The Baltimore Ravens play the Oakland Raiders in less than two hours. Who will win? Here are some bullet points:
- The Baltimore Ravens are coming off losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Pittsburgh Steelers and are now 2-2
- The Raiders are coming off losses to the Washington Redskins and the Denver Broncos and are now 2-2
- E.J. Manuel is expected to be the Raiders quarterback but Derek Carr has practiced and is listed as questionable on the injury report.
- The Ravens lead the regular season series against the Raiders 6-3. Baltimore has lost the last two games against the Raiders.
- The only time these two teams met in the playoffs was in the 2000-2001 season. The Ravens beat the Raiders 16-3 in the AFC Championship, before winning the Super Bowl.
- The Ravens have the 30th ranked offense in yards per game despite having the ninth best rushing offense. Yes, that is how bad the passing game has been.
- The Ravens defense has given up 80 first downs. The Ravens offense has earned 71 first downs.
Must Read: Ravens vs. Raiders: 3 big things
- Flacco is averaging 5.1 yards per pass attempt. The Ravens passing game is as inefficient as they can be.
- The Ravens gave up just under 150 rushing yards to the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday. Stopping Marshawn Lynch will be key in this game.
- Brandon Williams is out again today. The defense hasn’t been the same without him.
- The Raiders don’t overly rely on any one receiving option. Four players have at least 10 receptions for Oakland.
- Marshawn Lynch is only averaging 3.4 yards per rushing attempt. The Ravens have to keep him from getting a full head of steam.
Things to think about:
- Sam Koch has punted 23 times this season. He is on pace for 92 punts this season. Koch only punted 80 times last season, and it’s not like the Ravens offense was that good in 2016. Koch has punted at least five times in each game this season.
- The Raiders were a sexy pick for the Super Bowl before the season. So far they have been the third most impressive team in their division. This game is winnable.
The Baltimore Ravens have a tough game in front of them. Stick to Ebony Bird all day to keep you in the loop. We’ll have you covered on social media, especially on Twitter (@Ebony_Bird). Have a great game day, Ravens Flock!