Continuing with the AFC North, next up is the Baltimore Ravens.

Last season the Ravens finished 11-5-0 for second place in the AFC North and were one of the two Wildcard teams in the AFC. Baltimore defeated the Miami Dolphins in the Wildcard round, and then defeated the Tennessee Titans before meeting division rival Pittsburgh for the Conference Championship with the Ravens losing 23-14 to the eventual Super Bowl champions.

Offense: The Ravens have finally found themselves a franchise quarterback in Joe Flacco. Now the question marks on offense move to the wide receiver position with leading receiver Derrick Mason contemplating retirement, and Drew Bennett retiring two days after signing a one year contract with the team. Having Willis Mcgahee back at full strength along with second year back Ray Rice will give the Ravens a formidable running attack.

Defense: The dominating defense of last season has some new faces this year. Gone are Bart Scott and Chris McAlister, two guys who have been a part of this defense for years. Replacing them are third-year linebacker Tavares Gooden and free agent acquisition Domonique Foxworth. Time will tell if these players will be able to join returning stars Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs on a defense that ranked in the top three in points allowed, pass and rushing yards allowed, and total yards allowed last season.

Star Power: Mark Clayton has a chance to become the number one receiver the Ravens thought he could be when they drafted him in the first round in 2005. With the Derrick Mason situation on will he or won’t he play this season, Clayton is currently the number one target for Joe Flacco. His production dipped last season, but as the connection between Flacco and Clayton continues to develop, along with Flacco’s understanding of defenses and the playbook, Clayton should have his first 1,000 yard receiving season this year.

Best Addition: Bringing center Matt Birk in gives the Ravens a veteran leader on the offensive line that will be in charge of helping to read the defense and in charge of keeping quarterback Joe Flacco protected. Birk may be getting up there in age (he turned 33 this month) but his experience should rub off on a rather youthful line.

Biggest Loss: Losing both Bart Scott and Defensive Coordinator to the New York Jets is a big loss to the Ravens defense. Scott was second on the team with 82 tackles last season. His production has started to decline since his 103 tackle and 9.5 sacks season in 2006 but he was still a solid player and that is one of the reasons that Ryan wanted him in New York.

Biggest Game: Sunday, December 27th the Ravens will travel to Pittsburgh possibly with the division on the line. The winner should win the division and the loser will be forced to try and win a wild card birth. Expect this to be a hard hitting, low scoring game with two teams led by their defenses.