Ravens entering uncharted territory in this new era

Looking ahead to the Ravens vs. Chargers

This next week will be a big test for both the offense and defense. This Los Angeles Chargers offense ranks seventh in total yards and third in passing. They are led by Justin Herbert who many people believe could be MVP by the end of the year.

They are coming off a 47-42 victory against the Cleveland Browns and that passing attack simply looked unstoppable. Their weapons are also much more dangerous than anybody the Colts had, both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are top receivers in the league.

Williams leads the league in receiving touchdowns with six and is top-five in receiving yards. Allen is having a slower start than normal but still ranks top-five in receptions. Can’t forget about their dangerous running back Austin Ekeler who averages over 5.0 yards a carry.

From what I’ve seen this year, all I can hope for is the Ravens to contain this dangerous offense enough to still give their offense a chance.

When it comes to the Chargers’ defense, they are significantly less dangerous than their offense. For total yards, they rank just past the middle of the pack at 18th.

But, for passing they rank seventh and have already played against some notable names like Patrick Mahomes and Derek Carr who both rank top-five in passing.

Their biggest weakness is their run defense (weakness may be an understatement) as they are ranked dead last in defending the run and give up 157 yards a game.

I look forward to another week of Jackson proving he can win with his arm. He has already played against the Denver Broncos who rank ahead of the Chargers in pass defense, and in that game, he reached 300 yards for the first time this season and second in his career (prior to Monday night).

With the combination of Hollywood finally becoming the player we all hoped he would, Mark Andrews starting to heat up, and first-round pick Rashod Bateman making his debut, this makes for a great matchup.

If last game wasn’t enough to show the “experts” Lamar Jackson is a true contender for MVP, then hopefully outplaying a current MVP candidate will change their minds.