A few weeks into free agency and a few more weeks away from the draft, we’re officially in the prime period of the NFL offseason. While the biggest wave of free agency has passed, more acquisitions and potentially trades are forthcoming, as are the incoming rookie classes.
Needless to say, the current NFL landscape is going to change in the coming months. Still, oddsmakers have begun projecting ahead to the 2022 season. DraftKings Sportsbook recently released their initial win total projections for most teams, which you can view here.
The over/under number for the Baltimore Ravens is 9.5 In terms of odds, the over 9.5 is set at -125 and the under is +105. These numbers suggest oddsmakers see the Ravens winning more than 9.5 games as the more likely outcome, as the value in betting the over is worse than betting the under.
There are two other teams with the same 9.5 over/under projection as the Ravens and they’re both in the AFC South: the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans. The projection of 9.5 wins is lower than 10 other teams, including the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals, who won the AFC North last season and represented the conference in the Super Bowl, have an over/under of 10 wins. Other AFC teams that clear the 9.5 mark include the Denver Broncos (10), Buffalo Bills (11.5), Kansas City Chiefs (11) and Los Angeles Chargers (10).
The Pittsburgh Steelers have the lowest projection in the division at 7.5. DraftKings does not currently have a number listed for the Cleveland Browns, but other outlets like Caesars Sportsbook have the Browns too at 9.5.
A number of AFC teams have made big splashes in free agency, notably the Las Vegas Raiders and Miami Dolphins each trading for a star wide receiver in Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill, respectively. The Broncos adding Russell Wilson and the Chargers trading for Khalil Mack likely boosted the over/under projections for both squads. Of course, the Browns trading for Deshaun Watson last week is a significant acquisition, also.
Before injuries tore them apart, the Ravens won eight games in 2021, and a few games were right within their grasp. Two came down to 2-point conversions that the Ravens didn’t complete. But the 9.5 line is likely a reflection of them expecting a return of said key contributors in a strong AFC. Also, while they haven’t been quite as noisy as some other teams this offseason, they did make a few solid additions.
The signings of Marcus Williams, Morgan Moses and Michael Pierce addressed positions of need, and they also re-signed Patrick Ricard. The Ravens are likely to make at least one or two additional moves before the draft, where they’ll have 10 draft picks under their belt to work with.
These over/under numbers are subject to change between now and September, but it’s interesting to get a gauge at where oddsmakers see the league as of today. The current projections suggest the Ravens are on the “outside looking in” at the top of the AFC hierarchy, as well as just outside the Top-10 of the entire NFL.
What are your thoughts on the Ravens’ over/under being set at 9.5? Share below and join the conversation.