A new young star has taken over the NFL, and it is apparent. Kids all around the DMV have hopped aboard the bandwagon, boasting the number eight jersey. Even Drew Brees’ son favors him over his own father. He is the best player in the league, giving life to a beaten down city. Lamar Jackson is amazing in every aspect of the game, yet his team could not make it past one round of the playoffs. No doubt their season was record breaking, but the future of the Baltimore Ravens is questionable to many.
Stars on both defense and offense, such as defensive end Matt Judon, wide receiver Willie Snead and guard Marshal Yanda all have contracts expiring in 2021, along with many others. The Ravens organization has a lot of big decisions to make, and the next one or two years will be crunch time for the front office to decide the future of the team.
Lamar Jackson’s dominance led the team to the playoffs in 2019, but in the end he could not get a win against the hot Tennessee Titans. The weather was harsh, but this is no excuse for professional football players to be dropping easy catches.
On the flip side of the sub-par passing game, the Ravens were not able to establish any sort of run game, something essential to a functioning Baltimore offense. Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards combined for a measly 42 rushing yards on nine attempts, and without a dominant run game, they had no smoke screen to allow for a successful RPO. Lamar Jackson couldn’t convert crucial fourth down plays throughout the day, contributing to their abrupt halt to the season.
“Against the Titans, the Ravens only beat themselves. Anything is possible next year as long as they stay healthy and keep their key pieces around,” junior Tim Shotashvili said.
Despite the disappointing end to the season, the team’s future looks pretty good, especially with all of the money they have to spend. With young talent backing up veterans, 2019 will certainly not be the last time Baltimore makes the headlines in the NFL.
