This Monday night the Ravens will travel to the west coast to take on the Los Angeles Rams. The last time the Rams played on Monday Night Football, we got the game of the year between them and the Kansas City Chiefs. This year they will face another MVP front runner in Lamar Jackson. This one should provide fireworks from start to finish.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens enter Monday night with an 8-2 record and a quarterback that seems to be re-inventing the wheel for the position. The Ravens are 3.5-point favorite on the road in this game, the over/under is set at 47.5.
Baltimore is currently averaging 34.1 points per game while allowing 19.6 on defense. They are also posting 437 yards of total offense per game including 203 yards on the ground, a lot of these yards are coming from quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Lamar Jackson has been the story for Baltimore all season long. He leads the team in both passing yards and rushing yards. Jackson has 2,258 yards passing for 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also has 116 carries this season for 781 yards and six touchdowns.
Jackson will have to face his toughest test this season with Aaron Donald, Clay Mathews, Donte Fowler, and Jalen Ramsey all on the Rams defense. This should make for a good battle all game long. Jackson will surely get his big plays in, but the Rams will be doing everything they can to limit him.
The Ravens have put up at least 30 points in their last four straight games and over 40 in their last two. This may end up being a very similar game to the shootout in L.A. we saw last year on Monday night.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are coming into Monday night with a 6-4 record after defeating the Bears last week on Sunday night football. After reaching the Super Bowl last season the Rams have had an up and down season so far this year.
One of the biggest factors in the Rams inconsistency this season has been the injuries up front on the offensive line. The Rams game plan is all based around a zone run system, then running play-action off it. With the line being beat up and injured it has stuttered the Rams offense. Last week the Rams had two rookie linemen step in and hold the Bears very well. Kahlil Mack was held without a single tackle; this should give the Rams hope going into this game.
Leading the Rams once again on offense is quarterback Jared Goff. Goff has thrown for 2,783 yards this season and 11 touchdowns, the biggest problem for Goff this season has been the turnovers with his 10 interceptions. He will have to avoid any turnovers against the Ravens in order to keep Lamar Jackson off the field.
Goff’s primary receiver this year has been Cooper Kupp who has been hovering around the top of the league in receiving yards. After suffering an injury last season, Kupp has bounced back this year with 61 receptions for 845 yards and five touchdowns.
What to expect
I see this going one of two ways, the Rams will either lose by 20 points and not be able to move the ball against the Ravens defense as we have seen them do at times this year, or this will be a shootout that comes down to who has the ball last.
I believe with the extra time to game plan and the new offensive lineman looking good, the Rams will keep up with the Ravens and give Lamar Jackson trouble with their front seven. I have the Rams at least covering the 3.5 spread, if not winning the game in the fourth quarter.
