The 2019 Baltimore Ravens were absolutely phenomenal. Being the number one offense in the country says a lot about the team and what they did for the sport. This team has the 2019 Coach of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year, and a unanimous Most Valuable Player.

Their final regular season record was 14-2, the best record in the NFL, boasting the best record in Ravens franchise history.

Unfortunately, the Ravens came up short in their Super Bowl hunt on January 11, 2020 with a shocking loss to the Tennessee Titans. The final score was 28-12. Although the Ravens came up short, there is a lot fans can take away from this season.

For the second year in a row, the Ravens won the AFC North division, a competitive division year-in and year-out. The Ravens only lost one out of six divisional games; the Cleveland Browns defeated the Ravens in Week Four, 40-25. After the loss to the Browns, the Ravens became a new team and won 12 straight games.

For the offensive side of the ball, this past season was historic. The Ravens’ offense set an all-time record for rushing yards in a season. The record stood for 41 years before the Ravens and running back Gus Edwards broke the record on a nine yard run versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Star running back Mark Ingram, the eighth year veteran out of the University of Alabama,  had over 1,000 yards rushing on the year. Mark Ingram also brought a lot of enthusiasm to the team with the famous Ravens phrase “Big Truss.” Although Lamar Jackson started the phrase, Ingram made it an internet sensation on November 17 after a win over the Houston Texans. Ingram played a vital role to the Ravens’ offense.

The Ravens had an outstanding running game, but Lamar Jackson did not just run the ball all game, he made sure to get his receivers the ball quite often.

Rookie wide receiver Marquise Brown had a stellar first season in the NFL with 584 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. Second year tight end Mark Andrews played a huge role in the offense as well; he ended the year with 852 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. Andrews also led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns, being Jackson’s favorite target on the field.

Lastly, the offensive line was the foundation to this dynamic offense. The offensive line was the reason why this team was the best rushing team in the history of the NFL. Although they do not get much credit, the offensive line was the main cause of success, along with Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Ravens were elite. Led by veteran and defensive caption Earl Thomas II and an elite secondary unit. The Ravens held opponents to 20 points or less in 12 out of the 16 games.

Cornerback Marcus Peters added a lot of energy and play making was acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams.

The defensive unit as a whole was ranked top five in the NFL.

Along with an extraordinary regular season, the NFL selected 12 Ravens to play in the Pro Bowl, which tied the most pro bowlers from one team in NFL history. The Pro Bowl is an All Star Game for the NFL in which the best players are selected to participate.

Although the season did not end the way fans wanted it to end, and the Ravens did not get the chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, there are a lot of positive takeaways from 2019.

With only a select few players going into free agency during this off-season, the Ravens will return almost all of their starting players.

With a young motivated leader in Jackson and a dynamic, well-rounded team, the future for Baltimore football is very bright.