Baltimore Ravens Are Definitely Contenders After 3-1 Start

By David Cuff @DaveCuff on September 29, 2014

The Baltimore Ravens are back. After a Super Bowl hangover last season that led to an 8-8 record, the Ravens have started 2014 with a bang and they keep looking better every week. The Ray Rice scandal seemed to dominate the headlines at the start of the year, but the Ravens have responded to the adversity and are now being discussed because of their great play on the field, not what has happened off the field.

The Ravens have outscored their last three opponents 77-37, with their game against the Cleveland  Browns being the only victory that wasn’t a blowout. Baltimore’s Week 1 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals by just seven points is also starting to look better as the Bengals have proven to be arguably the best team in the league during the first quarter of the NFL season. John Harbaugh has done a tremendous job this season as he continues to prove he is one of the best coaches in all of football.

The Ravens have played very well on both sides of the ball, but especially offensively. Joe Flacco is on pace to have his best season as a pro, and Steve Smith has been rejuvenated in Baltimore and is currently third in the NFL in receiving yards. Even the running game has been great for the Ravens. Rice is obviously gone and Bernard Pierce has missed a couple of games, but the Ravens are still a top 10 rushing team. The defense is greatly improved as well. They are currently top 10 in the league against the run and seem to get better every week.

The Ravens are currently playing with a chip on their shoulder and it shows. Since the Week 1 loss to Cincinnati, they have been tremendous on both sides of the ball. The team continues to improve every week, and they are capable of playing with any team in the NFL. A division title will be tough with the way the Bengals have looked this season, but it’s certainly not impossible.

At the very least, the Ravens look like a wild card team, and we only need to go back to 2012 to see what the Ravens can to in that position. They are currently firing on all cylinders and are legitimate contenders.

David Cuff is a University of Michigan Football writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DaveCuff, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.