After yet another thrilling Ravens game on primetime, at least the 2nd half and OT, the Ravens will host the LA Chargers and the rising sensation that is Justin Herbert. Herbert has been slinging the ball as well as most and will be facing a Ravens defense that is bottom 5 in pass defense. Baltimore will hope to contain the young star, or at least hope to keep up with him. And as of now, that's something many Ravens fans feel the team can against any opponent thanks to star QB, Lamar Jackson. Lamar Jackson silenced another narrative by mounting a comeback from being down 19 points near the end of the 3rd quarter and 16 to start the 4th. Jackson was near flawless in the 2nd half and OT, going 29 of 32 for 334 passing yards and 4 TDs after half time, including two 2 point coversions through the air. Doubters about whether or not he can throw have gotten quieter as he's thrown for over 700 yards in his last two games against an shaky and injured mid game Colts secondary, as well as a strong Broncos secondary the week before. But the Ravens may not need Jackson to be superman with his arm as the Chargers are ranked last in rush yards allowed and also giving up a league worst 5.6 yards per carry. Baltimore came up 1 game shy of owning the consecutive 100 yard rush game record against Indy, but what better team to start a new streak against than the worst run defense in the league. The last few teams have been selling out to stop the run and it's cost them chunks of yards through the air. The idea of "we can beat Jackson by playing the run and clogging the middle" should be out of the minds of many defensive coordinators and head coaches, but this Ravens fan actually hopes they keep trying it all season long. I hope the Ravens defense learns to wrap up, and take better pursuit angles. I also hope we get a few players back from injury (Batman, Boykin, Elliott) as we'll need all hands on deck this week. LET'S GO, RAVENS!!!
This game will be a shoot out. The Ravens secondary has been giving up 15-20 yard passes all season long and this game, it will be no different. Herbert is the real deal and the Ravens have to get pressure on him or he will throw for over 400 on us. Marlon will have his hands full with Mike Williams as he has been having a resurgent season so far. Luckily the Chargers rush game isn't that great so maybe, just maybe they can hold them under 100 yards for the game. Lamar and company simply cannot afford to make the mistakes that they have been making lately, HOLD ONTO THE FOOTBALL!!!!! If they allow the Chargers to get out to an early lead due to turnovers, then it is likely game over for our Ravens. The running backs need to gash early and often and control the clock with this team, this is imperative. 35 min plus possession time and the Ravens should walk away from the Bank with a W. I do believe this is the game that the Ravens go for over 200 plus on the ground.
By the numbers (thru week 5): Total Offense (yards per game) LAC = 411.4 Rushing - 108.4 Passing - 303.0 BAL = 440.6 Rushing - 148,8 Passing - 291.8 Total Defense (yards per game) LAC = 371.8 Rushing - 157.6 Passing - 214.2 BAL = 389.6 Rushing - 93.2 Passing - 296.4 Scoring Differential LAC - +26 BAL - +12 Turnover Differential LAC +3 BAL -1 Opponents Adjusted Record (combined W/L pct in games not against the Chargers or Ravens) LAC = 0.650 BAL = 0.400 Should be one helluva game between two premier AFC teams.
The media jinx is in. After constantly talking about how Mahomes hadn't lost or threw an INT in September, Pat went on to throw 3 INTs and lose 2 games in September. Well, I just heard the first analyst mention that Lamar is undefeated in October
Ravens up 17-6 and driving, but suffer another injury. Looked like Bozeman, who's been playing outstanding
The best defensive performance of the year so far. Well played, 5-1 during a pretty tough early stretch.
Right. The Chargers offense has been hyped up as almosy unstoppable. Well, 6 points scored off a turnover and that was it. Went for it twice on 4th and short and nothing.
Ravens curb stomp a very good Chargers team in what could be considered Jackson's worst game of the year. The Ravens have had a stupid amount of injuries this year but keep on winning while other teams get 2-4 key injuries and watch their team go to shit because of it. People mocked that preseason win streak, but if it showed anything, it showed the depth the Ravens had compared to most teams. Even when the starters left preseason losing, the backups always beat the other team's backups. Many were cut but many stayed and have been contributing for Baltimore this season
For some post game talk, all credit to the defense this week. A potent Justin Herbert offense was held to just 3 points. That's beyond amazing in my book, especially since they almost dropped 50 on the Cleveland defense a week prior. Granted a west coast team came to the east, that shouldn't equal a 41 point difference. Will the defensr continue to play well or was it a fluke? We'll see this upcoming weekend again Joe Burrow and the Bengals
So right before week 1 started, most had written off the Ravens due to injuries. Had them penciled in at 3rd or 4th in the AFC North. Fast forward 6 weeks and the Ravens sit atop the AFC, alone, at 5-1.
On a sour note, Ronnie Stanley is officially done for the season with ankle surgery. Signing him to that large contract is turning out to be a mistake unfortunately. This team has plenty of talent but I am not sold on our inside linebackers AT ALL. They need to get their fundamentals down, bulk up a bit and hold their gaps better, cover the flats MUCH BETTER as well. Averitt is in line for a large contract after the season, he has really stepped up in place of Peters in my opinion.
