Coming down the home stretch, the Ravens are sitting at 6-5 and holding onto the sixth and final playoff spot. Problem is, the Bills and Chargers are both jockeying for that last spot, too, and any loss on the part of the Ravens could easily knock them out in favor of one of the aforementioned teams. From now until week 17 when all the clocks hit 0:00, the Ravens will absolutely need their best performance from every single player if they are to make the playoffs. The Ravens walked away from week 12 with a win, but they hardly showed their best and in their next two games against the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers, what they showed against the Houston Texans will get them absolutely blown out.
Against the Texans, Jimmy Smith looked hampered by his Achilles, the pass rush looked pedestrian against a very weak offensive line, and Joe Flacco continued to look rather poor, continuing a historically bad season. That must change if the Ravens are going to have any hope this week against the Detroit Lions.
The Lions are one of the more perplexing teams in the NFL. Led by star quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Lions look like they very well could be one of the top 5 best offenses in the NFL when their running game clicks. However, due to a porous defense, the Lions are far from a sure bet, sporting an equally bad pass and rush defense. Essentially, these Detroit Lions are the anti-Ravens; a highly explosive offense with a defense that is a threat to lose the game, even when the Lions are able to drop 30+ points (see the Saints dropping 52).
Without further ado, let us take a look at this week’s key storylines:
Key Storylines:
How Does Jimmy Smith Bounce Back?: It was no secret that all eyes would be on Jimmy Smith when he matched up with DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins, who might arguably be the most physical wide receiver in football and might have the best hands in football, had abused every corner who had lined up across from him, from Jalen Ramsey to Richard Sherman. Ravens fans, myself included, felt that Jimmy presented a much better ability to play Hopkins than these players. Smith has unparalleled physicality and the speed to match Hopkins down the sidelines. Boy, we were pretty wrong. Hopkins outmuscled and out-physical-ed Jimmy and was able to beat him vertically (although, this might have been due to a nagging Achilles). By my count, Jimmy gave up three catches for roughly 75 yards (Pro Football Focus has this number at four for 105, but I disagree with the credit for one of Hopkins’ catches), but was also flagged twice, once for PI that would have easily put that yardage total allowed over 100 for the game.
This week, Jimmy will not be facing a receiver the caliber of Hopkins, but if his Achilles is still nagging him, Jimmy could have some issues. Marvin Jones has been an extremely physical vertical threat for the Lions, combining good speed with leaping ability and size to challenge defensive backs down the sidelines. On the flip side, Golden Tate presents totally different problems. Tate is much smaller than Jones, but presents shiftier route running and more agility in and out of his breaks to work underneath and over the middle. Between Jones and Tate, Jimmy will have his hands full.
How Does Rick Wagner Look in His Return to Baltimore?: Who saw this coming when Rick Wagner was made a fifth round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2013? After starting his career with an abysmal opening night performance against Von Miller, Demarcus Ware, and the Denver Broncos, Rick Wagner would not let that keep him down and continued to improve in jumbo packages during his rookie season. Fast-forward to 2016 and Rick Wagner looked like one of the best right tackles, if not the best right tackle, in the NFL. Known for his premiere pass blocking and admirable run blocking, Wagner was set to blow the lid off of the right tackle market in free agency- and he did just that when he signed with the Detroit Lions for over $9M per year.
Now Rick Wagner will finally make his return to Baltimore to prove his worth against his old team. How well will Wagner be able to hold up against former teammate Terrell Suggs? Can Matt Judon, who played with Wagner for just one year, have another performance similar to the one he put on NFC North rival Green Bay Packers? You can bet your bottom dollar that Judon and Suggs will be licking their chops to make their former teammate regret leaving Baltimore in his return to the Charm City. However, it could very well be Wagner who has the last laugh if he can fend off the two Ravens’ pass rushers and give Stafford the time he needs to continue carving up defenses.
Can the Defense Continue Its Hot Streak of Turnovers?: The one saving grace for the Baltimore Ravens 2017 season has been the ability for the Ravens defense to produce turnovers like there is no tomorrow. With 18 turnovers (a league high) and 11 forced fumbles with eight recovered, the Ravens have forced a grand total of 26 turnovers on the season. If not for their ability to produce so many turnovers and give additional chances to the offense each and every game, the Ravens probably would not be in the playoff hunt at all and would rather be in the hunt for a top 5 pick.
Unfortunately for the Ravens, the ability to force turnovers will not get any easier Sunday against the Ravens. Matthew Stafford, once one of the NFL’s wildest passers, has become increasingly careful with his decision-making and now rarely turns the ball over at all. To make it worse, the Lions ball carriers have been amongst the NFL’s most secure. With only five fumbles (with three lost) on the season, the Lions have only lost nine total possessions to turnover offensively. It has been a major reason for their offensive success and a reason that they have looked like a top five offense in the NFL. Can they continue this hot streak against the Ravens defense or will the Ravens defense impose their dominance on one of the NFL’s most careful offenses?
