Why the Ravens are Super Bowl favorites after beating the Steelers

The Baltimore Ravens continued their recent run of dominant form with a decisive 28-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL playoffs in 2025. Head coach John Harbaugh‘s team will now visit Orchard Park to face a red-hot Buffalo Bills team in a battle of heavyweights. In order to win their third Super Bowl in franchise history, Baltimore will likely have to run the gauntlet. However, the Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henryand the rest of the team is ready for this challenge as the Ravens’ performance on Saturday night showed just how tough it will be for them this postseason.

Baltimore’s offense made franchise history on the fieldrushing for 299 yards. That total set a single-game franchise record and was Pittsburgh’s most shutouts in a playoff game. Entering the game, the Steelers had the sixth-best rushing defense, giving up 98.7 yards per game during the regular season.

Lamar Jackson looked ready against the franchise’s biggest rival. The two-time MVP completed 16 of 21 passes for two touchdowns while rushing for 81 yards. The greatest dual-threat quarterback of all time has won everything in sports except the one piece of hardware he wants most: a Super Bowl ring. And Jackson has a very good chance of walking away with the biggest prize in sports. Here are a few reasons why the Baltimore Ravens are Super Bowl favorites this postseason.

Baltimore’s offense is more versatile than it’s ever been

Only once has Lamar Jackson led a Baltimore offense that has averaged more points per game than this team. That came in 2019 when the Ravens held on 33.2 points per game. However, the attack that year had a number of flaws. First, he relied too much on Lamar Jackson. That’s nothing at all for the Baltimore star. You don’t see other all-time great quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady having to lead their teams in passing and rushing while operating without a true No. 1 wide receiver.

The Buffalo Bills have dealt with a similar conundrum for years with Josh Allen. Like Jackson, the Bills’ leader under center has often had to don a cape to run an offense whose flaws show up in the postseason. However, that’s not the case with the Ravens in 2024. While Jackson had an amazing regular season, he now has a ton of weapons to lean on during the postseason. That includes running back Derrick Henry, who joined the franchise this offseason.

The former Titans superstar had a spectacular season with the Ravens. Henry produced wild statistical feats all year, rushing for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns. That trend of dominance continued Saturday as the five-time Pro Bowler racked up 186 yards and two touchdowns, showing that this offense isn’t as heavily reliant on one player as it has been in the past. On the surface, Jackson has a much better receiving core than in years past.

The only thing to watch is the status of wide receiver Zai Flowers. Sophomore Shiraut emerged as a legitimate VR1, but was out A wild-card clash with a sprained knee. Flowers’ return is essential to the Ravens’ chances of beating three straight elite teams this postseason.

The Ravens defense has been on a tear recently

Baltimore’s defense has paled in comparison to last year’s unit for much of 2024. The Ravens are giving up five more points per game than they did in 2023. The glaring weakness has been pass defense, where John Harbaugh’s team is last in yards allowed per game through the air at 244.1. With a significantly upgraded offense, this side of the ball doesn’t need to be as elite as last year’s unit.

But the defense can’t be the liability it has been at times this year. Fortunately, this side of the ball has been anything but a liability in the second half of this season. During the last seven weeks, Baltimore the defense gave up just 15.4 points per game and just 171.5 passing yards per game. Meanwhile, the rushing defense continued its dominant trend of limiting ground games to more than 13 fewer yards than any other team in the NFL.

This trend of dominant defensive form continued against the Steelers, where the Ravens shut out their division rival in the first half. The game was all but over when Pittsburgh scored two touchdowns in the contest. Overall, the confidence of this unit at this point and ability to stop opposing offenses is a scary prospect for the rest of the league. The more possessions Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry get this postseason, the more likely this team will continue to wear down opponents with its physically imposing ground attack.

The Ravens have a huge chip on their shoulder and are playing their best football

Overall, the Baltimore Ravens are riding a six-game winning streak and are playing their best football at the most important time of the season. Lamar Jackson and company are making strides with each playoff appearance and look poised to take the next step. This Baltimore team is flawed, but previous eliminations in this era have mostly been due to poor offensive performances. The combination of Jackson, Henry, an elite offensive line and a solid receiving core makes the possibility of that happening very slim.

A win in Buffalo and possibly Kansas City significantly limits this team’s margin for error. However, throughout the year, the Ravens have shown the ability to win different types of games. That versatility, combined with a chip on his shoulder, makes Baltimore an NFL Super Bowl favorite.