3. Pressure Mayfield:
The Baltimore Ravens have been at their best this season when they have been unfriendly towards quarterbacks. Phillip Rivers had trouble last Saturday, because the Ravens pass rush was constantly in his face. Mayfield has much more athleticism than Rivers, however the Ravens should use a similar formula. They need to pressure Mayfield, and trust their defensive backs to win their match-ups.
Look at the games in which the Ravens defense had their way. They had 11 sacks against Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans. They bullied Matt Ryan, sacking him three times and forcing a fumble. They made Case Keenum’s life miserable when they battled the Denver Broncos and Phillip Rivers was under constant pressure last Saturday night. Now think about the games in which the Ravens didn’t get their way. Their week 2 battle against the Bengals featured little to no pass rush. Cam Newton seemingly had a week to throw some of his passes.
If the Ravens pass rush becomes a factor in this game, Mayfield is going to have his hardest test of the season. The Ravens defense is coming off a great game against the Chargers and they have the number one defense in the league. The Ravens need to get off to a good start, build a lead and let their formula work the way it was designed to.