In a matter of hours, the Baltimore Ravens will kick off their 2026 regular season, once again trusting they have what it takes to get over the hump and return to the Super Bowl. This time, though, they’ll do so with a renovated coaching staff after parting ways with longtime head coach John Harbaugh during the offseason. Here are four reasons to feel optimistic about the Baltimore Ravens in 2026:Lamar Jackson is still Lamar JacksonThe most dynamic player in the entire National Football league is still wearing the Ravens’ colors. While there have been some grumblings regarding this season as potentially Jackson’s last in Baltimore, and the team has been dragging its feet in terms of getting a new deal done for the quarterback, Jackson is squarely focused on the upcoming campaign. He’s now working with a new offensive coordinator in Declan Doyle, considered one of the league’s most brilliant young minds out there, so expectations are running high for what he can accomplish with an elite quarterback like two-time NFL MVP Jackson, after helping Caleb Williams make a sizable jump last year in Chicago. We already know Jackson is bound to get a lot more work under center this year than in seasons past, a change that among other things, will allow for more play-action passes from this offense. We should also expect more pre-snap shifting to confuse defenses and find favorable matchups, and more downhill running by Derrick Henry. And even if Jackson will be called upon to run less and less in this offense, his ability to take off can’t be ignored by opponents. A new era on defenseNew head coach Jesse Minter is considered another brilliant young mind on the rise in league circles, and his arrival will help fix a multitude of issues on defense, starting with the lack of pressure on opposing passers. The first step towards doing so was securing a bona fide edge hunter, and after a deal fell through for Maxx Crosby, the team landed on Trey Hendrickson to solidify this unit. Calais Campbell’s return will also benefit a number of young players in the front-7, as they get to pick the brain of one of the best to ever do it. Baltimore just watched its former defensive coordinator become the third-youngest Super Bowl-winning head coach in history, and the team is determined to follow that blueprint with Minter, who is actually in his second stint with the team after defensive backs a few years back.An offensive weapon like no other beforeThe most interesting addition on offense happens to be a third-rounder with an enormous catch radius and the ability to win contested catches like Baltimore has never really seen at the wide out position. The Ravens have really never focused on wide receivers built like Ja’Kobi Lane in the past, and the very few they did have with that build weren’t as good as Lane already is. Lane will truly open up a few more pages in the playbook with his ability to be a downfield threat to complement what Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews do in the middle of the field. The rest of the AFC North isn’t looking too sharpAaron Rodgers was nowhere near his former self during his debut season in Pittsburgh last year, and Cleveland is still a hot mess at the quarterback position. This, among other things, point towards Cincy as Baltimore’s biggest in-division rival for the upcoming season. The Ravens’ odds at taking the division crown back are set at +105 at Fanduel, followed by the Bengals (+160), Steelers (+500) and Browns (1900). But the optimism surrounding Baltimore at sportsbooks doesn’t stop there. The Ravens currently have the second shortest odds to reach the Super Bowl in the AFC (+490), and the second shortest odds among AFC teams to win Super Bowl LXI (+1300), following Buffalo in both cases. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow