Biggest Takeaways from the Baltimore Ravens' 2014 Season

The Baltimore Ravens endured a roller-coaster season this year, but it ended with a bright future on the horizon. From the beginning of the last offseason, Baltimore was frequently in the news, mostly for all the wrong reasons.

It began last February when star running back Ray Rice was arrested for assaulting his then-fiancee. He wasn't the first to be in trouble with the law, though, as five Ravens players were arrested throughout the offseason.

This came following a disastrous 2013 season that ended with two straight losses to end the year 8-8 and miss the playoffs by one game.

Despite all of the issues Baltimore faced, it rebounded to go 10-6 this year and make the playoffs. From there, it defeated the AFC North champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, in the Wild Card Round.

The Ravens then went on to lose a heart-breaking 35-31 divisional-round game against the top-seeded New England Patriots to end their season.

Though its season ended on a sour note, Baltimore exceeded expectations while showcasing a bright future. Here are the top takeaways from Baltimore's 2014 season.

Joe Flacco Is Still Elite in the Playoffs

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Joe Flacco has been one of the most scrutinized players in football since telling WNST in Baltimore that he was the best quarterback in football (via SportsRadioInterviews.com, h/t ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio).

To that point in his career, the Ravens signal-caller had been anything but a top-five quarterback, but that would change the following season.

Flacco led the Ravens on a Super Bowl run that saw him become the second quarterback to throw 11 touchdowns and no interceptions throughout one postseason in NFL history.

That culminated with a win in the Super Bowl that saw him finish with a total quarterback rating of 95.1, seven points higher than any Super Bowl quarterback since QBR was invented.

Needless to say, he played like a top-five QB in the postseason, and after missing the playoffs last year, Flacco returned to form in the 2014 playoffs.

Against the Steelers and Patriots, Flacco completed 46 of 74 passes (62.1 percent) with six touchdowns and two interceptions, good for a QB rating of 100.7.

He may not be elite in the regular season, but when it comes to do-or-die games in the playoffs, Flacco is still as good as they come. That will ensure the Ravens a championship contender so long as they can make it back to the playoffs next season.

Justin Forsett Is a No. 1 RB

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It didn't look like much of a move when the Ravens signed free-agent running back Justin Forsett. He'd been a career backup his entire NFL career, and there was no reason to think he'd be anything different in Baltimore.

He spent the 2013 NFL season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and in seven NFL seasons, Forsett had rushed just 347 times for 1,692 yards and eight scores.

Though Forsett made the final 53-man roster, he wasn't going to get a lot of action behind Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce.

Then came Rice's suspension and release, leaving Forsett and Pierce to battle for carries. It took a few games, but Forsett would eventually establish himself as a No. 1 NFL running back.

Forsett finished fifth in rushing yards with 1,266 yards, but he signed just a one-year contract this past offseason. He's a No. 1 running back, and he'll be paid as such this offseason, whether it's by the Ravens or another NFL team.

The Ravens must make sure it's them paying Forsett what he deserves, as he was critical to their offensive success this past season.

Ricky Wagner Is the Answer at Right Tackle

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The Ravens lost starting right tackle Michael Oher in free agency after he signed with the Tennessee Titans. That left Baltimore without its starting right tackle of the previous four years.

However, the Ravens didn't spend a draft pick on a tackle acquire one in free agency, instead relying on second-year man Ricky Wagner to replace Oher.

As a rookie, Wagner registered just 131 offensive snaps in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Though he was relative unknown, Wagner rewarded the Ravens' faith in him by playing like a quality tackle in 2014.

Per PFF, Wagner played in 985 snaps this year while registering a 12.5 grade, the fourth best of any Baltimore offensive player. He also allowed just two sacks and one QB hit the entire season.

Wagner established himself as a starting NFL tackle, and he'll be just that for Baltimore for the foreseeable future.

Baltimore Should Remain a Championship Contender

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The Ravens were one score away from playing for the AFC Championship before their season ended with a loss to the Patriots. That's how close they were to contending for a championship this year, and they could be even better in 2015 with a good offseason.

The Ravens went 10-6 this year and won at Pittsburgh in the Wild Card Round by 13 points. They then gave New England all it could handle and nearly won that game.

All of this was done despite a host of injuries to important players, including Pro Bowl tight end Dennis Pitta, cornerbacks Asa Jackson and Jimmy Smith and the ongoing Ray Rice saga.

I believe this team will contend for the AFC next year if it just re-signs its key free agents and adds a couple of quality players through the NFL draft.

Given general manager Ozzie Newsome's history of both drafting well and getting his best players re-signed, there's no reason to doubt he won't do the same this offseason.

After all, he was the architect behind the 2012 team that won the Super Bowl. Many players from that team are still on the roster, including Joe Flacco, Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, Marshal Yanda and Kelechi Osemele.

The Ravens' future is bright, and they'll be right in the discussion to win the AFC next season.