Baltimore Ravens defense must dominate Los Angeles Rams
We all know who the Baltimore Ravens are offensively, but it’s the defense that must put together its best showing of the year on MNF vs. the LA Rams.
Lamar Jackson should be the NFL’s MVP, and the offense tailored around him certainly has some Pro Bowl players, as well. The unit is scoring 34.8 PPG, good for the top spot in the league while rushing the ball as well as any other team in the history of the NFL. In the passing game, they’re doing more than enough to win games, but overall this Baltimore Ravens offense is proving to be too much for everyone else.
The same cannot be said of Baltimore’s defense, however.
For a unit featuring Earl Thomas and Marlon Humphrey in the secondary, they sit at 17th in the league in passing yards allowed per game. Despite the rave reviews the received all offseason, which seemed warranted with the plethora of talent they host, the defense has been far what we expected. In fact, if not for the team’s offense the Ravens could be sitting at .500 or worse due to their defensive inefficiencies.
Thankfully, the team’s defense has improved each week and finally looks like a strong unit. The addition of Marcus Peters secured the secondary and the front-seven has played admirably despite its lack of top-talent. Overall, this defense looks ready to make a deep run with its offense.
They’ll have their chance to prove themselves against the Los Angeles Rams, who possess perhaps the brightest offensive mind in football in head coach Sean McVay. The Rams offense has been far from the juggernaut they normally are this season, they still possess a plethora of weapons that could give Baltimore fits.
McVay remains one of the most innovative offensive minds in all of football and will be playing a great game of chess with Don Martindale and the Baltimore Ravens defense on MNF. Baltimore needs its defense to step up in this game, not just for a win, but to set a precedent for the remainder of the season. As the great Tallahassee of Zombieland once said, it’s time to nut up or shut up.