Baltimore Ravens Year in Review

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Let"s take a look at the Ravens’ past year and dive into some factors that have led them to have the season they have had. In addition, we will investigate what they can do to improve and try and predict how 2023 will shape up for them.

How the Baltimore Ravens Looked in 2022

Many Baltimore Ravens fans will tell you that this season didn’t shape up as they would have liked or initially suspected. Going into the year, they had high hopes. Many analysts also speculated that they could be one of the top teams in the division if they managed to steer clear of injuries.

If any franchise is going to have a solid season and push on toward Super Bowl glory, they need to avoid injuries to their key players. This extends across any team sport. If any of your major players are sidelined for a considerable period, the team"s performance will likely decline sharply.

Unfortunately, injury has caused the Ravens a great deal of misfortune this year. Although that isn"t the only reason they underperformed, it explains why they had such an understated 2022. Derek Wolfe and Marcus Peters are two such unfortunate examples.

Injuries Played a Factor

They didn"t have a disastrous year by any means. However, the nature of the season will have frustrated many fans who would have hoped their performances would have allowed them to push on and finish at the top of the AFC North.

Due to the considerable contributions that they bring to the Baltimore Raven"s starting line-up, fans would have been extremely frustrated that they were both out for huge periods. As we all know, the extent of Wolfe"s injury meant that he has now retired from the NFL.

Despite tearing his ACL, which is an injury that can also end a career, the outlook for Marcus Peters was more promising. This is an injury recurring throughout their roster, with two other squad players struck down by the same issue. However, Peters missed vital games where he could have made the difference needed for the Ravens to win.

Their first draft pick in 2021, Rashod Bateman, has picked up the Ravens" injury curse. Despite still being in the early stages of his Ravens career and finding his feet, he has now had to undergo surgery on his foot which will rule him out for the rest of the season.

AFC North Performance

As if their injury list wasn"t bad enough, the Ravens had the added misfortune of finding themselves in a division with some serious competition. Given the quality of the other teams in this division, they have performed fairly well despite the injuries they have had to deal with.

The Bengals took the top spot in the division. The Ravens had an outside chance and could have pushed them close if the Bengals if they faltered. However, it did not go the Ravens" way, and the Bengals were crowned as the division champions.

We may have been too harsh in our introduction. Even though plenty had higher hopes for the Ravens, they have still managed to secure a postseason ticket. In a division this stacked, that"s a challenging feat.

We have yet to discuss that Lamar Jackson is out of the squad. The injury list doesn"t end for the formidable East Coast franchise. It has inspired the Ravens" defense though, as they haven"t conceded a touchdown in their last three home games.

The AFC North has been touted as the most exciting division in the entire NFL. Although fans and experts could hotly debate that topic, there is a strong case for it, with the Ravens playing a key role in the intensity and fierce competition that runs through the division.

Ravens 2022 highlights

This year"s highlights must include securing their postseason ticket. Individual games have also stood out, including the games many fans have earmarked as reasons the team’s fortunes began to change.

Games such as the close win against the Steelers and the solid victory against the Atlanta Falcons stand out. With some of their key men missing, these wins were even more impressive.

Stringing together six wins out of seven games, their only defeat was by an excruciating one point against the Jaguars, which would have been a difficult pill to swallow.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, the Ravens could not oust the Bengals from the top spot in the division. They were, however, able to push for a playoff spot and punch a ticket to the NFL playoffs.

The predictions and fan expectations that drove the hope for this season will likely remain in place for 2023. If they can get the likes of Lamar Jackson back to prime fitness and he can put together a string of consecutive, solid games, the Ravens will be quietly optimistic about their chances.

The same applies to the other injury-stricken stars we have discussed today. For any franchise to avoid injuries for an entire season is wishful thinking, all teams will be hit at some stage, whether through fatigue or sheer unluckiness.

However, Ravens fans will be the first to tell you that they have had enough injuries for one year. If they can go into 2023 with more luck, who knows how next year could shape up?

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