Nick Cammett/Getty Images
NFL executives are predicting that the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions will meet in this year’s Super Bowl.
That’s per a poll conducted by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who spoke with “a number of NFL executives, attempting to gauge where insiders believe the division races are headed, as well as the two teams that will still be playing football in February.”
The 5-3 Ravens are one of the league’s most perplexing teams. At their best, they can lay claim to being the best squad in football. They looked great during a recent five-game winning streak, averaging 35.0 PPG. That included a 35-10 win over the 6-2 Buffalo Bills and a 30-23 victory against the 6-2 Washington Commanders.
But the Ravens also have a pair of losses against 2-6 teams in the Las Vegas Raiders (26-23) and the Cleveland Browns (29-24). Their defense has been leaky at times, and the Ravens have allowed 26.1 PPG (No. 26 in the NFL).
Anything seems possible thanks to the combination of two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and league-leading rusher Derrick Henry, though. That combination has been phenomenal and nearly impossible for opposing defenses to figure out.
The 6-1 Lions lead the NFC North thanks largely to their league-leading 33.4 points per game. Lions quarterback Jared Goff, an MVP candidates, paces the NFL with a 74.1 percent completion rate and 9.0 yards per pass attempt. And the running back duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs has combined for 1,298 total yards and 14 touchdowns.
The defense has also come through, currently standing eighth in fewest points per game allowed. It did take a massive hit after losing defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (7.5 sacks in five games) to a broken tibia and fibula. But the unit still features big playmakers, including defensive backs Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch and their nine interceptions.
Their biggest issue is their own division, which only features winning teams. That group includes a 6-2 Green Bay Packers squad that hosts Detroit on Sunday. The 5-2 Minnesota Vikings and 4-3 Chicago Bears aren’t out of the division race yet, either.
Still, the Lions have this “team of destiny” feel right now. They nearly made the Super Bowl for the first time ever last year before falling just short to the San Francisco 49ers. The 2024 season may finally be the year where the team breaks through.
Read the full article here
