Ravens Projected To Earn Number One AFC Seed

Will the Baltimore Ravens get the number one seed for the third time in the Lamar Jackson era?

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson gets ready to launch the ball during first half action at the Buffalo Bills divisional game against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Jan. 19, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the top teams in the NFL since Lamar Jackson took over as the starting quarterback in 2018. However, they have yet to get over the hump in the AFC and get to the Super Bowl.

In 2023, Baltimore made it to its first AFC Championship Game in over a decade, but a poor performance against the Kansas City Chiefs at home left them on the doorstep of a Super Bowl appearance and ended their season with great disappointment. 2024 was no better, as the Ravens traveled to Buffalo and beat themselves with multiple turnovers, which is never good when you have Josh Allen waiting on the other sideline. However, despite that, the Ravens will certainly be in the Super Bowl picture once again, so long as Lamar Jackson stays healthy.

The Ravens didn't make many moves this offseason. They re-signed left tackle Ronnie Stanley to a team-friendly deal and brought in former All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to strengthen their group of pass-catchers. In the draft, they added two potential game-changers to their defense, taking Georgia safety Malakai Starks in the first round and Marshall edge rusher Mike Green in round two. With all that in mind, ESPN's Mike Clay has released his annual projections for every team and every player in the league, and he has the Ravens entering the 2025-26 playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

Making up the rest of the playoff picture is the Buffalo Bills with the No. 2 seed, the Kansas City Chiefs with the No. 3 seed, and the Houston Texans round out the division winners with the fourth seed. The Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, and New England Patriots are the three projected Wild Card teams.

Should this play out, Baltimore could find themselves facing the division-rival Bengals in round two, should they pull off another playoff win in Arrowhead, which would almost certainly lead to another high-scoring classic between the two teams. Regardless, the No. 1 seed is what everyone strives for going into the postseason, and it would be the third time Baltimore has earned the top seed in the Lamar Jackson era.

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