Can Ravens Head into Postseason with Best Record?

Can Ravens Head into Postseason with Best Record?
Fact Checked by Pat McLoone

After a so-so start, the Baltimore Ravens have been one of the NFL’s most dominant teams, winning seven of their last eight games, with the one they dropped in that stretch coming on a game-ending field goal against Cleveland. Getting behind that run no doubt has kept Maryland sportsbooks busy.

At the outset of 2023, the Ravens – now 10-3 – were 3-2. Since then, they have methodically put together a win-loss record that’s the best in the AFC and tied with three NFC teams, San Francisco, Dallas and Philadelphia.

The current hot streak has the Ravens vying for the top seed in the AFC and the best record overall. BetMaryland.com – your source for Maryland betting apps – looked back at the last time the Ravens had the NFL’s best record and how they have done in between.

Ravens and the NFL’s Best Season Records

YearRavens RecordNFL’s Best Record
2022 10-7Eagles, Chiefs (14-3)
2021 8-9Packers, Bucs (13-4)
2020 11-5Packers, Bills (13-3)
2019 14-2Ravens (14-2)

 

How Oddsmakers See Ravens

In the AFC North, the Ravens lead the second-place Browns by two games.  Overall, the Ravens’ point-differential is +143, best in the conference and behind only the 49ers and the Cowboys in the league. At both BetMGM and ESPNBET Maryland, the Ravens are prohibitive favorites to win the AFC North at -1000. 

The regular season has four more games, but the Ravens could be headed toward their best record since 2019-20 when they 14-2.  That was also Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson’s MVP season. At stake in having the AFC’s best record is a bye in the playoffs and home field advantage through the postseason.  Both are huge keys to the Ravens’ Super Bowl odds.

The Ravens’ closest pursuers for the AFC top seed are the 9-4 Miami Dolphins, but the potential for smoother sailing in the playoffs has the Ravens as the No.2 favorite to win the Super Bowl (to San Francisco) at +500 at ESPN Bet and +600 at BetMGM Maryland.

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Won’t Be Easy for Baltimore

The Ravens don’t have an easy road in front of them. Three of their remaining opponents are currently leading their own divisions - Jacksonville, Miami and San Francisco. The fourth game – at the end of the season – is against their most bitter rival, Pittsburgh, at home. While all the games will be important, the one against Miami might be most impactful in terms of earning the AFC No. 1 seed.

Baltimore’s next game is against the AFC South-leading Jaguars (8-5) Sunday night on the road. Jacksonville will have its own sense of urgency with both Indianapolis and Houston, at 7-6, breathing down the Jags’ necks in their division. The Ravens are 3-point and -165 moneyline favorites over the Jaguars at BetMGM and ESPNBET.

However, as the Ravens chase their best-ever all-time record of 14-2 in the 2019-20 season,  which was also a campaign when they had an incredible point differential of +249, there’s a sobering epilogue to recall.  Following that sterling regular season, the Ravens were stunned in their opening playoff game by Tennessee, 28-12, in a game the Titans led wire-to-wire.

Keep it here at BetMaryland.com to follow the Ravens and find the best Maryland sports betting promo codes.

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Author

Bill Ordine

Bill Ordine was a reporter and editor in news and sports for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Baltimore Sun for 25 years, and was a lead reporter on a team that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News. Bill started reporting on casinos and gaming shortly after Atlantic City’s first gambling halls opened and wrote a syndicated column on travel to casino destinations for 10 years. He covered the World Series of Poker for a decade and his articles on gaming have appeared in many major U.S. newspapers, such as the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald and others.

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