Looking at our roster on paper and then looking at our schedule,I think we're a 10-12 win team barring any significant injuries to any of our key players.
I think this offense is going to catch alot of people off guard.We we're in the first year of a new offense with two young TE's and an undeveloped Kamar Aiken at number two with no one behind him,yet we were a top ten offense yards wise averaging 22.6 points per game before Joe went down.Had we actually finished the season averaging 22.6 PPG we would've been the 17th ranked scoring offense in the league.Now that we'll have the same offensive system for two years in a row for the first time since 2012 and we've significantly improved at TE and WR,I see this offense finishing somewhere around the bottom of the top ten in scoring and yards per game at the least.
I also think what Buck Allen developed into in the second half of the season is going to add a special pop to our offense that helps it carry the team.He gives Flacco a RB that can take a short pass and turn it into a 10-20 yard play for a first down.That's another thing Flacco and this offense hasn't had since 2012.Our speed down the field along with our possession receivers and TE's over the middle makes Buck my candidate for break out Raven of the year.That underneath stuff could be open for him all day and he knows how to move in the open field.Plus,our OC and QB both love short passes to RB's.They'll probably design a bunch of plays to use him the way we used Rice.
The draft and our new/returning pieces on defense is another thing that I think will get us to the double digits.As long as our defense stays relatively healthy and the return of Suggs and addition of Weddle and Webb to our safety corp makes them a respectable/solid unit,we're good.If Myles Jack or Deforest Buckner falls to us at 6th,that could also make the defense respectable.We don't even need our defense to be a shut down group.Flacco and this offense could guide an atleast good enough unit to a double digit record.We just need a defense that isn't giving up 5 td's in a game,37 points to offenses like Oakland,reviving Kapernick and handing out career days to guys like Josh McCown.And barring any significant injuries to key players like I said in the beginning,I think we'll have that.