After a three-game profitable streak and a welcome relaxation, the Ravens (6-3) will host the Carolina Panthers (3-7) to kick off their push for the postseason. The Ravens are heavy favorites, however do the Panthers, led by a well-known Baltimore nemesis in quarterback Baker Mayfield, maintain any benefits?
Ravens passing sport vs. Panthers move protection
Lamar Jackson tried simply 22 passes, finishing 12 to 10 totally different targets, within the Ravens’ Week 9 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Was his passing line an outlier, dragged down by the absence of tight finish Mark Andrews and some misfires on deep throws? Or was it a harbinger of the way in which the Ravens will play with No. 1 broad receiver Rashod Bateman out for the season? Coach John Harbaugh sounded optimistic that Andrews (42 catches, 488 yards, 5 touchdowns), who has not performed for the reason that first half of the Ravens’ Week 8 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, would possibly face the Panthers. He was a restricted participant in apply Wednesday. The Ravens would do effectively to make extra use of broad receiver Devin Duvernay (25 catches on 33 targets, 318 yards, three touchdowns), whom Jackson focused simply as soon as within the Saints sport. On the plus facet, rookie tight finish Isaiah Likely turned Jackson’s most frequent goal in Andrews’ absence and responded with landing catches towards each the Buccaneers and Saints. Despite the drop in his uncooked passing numbers, Jackson ranks fifth in ESPN’s QBR statistic measuring all-around quarterback play. He has benefited from wonderful move blocking by tackles Ronnie Stanley and Morgan Moses and guards Ben Powers and Kevin Zeitler.
The Ravens will face a protection that ranks twenty seventh in move DVOA, based on Football Outsiders. The Panthers characteristic a gifted younger cornerback in Jaycee Horn, a powerhouse defensive deal with in Derrick Brown and a productive edge rusher in Brian Burns (seven sacks, 12 QB hits), however they’ve struggled to cowl tight ends and rank nineteenth in third-down protection. They rank ninth in blitz price, so Jackson could have alternatives to assault them with fast throws and maybe take a couple of deep pictures.
EDGE: Ravens
Panthers passing sport vs. Ravens move protection
The Panthers rank final in passing DVOA, and Mayfield misplaced the beginning quarterback job after 5 weeks, regaining it for this sport solely as a result of P.J. Walker suffered a high-ankle sprain. The Ravens know the 2018 No. 1 general decide effectively from his 4 seasons in Cleveland, however Mayfield has hit new lows for Carolina, finishing simply 56.6% of his passes with 4 interceptions and 15 sacks in six video games. He ranks final by a wholesome margin in QBR. The Panthers gave up their most prolific move catcher after they traded operating again Christian McCaffrey after six video games. Former Maryland star DJ Moore (478 yards, three touchdowns) is their most dynamic menace however has been inconsistent, catching only a hair greater than half the balls thrown his means. The Panthers’ tackles and guards grade decently as move blockers, however they are going to attempt to maintain the fort towards a Ravens move rush that has taken off in current weeks.
Outside linebacker Justin Houston has led the way in which with 6 1/2 sacks in his final three video games, whereas fellow veteran Calais Campbell (3 1/2 sacks, eight QB hits) has pushed from the inside. Coordinator Mike Macdonald’s protection ranks eighth within the league in sacks whereas rating twenty first in blitz price, an equation he has to like. The Ravens are third in turnover differential after falling to twenty eighth final season. Safety Geno Stone has lined effectively filling in for injured starter Marcus Williams, and rookie Kyle Hamilton steadily performed in lieu of a 3rd cornerback towards the Saints, making a case that he deserves much more snaps going ahead.
EDGE: Ravens
Ravens operating sport vs. Panthers run protection
The Ravens performed with out Gus Edwards or J.Okay. Dobbins towards the Saints and nonetheless completed with 188 dashing yards. They hope to have Edwards, their strongest runner, towards the Panthers. Veteran Kenyan Drake has piled up 155 yards on 31 carries over his final two video games. Jackson stays the one irreplaceable weapon for the NFL’s best operating assault, main the Ravens with 635 dashing yards and averaging a league-best 7.4 yards per carry. Seven of his 11 carries towards the Saints produced first downs. Moses has turn into a dominant blocker in current weeks, with assist from middle Tyler Linderbaum and the workforce’s tight ends.
The Panthers rank twenty second in dashing protection DVOA. Opponents common a stable 4.5 yards per carry, and the Cincinnati Bengals hammered them with 241 dashing yards in a Week 9 blowout. But linebackers Shaq Thompson (77 tackles, six for loss) and Frankie Luvu (56 tackles, 9 for loss) have performed effectively, and Brown, their 2020 first-round decide, is a drive within the center.
EDGE: Ravens
Panthers operating sport vs. Ravens run protection
If Carolina has a power, that is it, even with out McCaffrey within the fold. The Panthers rushed for 232 yards, led by D’Onta Foreman’s 130, of their Week 10 win over the Atlanta Falcons and rank eleventh in dashing DVOA. Chuba Hubbard (5.6 yards per carry) has been efficient in a restricted function behind Foreman. Mayfield shouldn’t be a lot of a operating menace.
The Ravens, in the meantime, seemed fearsome of their one sport with commerce addition Roquan Smith at center linebacker. They held two dynamic operating threats, Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill, to a mixed 36 yards on 10 carries. Smith is without doubt one of the league’s high seek-and-destroy tacklers, and the Ravens anticipate him to raise a protection that was already headed in the best path after a couple of subpar performances towards the run early within the season. Campbell and defensive deal with Justin Madubuike supply a stout first line of resistance, setting the desk for Smith, linebacker Patrick Queen and security Chuck Clark to scrub up.
EDGE: Ravens
Ravens particular groups vs. Panthers particular groups
The Ravens proceed to steer the league in particular groups DVOA. Justin Tucker has made 18 of 20 discipline objective makes an attempt, together with his solely misses coming from 56 and 61 yards. Duvernay is the league’s greatest returner, averaging 15.1 yards on punts and 31.9 yards on kickoffs. Rookie punter Jordan Stout has raised his sport after an inconsistent begin.
Carolina is stable on particular groups, with a superb punter in veteran Johnny Hekker and a harmful kickoff returner in Raheem Blackshear. Kicker Eddy Pineiro has made 18 of 20 discipline objective makes an attempt, although he has tried only one from 50 yards or past and has missed two additional level makes an attempt.
EDGE: Ravens
Ravens intangibles vs. Panthers intangibles
The Ravens gained three in a row earlier than getting final weekend off, and so they’re a deep, assured workforce with a transparent path to a divisional championship and a return to the postseason. They have historically dealt with their enterprise towards groups they’re imagined to beat with Jackson at quarterback and Harbaugh as their head coach.
The Panthers are looking for their footing below interim coach Steve Wilks, who changed Matt Rhule after 5 weeks, and so they’re attempting to do it with out a longtime No. 1 quarterback. They have but to win on the highway this season.
EDGE: Ravens
Prediction
The Ravens opened as double-digit favorites for a motive. It’s troublesome to establish a path to victory for the Panthers, who will journey to Baltimore with a bottom-10 protection and the league’s worst quarterback to this point this season in Mayfield. The Ravens is not going to give Carolina a lot room for hope as they start their push for a excessive playoff seed. Ravens 30, Panthers 16
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Source: www.bostonherald.com