Baltimore Ravens Week 4 Preview

The Baltimore Ravens will need to have a short memory coming off a short week following their first loss of the season when they fell out of the ranks of the unbeaten thanks to a 34-20 drubbing at the hands of reigning Superbowl MVP Patrick Mahomes and the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. They will now turn their attention to the Washington Football Team and hit the road for a Week Four interconference matchup in the ‘Battle of the Beltway’.

While some are penciling this as a cupcake or tune-up game and a sputtering Washington team will serve as the perfect bounce-back opponent for the Ravens, but they aren’t taking any opponent likely. I highly about that this will be a trap game for Baltimore because I believe that they will be refocused and more disciplined coming off yet another humbling loss to the Chiefs for the third time in as many seasons.

Washington is coming off a lopsided mistake-filled loss of their own and the second since upsetting their NFC East division rival Philadelphia Eagles in an impressive season opener. In Week Three they lost to the Cleveland Browns at home by the same 34-20 score that Baltimore lost by to Kansas City and will be hosting their second straight AFC North opponent at FedEx Field in Week Four when the Ravens come to town.

Here is a detailed breakdown of the matchup including key matchups to look for, potential X factors, who will likely be out with an injury for each team, and a final outcome prediction.

What’s at stake:

The Ravens will be looking to bounce back and avoid dropping to 2-2 for the second consecutive season. Baltimore would keep pace with the 3-0 Pittsburgh Steelers in the race for the AFC North crown with a win since their archrivals had their Week 4 matchup with the Tennessee Titans postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak.

Even though they have lost their last two games, Washington is still in first place in the much-maligned NFC East division. If they were able to pull off the upset over the Ravens, they would maintain their spot atop their division standings and loss would drop them into as low as a two-way tie for or in the last place.

Who might not suit up:

Both teams are entering this matchup with a few nicks and bruises, but none of the eight players listed on the Ravens injury report are listed as doubtful or have already been ruled out. All eight players have practiced on a full or at least limited basis at some point this week and are expected to be available to play.

The biggest and most significant player injury that the team is monitoring is the shoulder of stalwart left tackle Ronnie Stanley who is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. Baltimore’s First Team All-Pro blindside protector has been battling a litany of different injuries dating back to an ankle injury that sidelined him for almost the entirety of the second half of the season opener.

Stanley’s shoulder issued caused him to miss practice on Thursday and Friday after practicing on a limited basis on Wednesday. He’s been an absolute warrior with his willingness and ability to fight through his ailments and still perform at a high level but if he can’t go on Sunday, the team expectation would be for veteran D.J. Fluker start in his place at left tackle.

Fluker has predominately played on the right side since entering the NFL as a first-round pick out of Alabama at either tackle or guard which he has done exclusively since 2015. However, he did play left tackle in college for the Crimson Tide and did a solid job subbing in for Stanley when he left the second half of the opener. The eight-year pro has been serving as the swing tackle since losing the starting right guard competition to rookie Tyre Phillips.

The other seven Ravens players listed as questionable to play this week include linebacker L.J. Fort (thigh), running back Justice Hill (thigh), defensive back/linebacker Anthony Levine Sr. (abdomen), defensive tackle Justin Madubuike (knee), wide receiver Chris Moore (finger/thigh), cornerback Jimmy Smith (knee), and defensive end Derek Wolfe (elbow).

Smith was limited on both Wednesday and Thursday and did not practice Friday. Wolfe sat out of practice Thursday but returned as a limited participant on Friday. This might be the first week that Madubuike sees the field for the first time in the NFL after being inactive last week following his first week of practice since he suffered his knee injury in training camp.

As for Washington, they will be without two of their best defensive linemen with second overall pick Chase Young out with a groin and five-year veteran defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis done for the year on injured reserve. They have ruled out slot receiver Steven Sims Jr, (toe) and inside linebacker Cole Holcomb (knee) and placed running back Bryce Love on injured reserve as well.

Washington’s No.1 receiver Terry McLaurin is listed as questionable with a thigh injury as are starting right tackle Morgan Moses with a hip and backup defensive end Ryan Anderson with an ankle. McLaurin was a limited participant in practice on Thursday and was held out on Friday.

Key matchups:

CB Marlon Humphrey v WR Terry McLaurin

The Ravens made their First-Team All-Pro cornerback on the richest players at his position in the entire league on Thursday with a five-year extension worth $98.75 million with $66 million guaranteed. On Sunday he’ll have another opportunity to prove why he’s worth his big payday against one of the NFL’s best young receivers.

McLaurin has the seventh most receiving yards in the league through three games with 269 on 16 receptions and leads all receivers in yards after the catch with 176. He has earned the nickname ‘Scary Terry’ for his ability to put defensive backs in a blender with his crisp and pristine route-running skills and his incredible ability to haul in just about any pass thrown his way anywhere on the field.

Even though he’s dealing with a thigh injury, he’s still a threat in the passing game because his most dangerous attribute is his ability as a technician when it comes to being able to run the entire route tree and not rely on athleticism alone. Humphrey is extremely technically sound in his own right so this should make for must-see-tv when they are lined up across from each other.

Lamar Jackson v Landon Collins

Even though the reigning league MVP had the worst game of his young career from a passing standpoint to date since he became the full-time starter against the Chiefs, it was business as usual when he took off to run on scrambles, designed quarterback runs, and when he kept the ball on zone reads and run-pass-options (RPOs).

