The Baltimore Ravens had a magical season, surpassing every offseason expectation en route to a 14-2 final record and No. 1 seed in the NFL playoffs. While the season didn’t end on the high note many fans and pundits eventually predicted, Baltimore is the likely landing spot for many awards this offseason.
With the Pro Football Writers of America awards up first, the Ravens are already cashing in. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was named the PFWA’s MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. Now, coach John Harbaugh has been named the Coach of the Year while offensive coordinator Greg Roman was named Assistant Coach of the Year.
It’s the first PFWA awards for both Harbaugh and Roman, who were the chief architects for the Ravens’ emergence this season. Both worked together to completely redo Baltimore’s offensive scheme around Jackson, including the playbook and even the terminology. The end result was the Ravens’ offense finishing the season ranked No. 1 in points scored and No. 2 in yards while Jackson transitioned into an MVP-caliber quarterback.
Baltimore’s 14-2 record for 2019 set a franchise record for wins and gave the Ravens their first-ever No. 1 seed. Roman’s offense also broke a 41-year old NFL record for the most rushing yards by a team in a single season.
While the PFWA awards are just the start of the recognition for Baltimore, the real prize is the Associated Press awards given out during the NFL Honors ceremony the night before Super Bowl LIV. Ravens players and staff are expected to win the NFL MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year for the 2019 season.
