Heading into the season, it wasn't crazy to think the Ravens could be 1-1 after the first two weeks of the 2024 campaign. They had a tough opener against the reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, followed by a home game against a subpar Raiders team. However, the idea of them starting 0-2 seemed almost unthinkable.
So unthinkable that 2,304 picked Baltimore to beat Las Vegas in the Circa Survivor contest, the most-picked team of Week 2. Unfortunately for those individuals, the Raiders pulled the 26-23 upset on the road, despite being 8.5-point underdogs, eliminating 26.5% of the Survivor pool.
Several factors contributed to both of the Ravens' losses, but the most glaring is the number of mistakes they’ve made. They are No. 32 in both net penalties (-9) and net yards (-113), indicating that they’ve been heavily penalized compared to their opponents and have failed to capitalize on calls in their favor.
On the defensive side, the Ravens have been flagged at the third-highest rate (23), while ranking No. 2 in penalty yards against (173). On top of that, 18 of these penalties have been upheld, which ranks them third in the league for calls upheld against them, proving just how undisciplined the team has been.
Offensively, Baltimore has had little success drawing penalties in their favor. They’re 31st in both upheld calls for (9) and yards gained through penalties (60). Not only are they getting penalized frequently, but opponents aren’t making the same mistakes against them.
Baltimore’s mistakes led to better field position and easier scoring opportunities for both the Chiefs and Raiders, which helped push the total over in both games. The Ravens also failed to cover the spread in both games and the 109 penalty yards they were flagged for against Las Vegas certainly had an impact on them losing outright.
If Baltimore wants to avoid a 0-3 start to the year, they’re going to have to play a clean game on the road in Dallas where they’re a 1.5-point favorite over the Cowboys (1-1). This is as close as a September game can get to a must-win because no Super Bowl champion has ever started a season winless through the first three weeks.
Since 1979, only six teams have made the postseason after starting the season 0-3. Only one team since 2000 (2018 Texans) has done it.
Despite their early struggles, the Ravens are still the favorites to win the AFC North at +200 on BetMGM. They also still have the fourth shortest odds to win the AFC at +750 and are +1200 to win the Super Bowl. If you think they can make a drastic turnaround, now would be the time to bet their futures.
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