As the Pittsburgh Steelers have laid their claim atop the AFC North, they can take some extra solace in the fact the rval Baltimore Ravens appear to be leaking coolant at a concerning rate following the team's 1-5 start. Lamar Jackson's injury exposed how weak this roster is.
The Ravens would be wise to accept this season as a lost cause, try to look towards a more earnest chance at a playoff run next year, and try to get some draft picks as a seller. The recent reports fro CBS Sports, however, make it seem as though Baltimore believes they can genuinely compete with the Steelers.
According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, the Ravens are actually trying to operate as buyers, hinting that they could look to bring in some defensive firepower. Even with their poor record, the Ravens really think they can make a run at the division.
Starting from 0-0, a Ravens team with Jackson may have a case. As far behind the Ravens as they find themselves, their boasts about being a possible contender in 2025 ring hollow ehen one considers that the Steelers are already starting to lap them.
Steelers fans can laugh at Ravens convincing themselves they can buy at trade deadline
This report comes just a few weeks after the Ravens seemingly made a selling-type trade with an AFC rival, parting ways with former first-round pick Odafe Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers for a package headlined by defensive back Alohi Gilman.
Jackson coming back will make their offense as deadly as any in the league, as they were as toothless as possible with Cooper Rush at the sticks. At 1-5 with a good chunk of divisional matchups still to come, Baltimore can only afford one or two more losses if they want any shot of winning the division.
The Steelers haven't dominated the competition, and the loss to a Joe Flacco-led Bengals team proved that they still have a long ways to go, but their combination of experience, quarterback stability, and depth should be enough to fend off challenges from Baltimore and others.
The Steelers may have had to worry about a full-formed Ravens offense with Jackson at the helm and a competent defense, but Rush and Zach Orr's paper-thin unit have helped the Ravens dig themselves such a deep hole that it seems impossible to climb their way out of it