On Saturday, NFL win total projections for the 2023 season were released for the first time this year, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Oddsmakers in Vegas are giving the Baltimore Ravens an over/under number of 8.5 wins for next season. The over carries value of -150 while the under is +120. This is down a full win from this time last year, when the Ravens had a projection of 9.5 wins ahead of the 2022 season.
The Ravens’ 8.5 number is tied for 14th among all 32 teams. Other teams also with a projection of 8.5 wins include the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, and Minnesota Vikings.
In the AFC, the Ravens’ projection is tied for No. 9. The Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals lead all teams with an over/under of 11.5, followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills at 10.5, and a few others at 9.5 — New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers, and Cleveland Browns.
This means that within the division, the Ravens and Steelers are both projected the lowest amount of wins in 2023, trailing the Browns and Bengals. This is quite a contrast from offseason projections in previous years.
The biggest cause in Baltimore’s projection dip can be attributed to the uncertainity regarding Lamar Jackson’s contract status. If Jackson were a 100% bet to be the Ravens’ starting quarterback in 2023, the Ravens’ win total would likely be set higher. However, given the lack of clarity surrounding the entire Jackson situation, it’s probably oddsmakers are factoring that into the equation.
The Ravens have also been one of the quietist teams thus far in free agency. They just recently made their first outside signing, acquiring wide receiver Nelson Agholor on a one-year contract. Aside from a few smaller re-signings, the Ravens otherwise traded/released a few 2022 starters or saw them sign elsewhere: Chuck Clark, Calais Campbell, and Ben Powers. Role players Josh Oliver and Trystan Colon also departed for new teams.
It’s still early in the offseason and there’s plenty of time for Baltimore to make a splash move or two. Locking in Jackson for 2023 (and beyond) would be a good way to immediately bump their win projection up a little. However, they could still make a trade to acquire a big-name player, free up cap space to sign more free agents, and/or use the draft as a mechanism to add talent, as well.
Leave your thoughts on DraftKings’ projection for the Ravens’ number of wins in 2023 below!