OWINGS MILLS -- The Baltimore Ravens' status has changed markedly from a year ago, and confidence is thriving in the locker room following a strong preseason.

One season removed from a surprising run to the AFC championship game, the Ravens are determined to live up to heightened expectations.

Returning all but four starters from last season and coming off an undefeated preseason where they outscored opponents by an 84-39 margin, the Ravens have been established as a hefty favorite for Sunday night's season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs at M&T Bank Stadium.

The latest line out of Las Vegas has them currently set as a 10 1/2 point favorite and even some sports books have the Ravens listed as a 13 point favorite, a testament to the team being deemed as vastly superior to their AFC West opponent.

"This is the year that we have all of the pieces, everyone's healthy, our quarterback has another year under his belt and the defense is always phenomenal," veteran wide receiver Derrick Mason said. "This is the year that we feel we have a great opportunity to not just make it, but win it."

Winning it all, meaning the Vince Lombardi trophy as the Super Bowl victors, will require improving upon last year's dramatic resurgence.

Of course, the Ravens will have to upgrade their game enough to topple the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers after experiencing three bitter losses to their AFC North rival last season.

Every season, though, is a unique entity.

Thirteen wins from last season, including two playoff triumphs, guarantees the Ravens absolutely nothing for this year. They start at zero like the rest of their NFL colleagues.

The experience gained from winning so often last season, especially a dominant second half of the season, is invaluable.

"I think as far as the AFC Championship game or whatever was accomplished last year, it’s not just playing in a game," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "All the things that happened last year were a part of us becoming what we are right now today. There are so many things we’ve learned from it and so many things that we have moved on from. That’s part of our personality, but it has no bearing on what we’re trying to accomplish.

"To say that, ‘They’ve got to take one more step,’ is absurd. This is a new season. If we’re going to get to that point again, we’ve got to take 18 or 19 steps to get back to that same spot. We don’t look at it like we were in a game last year. We’ve got a bunch of games in front of us, staring us right in the face, that are going to be exciting challenges, and we can’t wait to go play them.”

For the Ravens, they enter this game relatively healthy.

The primary question marks are backup tight end L.J. Smith (hamstring pull) and offensive guard Marshal Yanda (knee). If neither player is able to go, the Ravens are set with starter Todd Heap and Chris Chester, respectively.

The Ravens haven't had any major issues during the preseason, winning each game handily.

The last time the Ravens went undefeated during the preseason was in 2000 when they won their lone Super Bowl title.

“It means a little, you can’t read too much into it," Mason said. "You can’t hold much stock in the preseason. What you want to try to do is get better each and every preseason game, try not to have any major injuries, and once the regular season starts, you put all stuff behind you. You try your best to go out there to get the ball rolling.”

For the Ravens, that means getting off to a fast start with a game that's considered extremely winnable against a Kansas City team that went 2-14 last year and ushered in a regime change to new coach Todd Haley and general manager Scott Pioli.

Winning the Super Bowl, which will be held in Miami this year, is what's atop the Ravens' agenda.

"It's unspoken that the ultimate goal is to win a championship," Harbaugh said. "We want to become champions, and all the things that entails. We're not trying to get somewhere.

"We want to be something, and that's a process that goes on no matter if we win a bunch of championships. I think if our guys focus on that every day, we'll have a chance to win a championship or two." 

Aaron Wilson covers the Baltimore Ravens for the Carroll County Times and the Annapolis Capital.