Analysts continue to question the direction of the Baltimore Ravens after they doubled-down on a run-first offensive philosophy this offseason, but just because they are going against the trend doesn't mean they're headed in the wrong direction. After making a late-season run to the postseason with rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, the Ravens spent the offseason building a roster that fits his specific skill set. 

As we get set to enter 2019, the Ravens' approach has come under fire in a league that is moving more pass-heavy with every passing season. However, Warren Sharp of SharpFootballStats.com and SharpFootballAnalysis.com (must-read material for analytics fans) posed a different perspective to consider on Friday's Pick Six Podcast. According to both host Will Brinson and Sharp, the Ravens are a sleeper team to make a serious run and find offensive consistency in spite of the fact that they are going against the grain with a run-oriented attack.

"I'm more bullish on the Baltimore Ravens than most people," Sharp said. "This is a team that is building themselves the way they should. Many teams have drop-back quarterbacks and you should build accordingly. When you have a quarterback like Lamar Jackson, you must build a football team like the way they are doing. They are committed and that's exactly how they are building their offense. They are going to reach the maximum ceiling this team could possibly reach because of the way they bought into changing everything about themselves, from what they were with Joe Flacco to what they are now.

"Reasons to be liking the Ravens include the fact that Lamar Jackson did not get first-team reps in camp last season, he had to get inserted Week 10 or 11 off of a bye, and they completely changed the offense. It was a wholesale strategy change midyear," Sharp continued. "The good news is the Chargers figured them out at the end of last season. Now (the Ravens) have all offseason to figure out how to fix that. When they let Lamar throw the ball late in that game, they had some success. This will allow them to let him throw the ball more frequently."

And if and when the Ravens do want to run the ball, whether it be with Jackson or their shiny free agent running back Mark Ingram, Sharp's analysis estimates they will have a matchup advantage against the opposing run defenses on their schedule more often than not.

"Right now I'm projecting them to face the second-easiest schedule of run defenses over the course of 2019," Sharp said. "Even if they do rely on Lamar on the run, you're going up against teams that were the second-worst on average and had the worst against explosive runs. Should be a lot of big chunk-yard gains. That's exactly what you'll like to see out of this offense."

One of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to the Ravens is that they will have a stagnant passing game. This estimates that Jackson won't make progress as a passer in his second NFL season. Brinson debunked that assumption.

"We are pre-supposing that Lamar Jackson cannot develop as a passer, and I think he can," Brinson said. "He developed and improved as a passer at Louisville, so why can't he do it in the pros? The idea that Lamar Jackson is the new polarizing guy. Every time I think about picking against the Ravens, I get a little nervous, because what if he develops as a passer. I think he will."

Brinson and Sharp dove deep into several other NFL teams based on the analytics including why you should be higher on the Carolina Panthers' chances in 2019, why teams who throw to running backs on the early downs gain an advantage, and a lot more. Listen in the player above; plus make sure to subscribe to get our daily podcast delivered each and every morning