Colin Cowherd believes the Ravens will miss the playoffs

On FS1’s The Herd, Cowherd made his preseason picks for division winners in the AFC on Thursday. He didn’t feel particularly good about Baltimore’s chances.

“Baltimore’s a tough call because I really like the organization,” Cowherd said before delivering his thoughts on the team. “But that offense is mostly a BB gun, they have no running game. The defense will have to win for them and they might. They added Brandon Carr at corner and Tony Jefferson at safety and both guys can play. Their front seven’s strong, C.J. Mosley is a tremendous inside linebacker. They’re gonna be in low-scoring games, but I don’t think they have enough firepower in a firepower league to do better than 8-8.”

Currently, the Baltimore’s offense is dealing with a litany of injuries and other issues. Quarterback Joe Flacco is still recovering from a back injury. Offensive lineman Nico Siragusa is out for the season with a torn ACL, MCL and PCL. Center John Urschel retired, while in the midst of battle to win the starting position at center.

Despite this bleak outlook to begin the season, Baltimore has made strides to improve their offense. The Ravens have signed both receiver Jeremy Maclin and offensive tackle Austin Howard to bolster their offense. Both signings are typical veteran moves to make Baltimore a better team.

Baltimore’s offensive line has beefed up since last season. With Ryan Jensen likely winning the starting center job and Howard’s signing, Baltimore is bringing more size and strength to the offensive line. In addition, Baltimore brought in offensive assistant Greg Roman to aid their running game. Roman was known for his power running scheme in San Francisco with the 49ers.

Cowherd’s AFC North Picks

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
2. Cincinnati Bengals (8-8)
3. Baltimore Ravens (8-8)
4. Cleveland Browns (5-11)