Ravens’ Super Bowl Odds Only Improve Slightly After Pounding Dolphins

• The Baltimore Ravens crushed the Miami Dolphins 59-10 in Week 1
• The Ravens set a franchise record for points in a game (59) and yards (643) in a game
• The other three teams in the AFC North all lost
  

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The Baltimore Ravens had one of the most impressive performances in Week 1 of the NFL season. They obliterated the Miami Dolphins 59-10 in a game where they set multiple records.

As a result, their Super Bowl odds got a shot in the arm, inching up from +3100 to +2500. Are they worth a look in the long-term futures or was this just a good start?

 2020 Super Bowl Odds

Odds taken September 9, 2019. 

Ravens Crush the Dolphins

The Ravens had about as flawless of a game as a team could have in their opener. They scored 42 first-half points – the most in franchise history. They also set a record for points in a game (59), total offensive yards (643) and margin of victory (49).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pBnqyLKI1Q

The key to Baltimore’s success in 2019 will be quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was nothing short of incredible. Some people have criticized him for not being a good enough pocket passer but he was 17-20 for 324 yards and five touchdowns on Sunday. He only ran three times for six yards.

The Ravens also looked like their offense has more weapons than we originally thought. Rookie wideout Marquise Brown looks like a real problem, burning the Dolphins defense deep multiple times. He finished with 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Tight ends Mark Andrews and Hayden Hurst combined 149 yards and a touchdown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG_8YL-IMK8

And the defense, which lost so many pieces in the offseason, didn’t look like they missed a beat. They had three sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. This was about as good of an effort as anyone could have asked for in an opener.

Win Came Against the Dolphins

Remember that the Dolphins are all basically tanking this season, so not much is expected of them. They have one of the worst rosters in the league and they’re hardly even developing players as evidenced by the decision to start Ryan Fitzpatrick instead of Josh Rosen. The Ravens looked great but take it with a grain of salt given the opponent.

Rest of the AFC North Struggled

Helping boost the Ravens stock is the fact that the rest of the AFC North struggled. The Cleveland Browns were smoked 43-13 at home to the Tennessee Titans, the Pittsburgh Steelers also lost by 30 as they fell 33-3 in New England and the Cincinnati Bengals were edged 21-20 at Seattle.

We Still Don’t Know Much About the Ravens

My opinion of the Ravens hasn’t changed as I expected them to be a playoff team entering the season and roughly on even footing with the Browns and Steelers. I still think they’re in that range but seeing Jackson carve defenses up from the pocket is a really good sign for the Ravens.

If he can keep that up in the coming weeks as the opponents get tougher, then I’ll really be impressed. For now, I’m not going to overreact from Week 1. The Ravens beat the Buffalo Bills 47-3 in Week 1 last season and a lot changed after that. This is clearly a good team and likely a playoff team.

I’d bet them to make the playoffs – if you can still find those props – and I do think they’re in play to win the division. In terms their Super Bowl odds, I’d hold off until I see Jackson pick apart and beat teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots in the coming weeks.