3 keys to a Baltimore Ravens victory against Oakland

The Baltimore Ravens need to beat the Oakland Raiders to stay in the playoff hunt. Here are 3 keys:

1. Taking the Raiders seriously:

The Baltimore Ravens are 5-5. While the Oakland Raiders only have two wins, the Ravens can’t take them lightly. Baltimore has been too inconsistent to take any game for granted. They didn’t get up for a game against the Browns, and it was obvious. The Ravens gave a poor effort against the Carolina Panthers, and that’s putting it mildly. The Ravens are a better team than the Raiders, but we’ve seen them stoop to Oakland’s level.

This should be a game where the Ravens have plenty of motivation. Every game playoff implications at this point. The team should rally around Lamar Jackson, who is making his second start. If that’s not enough, the Ravens are playing in front of their home crowd. Energy and momentum are two underrated factors in the game of football. If the purple and black are serious about going to the playoffs, this is the time where they need to get hot. This is when they need to string wins together and find the magic formula.

From an x’s and o’s standpoint, Baltimore should be able to get the win. Jon Gruden has had plenty of struggles in his return as Raiders coach. The Raiders have a low ranked defense. Derek Carr is not having the huge season the Raiders have hoped for. On paper, this is one of the easiest games of the year. The Ravens have to earn it one way or another.