Tom Brady's former teammate reveals the team to beat in playoffs (and it's not Chiefs or Lions)

Chris Long, a former NFL defensive lineman, believes the Baltimore Ravens are the team to beat in the AFC. Long won back-to-back Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and then the Philadelphia Eagles. He also played with Tom Brady and the Patriots in 2016 and won the Super Bowl. He then won it the following year, so he knows what it takes to win it all.

Entering the playoffs, many believe the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions are the favorites to win the Super Bowl. However, the former defensive end believes the Ravens are the team to beat.

"I think honestly, if you're talking about a team to beat, like, who's the best team playing the best at the end of the season, it's the Ravens, in my opinion," Long said on The Rich Eisen Show.

"I think the Chiefs made a jump at the end of the season when they got some of the guys back offensively, and they opened up the offense a little bit, moved Joe Thuney to left tackle. That's a big deal. But I think the Ravens, pending Zay Flowers' injury, to answer the question a different way, are playing the best out of the out of the good teams going to the playoffs."

Long believes the Ravens have all the talent to go on a deep playoff run. The team also has one of the league's best running backs in Derrick Henry which was a missing piece in Baltimore's offense.

The Ravens host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, January 11 at 8 p.m. ET in the Super Wild Card Weekend. Baltimore has the third-best odds of winning the Super Bowl at +650 which implies a 13.3% chance.

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Baltimore Ravens fully focused on playoffs

Baltimore has been one of the best teams in the NFL for several years, but the Ravens haven't been able to get over the hump.

Lamar Jackson has yet to lead the team to a Super Bowl appearance. Entering this year, coach John Harbaugh says the focus is one game at a time.

“We’re going to enjoy it tonight, and we’re going to watch games tomorrow and see who we play, but we’re moving on for what we’ve been working for,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said, via The Athletic.

“Because last year when we were in the locker room after the AFC Championship Game, we knew we had a long road to go to get back to this very point. You get back in the playoffs with an opportunity to take the next step, and we’re not there yet. We have a next game. We have a wild-card game to get ready for, so that will be our next challenge.”

The Ravens are 9.5-point favorites to beat Pittsburgh in the Wild Card round.