Baltimore Ravens vs San Diego Chargers Preview, Prediction, Where to Watch

Nov 24, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (5) prior to kickoff of a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Week 12: Baltimore Ravens vs San Diego Chargers

When: Sunday, 11/30/2014 at 1:00 p.m.

Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Live Stream: NFL.com

Radio: 98 Rock, Sirius XM

Local Radio Crew: Gerry Sandusky, Stan White, Qadry Ismail

TV: CBS (coverage map)

TV Crew: Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

Preview:  This week’s matchup brings together two 7-4 teams that are both involved in heated divisional races.  The Chargers are the AFC’s six seed but are only third in their own division, trailing the Chiefs and Broncos.  The Ravens, meanwhile, are in second place in the AFC North and are currently the seven seed in the conference.

The Chargers have had a very up and down year that began with a 5-1 start and has since seen them go 2-3.  To top it off, those two wins came against the Raiders and Rams, not exactly powerhouse teams.  The Ravens are fresh off a big win against the Saints on Monday night, their second straight win.

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While the Chargers employ the NFL’s 6th best pass defense, they are middle of the pack against the run (15th).  The Ravens have the 6th best rushing offense on the back of Justin Forsett and a dominant offensive line, but have only the 16th best passing offense. On the flip side, the Chargers will find it difficult to run on the Raven’s 5th ranked run defense but easy to throw against their 29th ranked pass defense.

This game could come down to what kind of protection the Chargers can provide for Phillip Rivers.  Rivers has been pressured relentlessly behind a poor offensive line this season, and the Ravens feature a fearsome pass rush, including the league’s number two sack leader in Elvis Dumervil.

Expect the Ravens to come out of the gate running the football on offense, and to consistently bring the heat on Phillip Rivers to try and protect their rag tag secondary. This game likely won’t be a blowout by any means, but we feel pretty confident predicting a Ravens’ win this week.

Betting Line: Ravens -5 1/2, 46u -10

Prediction: Ravens 27, Chargers 21