Final Score Prediction:
This game is absolutely strength against strength and weakness against weakness. The Ravens defense will do its best to slow down a red hot Lions offense and the atrocious Lions defense will try to be less bad than a porous Ravens offense. In games like this, I prefer to take the approach of looking at who has the better quarterback and right now, there is no question that Matthew Stafford outclasses Joe Flacco by a long mile.
Detroit Lions: 24, Baltimore Ravens: 14
Against the Texans, Jimmy Smith looked hampered by his Achilles, the pass rush looked pedestrian against a very weak offensive line, and Joe Flacco continued to look rather poor, continuing a historically bad season. That must change if the Ravens are going to have any hope this week against the Detroit Lions.
The Lions are one of the more perplexing teams in the NFL. Led by star quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Lions look like they very well could be one of the top 5 best offenses in the NFL when their running game clicks. However, due to a porous defense, the Lions are far from a sure bet, sporting an equally bad pass and rush defense. Essentially, these Detroit Lions are the anti-Ravens; a highly explosive offense with a defense that is a threat to lose the game, even when the Lions are able to drop 30+ points (see the Saints dropping 52).
Without further ado, let us take a look at this week’s key storylines:
Key Storylines:
How Does Jimmy Smith Bounce Back?: It was no secret that all eyes would be on Jimmy Smith when he matched up with DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins, who might arguably be the most physical wide receiver in football and might have the best hands in football, had abused every corner who had lined up across from him, from Jalen Ramsey to Richard Sherman. Ravens fans, myself included, felt that Jimmy presented a much better ability to play Hopkins than these players. Smith has unparalleled physicality and the speed to match Hopkins down the sidelines. Boy, we were pretty wrong. Hopkins outmuscled and out-physical-ed Jimmy and was able to beat him vertically (although, this might have been due to a nagging Achilles). By my count, Jimmy gave up three catches for roughly 75 yards (Pro Football Focus has this number at four for 105, but I disagree with the credit for one of Hopkins’ catches), but was also flagged twice, once for PI that would have easily put that yardage total allowed over 100 for the game.
This week, Jimmy will not be facing a receiver the caliber of Hopkins, but if his Achilles is still nagging him, Jimmy could have some issues. Marvin Jones has been an extremely physical vertical threat for the Lions, combining good speed with leaping ability and size to challenge defensive backs down the sidelines. On the flip side, Golden Tate presents totally different problems. Tate is much smaller than Jones, but presents shiftier route running and more agility in and out of his breaks to work underneath and over the middle. Between Jones and Tate, Jimmy will have his hands full.
How Does Rick Wagner Look in His Return to Baltimore?: Who saw this coming when Rick Wagner was made a fifth round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2013? After starting his career with an abysmal opening night performance against Von Miller, Demarcus Ware, and the Denver Broncos, Rick Wagner would not let that keep him down and continued to improve in jumbo packages during his rookie season. Fast-forward to 2016 and Rick Wagner looked like one of the best right tackles, if not the best right tackle, in the NFL. Known for his premiere pass blocking and admirable run blocking, Wagner was set to blow the lid off of the right tackle market in free agency- and he did just that when he signed with the Detroit Lions for over $9M per year.
Now Rick Wagner will finally make his return to Baltimore to prove his worth against his old team. How well will Wagner be able to hold up against former teammate Terrell Suggs? Can Matt Judon, who played with Wagner for just one year, have another performance similar to the one he put on NFC North rival Green Bay Packers? You can bet your bottom dollar that Judon and Suggs will be licking their chops to make their former teammate regret leaving Baltimore in his return to the Charm City. However, it could very well be Wagner who has the last laugh if he can fend off the two Ravens’ pass rushers and give Stafford the time he needs to continue carving up defenses.
Can the Defense Continue Its Hot Streak of Turnovers?: The one saving grace for the Baltimore Ravens 2017 season has been the ability for the Ravens defense to produce turnovers like there is no tomorrow. With 18 turnovers (a league high) and 11 forced fumbles with eight recovered, the Ravens have forced a grand total of 26 turnovers on the season. If not for their ability to produce so many turnovers and give additional chances to the offense each and every game, the Ravens probably would not be in the playoff hunt at all and would rather be in the hunt for a top 5 pick.
Unfortunately for the Ravens, the ability to force turnovers will not get any easier Sunday against the Ravens. Matthew Stafford, once one of the NFL’s wildest passers, has become increasingly careful with his decision-making and now rarely turns the ball over at all. To make it worse, the Lions ball carriers have been amongst the NFL’s most secure. With only five fumbles (with three lost) on the season, the Lions have only lost nine total possessions to turnover offensively. It has been a major reason for their offensive success and a reason that they have looked like a top five offense in the NFL. Can they continue this hot streak against the Ravens defense or will the Ravens defense impose their dominance on one of the NFL’s most careful offenses?
Final Score Prediction:
This game is absolutely strength against strength and weakness against weakness. The Ravens defense will do its best to slow down a red hot Lions offense and the atrocious Lions defense will try to be less bad than a porous Ravens offense. In games like this, I prefer to take the approach of looking at who has the better quarterback and right now, there is no question that Matthew Stafford outclasses Joe Flacco by a long mile.
Detroit Lions: 24, Baltimore Ravens: 14
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