Week 6 is upon us, which means another matchup against a playoff regular for the Baltimore Ravens. Schedules for reigning-division winners are meant to be tough, but fans of the Ravens are growing numb against the never-ending slew of healthier, better-coordinated, less-disappointing opponents they’ve been consistently matched up against for a full month.
They kept earning the benefit of the doubt amidst their ugly start, with Lamar Jackson’s presence expected to be enough to give the team a puncher’s chance every week alongside their reputation for rigid defense. They’ve now given a substantial-enough sample size to suggest that their current defense has fallen a long way, though, and injuries to everyone up to Jackson have plunged the Ravens to an unfamiliar 1-4 record to start the fall.
Their playoff hopes hang in the balance in their final matchup before their much-needed bye, but they’ll have to slay yet another hopeful-playoff returner to stare down in the Los Angeles Rams. Their once-valuable home court advantage isn’t expected to save them from Matthew Stafford and friends, with DraftKings agreeing in setting the line at -7 in Los Angeles’ favor.
Unlike the Rams, who know exactly who they are on both sides of the ball, the Ravens remain shrouded in mystery. Their weekly storylines are centered on who is and isn’t practicing every week, and weekly difference-makers like Stafford and star weapons in Puka Nacua, Davante Adams and Kyren Williams look a lot more attractive than what the Ravens threw out last week.
“[The Ravens] could trot out Cooper Rush, who struggled mightily against the Houston Texans last week, or insert Tyler Huntley, a longtime backup who filled in for Jackson between 2021 and 2023,” Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton wrote.
“Against the Los Angeles Rams, it won’t matter who the Ravens start at quarterback if Jackson can’t play Sunday. Baltimore’s defense is giving up the most points and the second-most yards, and it ranks 27th in pressure rate (15.6 percent). Matthew Stafford will have plenty of time to pick apart the Ravens defense, which may be without several key starters in consecutive weeks.”
It’s also worth noting that the Rams will be entering M&T Bank with more days of rest than the needier Ravens, having occupied Week 5’s Thursday night slate while the Ravens suffered another Sunday afternoon loss in their last public appearance.
Whether Jackson will suit up over the weekend will lord over the matchup until game-time, but this team’s publicly rolled over for some of the NFL’s less-impressive offenses since he departed the field two weeks ago. Hamstring injuries are no joke, and Baltimore will need some kind of rapid comeback out of their star to get the offense back on the same page and make this game as competitive as it once looked.
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