After wrapping up their preseason on Thursday night, the Ravens will be hoping for more consistency in the regular season when it really matters and the starters are on the field.

2014 summary

If they had beaten the New England Patriots in Foxborough, which they very nearly did, Deflategate would never have existed. What a win that would have been. Alas, they didn’t win and will hope to go at least one step further than last year.

The Ravens’ victory over their divisional rivals Pittsburgh in the Wild Card round came as a surprise to me last year, but they probably deserved to beat the Patriots.

It was a big step in the right direction after a disappointing 2013, going 10-6, and they will look to go even further in 2015 with fresh faces replacing veterans who’ve moved on.

Personnel changes

The team has changed a lot since the offseason, with three notable losses; All-Pro lineman Haloti Ngata, wide receiver Torrey Smith, and tight end Owen Daniels.

First-round rookie Breshad Perriman and second-round pick Maxx Williams will hope to fill in for Smith and Daniels; Dennis Pitta seemingly won’t, as his chronic hip problems may force him into retirement.

Overall the Ravens got plenty of praise for their 2015 draft class and one pick that highlighted that was third-round pick Carl Davis – who few expected to still be available when the Ravens were on the board with the 90th overall pick.

The addition of Super Bowl-winning cornerback Kyle Arrington will shore up the secondary with experience, and he happens to be one of the best slot corners in the league in coverage.

Team strengths

The pass rush for the Ravens is the team’s biggest strength, with Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil making up one of the best one-two punches in the league. Combining for 29 sacks and 98 tackles in 2014 alone, they dominated last year and will continue to dominate this. Fourth-round pick Za’Darius Smith showed in preseason he can add to the pass rush that recorded 49 total sacks last season.

Team weaknesses

Wide receiver is a glaring weakness at this stage. The season is just over a week away from starting but Perriman still remains unable to perform basic athletic functions.

Perriman suffered a sprained PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) early in training camp, and though he is catching the football, he isn’t close to putting the pads on. Failure to replace deep threat Torrey Smith could limit the big plays in 2015 unless they can find someone new for the role.

Best case

Perriman returns and his fellow rookie Maxx Williams hit the ground running as Flacco slings the ball down the field and behind a strong offensive line again this year, Justin Forsett will have another very good year. Defensively they continue to dominate up front and the additions to the secondary over the offseason all come together. 11-5, first in AFC North, lose in AFC Championship

Worst case

The offensive line and pass rush fail to repeat their success of 2014, which was the foundation of making it to the divisional round against the Patriots. When Perriman returns he fails to make an impact that was expected of a first-round pick, and they struggle to find a deep threat elsewhere on the roster. They take another step back having progressed last season from 2013.. 8-8, third in the AFC North.

Prediction

They don’t take a massive step back but the loss of three big players in Smith, Ngata and Daniels and replacing them with rookies really is hit and miss. Some can take time to adjust to the speed of the NFL compared to college football. I also don’t expect Forsett to have as big a year as 2014. I think they’ll just miss the playoffs. 9-7, second or third in AFC North