The Baltimore Ravens enter their Week 5 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons in a tricky spot without Lamar Jackson (and Trey Hendrickson). While the Ravens are the better team, being down two key players is a clear hurdle, especially against a Falcons team that has been surging since Michael Penix returned in Week 3.
All season long, the Ravens have struggled to play clean football, which could be especially problematic against the Falcons. Relevantly, the Ravens have committed the fourth most penalties and given up the second most penalty yards through four weeks. Conversely, the Falcons have committed the 10th fewest penalties in the league.
With the league accepting the most penalties through four weeks since 1978, this problem becomes more worrisome. The Ravens simply can't afford these mistakes without Jackson, particularly since the Falcons are a fairly disciplined team.
The Baltimore Ravens need to play clean football on Sunday
For the Ravens, it starts at the line: 11 of their 39 penalties have been false starts, and six of their 39 penalties have been offensive holding. Tyler Huntley had trouble building momentum after taking over for Jackson in the second half of Week 4. The Ravens punted on their first four drives of the second half and were held scoreless, though they attempted a field goal.
Huntley won't be able to generate explosive plays in the same way that Jackson can. As such, the Ravens will depend on the run game with Derrick Henry and short-yardage passes. And they can't afford to be set back by penalties. With Jackson, these problems are frustrating, but surmountable. Without him, though, the Ravens might have too much working against them.
The Falcons' defense has also been stout. They've allowed the least amount of rushing yards this season, which adds another reason that Baltimore needs to be on its A-game.
Unfortunately, there's a strong chance that the Ravens' penalty problem won't magically be solved. Since newly acquired starting center Cam Jurgens is sidelined with a concussion, the Ravens' offensive line is still undermanned. Yes, Vega Ioane has looked good at center, but he's a rookie playing out of position. It's unclear whether backup guard Andrew Vorhees will play, which could thrust Emery Jones Jr. into the scene. Given these factors, I can't trust the Ravens' line to clean things up.
The Falcons have put up 35 and 44 points in the past two weeks. Hopefully, the Ravens can limit them to some extent, but Bijan Robinson will always get his, and you have to expect at least a solid offensive showing from this unit. And while much of the Ravens' penalty problems are on offense, the defense has to play clean football against the Falcons' explosive offense.
Without a doubt, the Ravens will need to have a big-time offensive showing to keep up with the Falcons' offense, but there are sadly a lot of factors (including the penalty battle) working against them.
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