The 2024 NFL playoffs begin in earnest this Saturday with Wild Card weekend. But we won’t be seeing any of the intriguing playoff battles just yet. Things will get interesting next week when the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs enter the fold. Most believe there are two teams that have a chance at stopping the Patrick Mahomes freight train: the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens. Dan Orlovsky likes the latter to get it done.
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Funnily enough, the QBs of those two teams—Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson—are the two frontrunners for the NFL MVP award this year as well. While Allen is expected to win the award—with Orlovsky serving as one of his most vocal supporters during this campaign—the ESPN pundit has changed his tune. He now believes that Lamar has the best chance to dethrone the Chiefs in the AFC.
“Most confident I’ve ever been in Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Scale of 1-10, a 9.9. If I had to pick one team that I truly in my gut thought would go to Kansas City and beat Kansas City it is Baltimore.”
Explaining the reason behind his choice, Orlovsky said, “As much as I believe in the Buffalo Bills, and I do think it’s a three-team race. Number one, it’s the best season Lamar has ever had. There’s no debate about that. It’s historically impressive what he’s done. I think the second thing is he finally has a true running mate, both behind him and next to him.”
"If I had to pick one team that I truly in my gut thought would go to Kansas City and beat Kansas City, it is Baltimore." 😤
—@danorlovsky7 on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens making the Super Bowl 👀 pic.twitter.com/yoJtjebpUK
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 9, 2025
Lamar completed more passes (316), for more yards, (4,172) more touchdowns (41), and fewer interceptions (4) in 2024 than in any other season since he became the full-time starter in 2019. He also put up personal bests in yards/attempt (8.8, leads the league) and passer rating (119.6, 4th all-time).
But we’ve always known Jackson is great. It was all about improving the team around him. And in 2024, it seems the Ravens finally did that. They have a Pro Bowl receiver for the first time in forever. Derrick Henry’s contributions speak for themselves, and their offensive line, led by Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum, is one of the best in the game, as Orlovsky pointed out.
“Zay Flowers, first Pro Bowl receiver that the Ravens have ever drafted and I know he’s unlikely to play this weekend. I mean Lamar and Derrick Henry combined have almost 3,000 yards rushing. They’ve got two Defensive Player of the Year candidates, a top five offensive line, they’ve got the second-best running game in football.”
The Baltimore defense was an issue early in the season, but they’ve flipped a switch in recent weeks. Orlovsky has it down to Pro Bowler Kyle Hamilton’s return to free safety after spending much of his time in the slot or the box during the first 10 weeks of the season. Over the last seven games since that tweak, Baltimore has the top defense in yards (261.7) and points allowed (15.7).
“This is the most complete football team, the most balanced football team that Lamar has had. They’ve got a defense, ever since Kyle [Hamilton] went back to safety, that’s the No. 1 defense in the NFL. I’ve never been more confident in Lamar’s ability but also Lamar’s mindset to go get it done.”
An MVP Lamar Jackson, an all-timer at running back, and the best defense in football over the last two months. If they were ever going to upset the Patrick Mahomes Chiefs, it’s this season. Not to mention that the Ravens have two excellent tight ends in Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews, and K.C. has given up more yards per game to tight ends (70.1) than any other team this year. Can somebody say mismatch?
