Entering Week 5, the Baltimore Ravens are 3-1, and they once again look like one of the best teams in the NFL. Their next test will be in front of the entire football world on Sunday Night Football, and it has quickly become a much tougher test than initially thought. Baltimore will play the Atlanta Falcons, who are looking like of the league’s hottest teams.
Falcons are only 2-2 on the year, but those two wins came in the last two weeks, once they finally got starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. under center. With Penix in the lineup, Atlanta defeated the Green Bay Packers 35-14 in Week 3, and beat the New Orleans Saints 45-24 in Week 4.
The Falcons will try to keep things rolling on Sunday against Baltimore, and their formula to do so is clearly running the ball and stopping the run. However, those are the exact same things the Ravens excel at, so Baltimore will have to prove it has the better ground game to win on Sunday Night Football.
The run game will define the Sunday Night Football matchup between Ravens and Falcons
In Atlanta’s win against the Packers, star running back Bijan Robinson carried the ball 29 times for 194 yards and two touchdowns. His backup, Brian Robinson Jr., added 50 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. The duo repeated their performance in Week 5 against the Saints, with Bijan Robinson going for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, while Brian Robinson Jr. added 62 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries.
While the Falcons offense has been dominating on the ground, Atlanta’s run defense has been equally as dominant. The Falcons are giving up just 48.3 rushing yards per game, which is, by far, the best mark in the league.
Baltimore is also pretty good at rushing and stopping the run, though, and that’s what makes Sunday’s game so interesting. The Ravens are fourth in the league in rushing yards with 153.5, and Atlanta is second with 181.0. Defensively, Baltimore allows just 100.0 rushing yards a game, good for 10th in the league, and again, the Falcons hold the top mark.
Unfortunately, the Ravens could be without Lamar Jackson for this game, who sustained a sprained ankle in Week 4. That only emphasizes the importance of getting the run established on Sunday, and thankfully, Baltimore still has Derrick Henry. The all-time great running back is averaging 93.5 rushing yards per game, and already has seven touchdowns on the ground.
If Henry can do what he does best, and the Ravens defense can find a way to slow down Bijan Robinson, Baltimore should pick up its fourth win. Sunday night will be a strength on strength matchup, and it will be fun to see which team is more dominant on the ground.
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