of Famer.

The Ravens came into the season as one of the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl at about +700, neck-and-neck with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Buffalo Bills, depending on which sportsbook you looked at. Before getting Lamar Jackson back, when they were 1-5, they were down to as low as +2500. Currently, they're +1800 (via Caesars Sportsbook), ranking 10th among all teams in the NFL. The Bills and the Chiefs remain the betting favorites in the AFC, with the Eagles, Lions, and Rams neck-and-neck in the NFC.

All the Ravens need to do is make the playoffs to become a serious threat to win it all. At 3-5, they can probably only afford to lose two of their final nine games to secure a place in the postseason. Fortunately, they have a lot of extremely winnable games on their schedule, facing the Browns, the Jets, and the Bengals twice. Barring any stunning developments, this should get the Ravens to seven wins.

That means, Baltimore would have to win three out of five against the Vikings, Patriots, Packers, and two games against the rival Steelers. They come into this weekend's contest as 4.5-point favorites against the Vikings, and we'd have to figure that this is a must-win game.

There's also the potential for the Ravens to get in via winning the AFC North title. While Baltimore is two games behind 5-3 Pittsburgh, it's virtually a two-team race, with the Browns and the Bengals long removed from the playoff picture. The Steelers' top end of their schedule is very difficult, as they have to face the Bills, Lions, Chargers, Bears, and Ravens (twice). It's quite possible that a 9-8 record could be enough to win the division. The final Week 18 Steelers-Ravens game could be for all the marbles.

Should the Ravens get into the playoffs, there are going to be a ton of very inexperienced, unproven teams at the top end of the AFC. The top-three seeds, at the moment, belong to the Denver Broncos, the Indianapolis Colts, and the New England Patriots. While they have been doing a sensational job navigating the regular season, playoff football is completely different, and the Ravens may find themselves with a much easier postseason road than in years past.

Sure, the Buffalo Bills and the pesky Kansas City Chiefs still loom in the background. But there's no doubt that the Ravens are currently being overlooked and undervalued. Lamar Jackson and company looked like their old selves last week, as Jackson threw for four touchdowns while Derrick Henry ran for 119 yards in a blowout win. If they can keep up this momentum, they may be heading to Levi's Stadium on February 8th with the Lombardi Trophy at stake.

Featured Image Mandatory Credit: (AP photo / Stephanie Scarbrough)