He ran for almost as many yards as he threw for in Week Three with 83 yards that he picked up with his legs compared to the meager 97 yards he recorded passing the ball. Washington will likely try to spy Jackson in both man and zone coverage and the player that will likely be primarily tasked with that responsibility will be Collins.

The six-year veteran safety and three-time Pro Bowler does his best work in the box and around the line of scrimmage so he’s the ideal candidate to be the first man up to be tasked with keeping Jackson from getting breaking free to the second and third levels of the defense and making some of his patented electric jaw-dropping plays in the open field with his dynamic rushing ability.

Stopping or even limiting Jackson throwing or running the ball is easier said than done and even Kansas City couldn’t stop him from doing both in a convincing win. He’s a one and generation type talent at the quarterback talent and is already the most dangerous running threat at the position that the league has ever seen.

Good luck to Collins and company on Sunday because they’re going to need a lot of it along with an extreme focus on the mesh point when the Ravens run zone reads or read option because if they don’t, they could be in for a rude awakening.

Ravens O-line v Washington D-line

Even without Young who was off to a hot start to his rookie campaign with 2.5 sacks to start the season and Ioniddis who picked up where he left off the last few years with 1.5 sacks despite being relegated to a rotational role, Washington is still loaded with first-round talent along their defensive line Baltimore’s offensive line which has been leaky to start the year will still have a stiff challenge on Sunday.

Defensive end Montez Sweat, who Washington traded back into the first round last year to take, has been turning up the heat off the edge to start the year with two sacks through three games and almost single-handedly got his team back in the game against the Browns with his outstanding performance after Young was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Washington also has former first-round defensive tackles Jonathan Allen who has 1.5 sacks, Daron Payne who has half a sack, and four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Ryan Kerrigan who has two sacks to work with so they still have the talent to generate a lot of pressure.

Baltimore’s offensive line has allowed four sacks in back-to-back games and Jackson has had to make a lot happen on his own at times throughout the first three weeks of the season. In order to ensure that they keep their star signal-caller upright, they’ll need better performances from right tackle Orlando Brown who has struggled with consistency to start the year, and center Matt Skura who is still shaking off the rust and working his way back to full health following major knee surgery and hope that Stanley can start and finish the game healthy.

Ravens pass rush v Washington O-line

On the flip side, the Ravens pass rush that consistently consists of defenders ranging from down linemen to defensive backs is poised and motivated to penetrate an underwhelming Washington starting offensive line that is without their best player Brandon Sherriff, who is on injured reserve, has right tackle that is dealing with a hip issue and isn’t froth with talent at the other three spots.

After not being able to bring down Mahomes for a single sack in Week Three, Baltimore remodeled front seven will be looking to relentlessly harass Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins all afternoon long and get home for multiple sacks to go along with a barrage of pressures and quarterback hits.

The Ravens have just six sacks in three games but I honestly believe that veteran newcomer Calais Campbell and company could play well enough in this game to match their yearly total to this point. Expect a hungry Matt Judon at outside linebacker to play especially well and log the first sack of his contract year so that he can start making a case to break the bank like Humphrey did with the huge extension he signed earlier this week.

Potential X factors:

RB Gus Edwards

The third-year former undrafted free agent has been the Ravens’ most effective running back through the first three games of the season. Despite facing loaded boxes for the majority of the time that he lines up in the backfield, Edwards has the second-most rushing yards on the team behind Jackson with 129 on 18 carries and is averaging a whopping 7.2 yards per carry.

Last week against the Browns, Washington allowed 158 net yards on the ground and allowed Nick Chubb to plow his way for 108 yards and a pair of scores. Now they have Gus ‘The Bus’ rolling into town and they could be in for another long day of trying to stop another bruising power back that is expected see more carries in the Ravens’ offensive going forward.

S DeShon Elliott

The third-year former sixth-round pick has been an absolute stud in his first year as a full-time starter. Outside of the total team debacle against the Chiefs, the Ravens secondary hasn’t missed a beat without seven-time Pro Bowler Earl Thomas.

Elliott is a ball magnet who flies around to make plays all over the field. He has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and could find himself in position in this game to force or come up with a turnover or two with his bone-jarring hits and superb ball skills.

Recent history of the matchup:

Neither team holds the upper hand in the all-time series with it knotted at 3-3 but after trading wins in their first two meeting, each team has won back to back games with Washington taking the last two in 2012 and 2016 respectively in decisive one-score contests. These two Maryland franchises have always played each other tough in the regular season and have never met in the playoffs. Of the six times that they have faced off, only once has one of them won by more than one possession and that was the Ravens in 2008 with a 24-10 win in Baltimore.

Final prediction:

If the Browns leaky and inconsistent defense can notch three interceptions and a lost fumble against Washington’s turnover prone second-year quarterback, expect the Ravens aggressive and versatile unit to feast and wreak havoc as they look to redeem themselves from an embarrassing outing in Week Three.

As for Jackson and the offense, I expect them to get back to the basics and to the formula that made them the highest-scoring offense in the league last season which was using a dominant rushing attack to set up big plays in the passing game.

I predict that the Ravens will run Washington out of their own building and steamroll them 41-9. This could potentially have the makings of Baltimore’s first shutout victory since Week Six of the 2018 season when they beat the Titans 21-0 and the defense sacked a Marcus Mariota a franchise single-game record 11 sacks.