Baltimore Ravens – By Mason Klemm
The Baltimore Ravens look the most poised to win Super Bowl LV right now.
The Ravens finished 14-2 last season before losing in the AFC Divisional round to the Tennessee Titans. This year, they return 10 starters on an offense that had the most team yards in the NFL in 2019.
Headlining that successful offense is its reigning MVP, Lamar Jackson. He finished with the most passing touchdowns (36) and the highest QBR (83.0) last season and seems to be picking up right where he left off. On Sunday versus Cleveland, he threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns while racking up 45 yards on the ground.
Baltimore also added running back J.K. Dobbins after drafting him 55th in this year’s draft. He ran for two touchdowns on Sunday in his debut.
The addition of Dobbins plus the connection that comes with 10 returning starters sets this team up for another successful year. Where the Ravens and another contender like the 49ers differ is in their ability to score, and Baltimore clearly has the upper hand. Lamar Jackson led his team to 38 points on Sunday, while Jimmy G could only muster 20 versus the Cardinals.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens added defensive ends Derek Wolfe and Calais Campbell. A pro-bowler in 2019, Campbell is another big body to go along with defensive tackle Brandon Williams, and Wolfe can break off blocks really well to disrupt plays.
Both Campbell and Wolfe have an incredible ability to sack the quarterback, and now they’re part of a defense that led the league in blitz attempts last season. That sets them up nicely for a big year.
Coach John Harbaugh already has a Super Bowl win under his belt and Jackson gained more playoff experience this past year, making them a shoo-in for the Lombardi trophy.
San Francisco 49ers – By Colin Davern
Over the past several years, the Super Bowl loser has often regressed the following year. The team either doesn’t make it as far in the playoffs or misses the playoffs completely. The San Francisco 49ers, however, are too good to follow that trend.
Last year’s loss was only the first year of a long championship window for them, and they’ve managed to fill most of the holes created by significant departures this offseason. The team replaced retired Joe Staley with Trent Williams, acquiring him for almost nothing from Washington. He’ll finally be on a well-run team that cares about winning.
The 49ers didn’t have the cap space to extend defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, so they traded him to the Colts for their first-round pick. They traded down one spot and drafted Javon Kinlaw out of South Carolina, who will be a serviceable replacement.
Their other significant hole on the roster was at wide receiver, and they filled that by trading up in the first round to take Brandon Aiyuk out of Arizona State.
The player with the most uncertainty for the 49ers right now is Jimmy Garoppolo. Many are questioning his ability to come up big when the team needs him to. Some are even saying that his struggles in the Super Bowl are how he’ll always be under the spotlight, and that he’s simply never going to rise to the occasion.
In his defense, he’s only entering his second full season as a starting quarterback. It may feel like he’s been the starter for a handful of years now, especially with his big contract, but making these judgments off of only one year is premature. Conversely, Baltimore has a quarterback of its own that has failed to achieve in the playoffs in Lamar Jackson.
With general manager John Lynch’s ability to find suitable replacements for the key offseason departures while extending other cornerstones like Arik Armstead and George Kittle, the 49ers will be in a great position to avenge last year’s Super Bowl loss with most of the core having another year of experience under their belt. If Kyle Shanahan doesn’t abandon the running game yet again, they’ll be hoisting their sixth Lombardi Trophy.
