Sunday’s performance by the Detroit Lions was what people expected out of them. The offense made multiple big plays, the defense made some key stops, created turnovers, and generated pressure on the quarterback, and the offensive line’s performance was night and day compared to the previous week. With how the Lions played against the Chicago Bears, they look like one of the best teams in the NFL.
But now, they have to go on the road to play a similar high-level team in the Baltimore Ravens, on “Monday Night Football.” What a way to snap back to reality, right? That is not to say that the Lions can’t win this game, but I doubt they can drop 50 points on the Ravens’ defense. The Ravens are coming off their first win of the season—after a heartbreaking collapse in Week 1—their quarterback, Lamar Jackson, is already playing MVP-level football, and the Ravens look poised to be one of the top teams in the AFC once again.
The Ravens and Lions play for the eighth time in their franchise’s histories, with Detroit going 1-6 against Baltimore. The last win for Detroit dates back to October 9th, 2005. Are the Ravens capable of keeping a 20-year streak alive? Let’s look into the Ravens a little deeper, see what has changed positively and negatively for them, and what the Lions are getting into their Week 3 matchup.
Baltimore Ravens
Last season
- 12-5 record (1st in AFC North)
- 3rd in points scored, 9th in points allowed
- Overall DVOA: 1st (1st on offense, 6th on defense)
Last season was a strong one for the Ravens. Jackson was in the MVP race but came up short to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Jackson threw for 4,172 yards, 41 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. He continued to be a problem with his legs, too, rushing for 915 yards and four touchdowns. Jackson played lights out.
Running back Derrick Henry came close to a career year, and the offense seemed to flow together. Henry finished with 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns. He even scored through the air twice and had 19 catches for 193 yards. Wide receiver Zay Flowers had his first 1,000-yard season with 1,059 and four touchdowns. While tight end Mark Andrews saw his role get reduced, he still led the team in touchdowns with 11, as backup Isaiah Likely finished with six touchdowns and 477 yards, to Andrews’ 673.
The defense was led by linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who had a career-high 12.5 sacks, and cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who led the team with six interceptions. The Ravens were best at stopping the run, allowing the least rushing yards in the NFL with 1,361 and the lowest yards per carry with 3.6 per Next Gen Stats. While the defense was doing great, there was a big area of concern at kicker with Justin Tucker. Tucker was facing sexual misconduct accusations, and he had his worst season ever, making only 73.3 percent of his field goals.
Unfortunately, the Ravens fell short in the playoffs, losing to the Bills in the divisional round, as Andrews dropped a game-tying two-point conversion with less than two minutes left. The Ravens are a strong team, but when it comes to the playoffs, they haven’t been able to get over the hump. With Jackson having an MVP-level season last year and having won MVP twice previously, something needs to be done around him for Baltimore to make their first Super Bowl appearance since their last win in 2013.
2025 offseason
Key additions: CB Chidobe Awuzie, CB Jaire Alexander, WR DeAndre Hopkins, QB Cooper Rush
Key losses: S Marcus Williams, OL Patrick Mekari, NT Michael Pierce, CB Tre’Davious White, CB Brandon Stephens, LB Chris Board
2025 NFL Draft picks
Round 1: S Malaki Starks
Round 2: EDGE Mike Green
Round 3: T Emery Jones Jr.
Round 4: LB Teddye Buchanan
Round 5: T Carson Vinson
Round 6: CB Bilhal Kone
Round 6: K Tyler Loop
Round 6: WR LaJohntay Wester
Round 6: DL Aeneas Peebles
Round 6: CB Robet Longerbeam
Round 7: OL Garret Dellinger
The Ravens made some upgrades in the offseason, losing cornerbacks Tre’Davious White and Brandon Stephens and replacing them with Jaire Alexander and Chidobe Awuzie. The secondary will be without safety Marcus Williams, but the additions in the secondary should be able to offset the loss. The Ravens also got Jackson another weapon in former All-Pro wide receiver De’Andre Hopkins. He isn’t the same player he used to be, but he can still be a contributor to the offense that could use another weapon in the passing game. The team also lost a starting offensive lineman in Patrick Mekari, and nose tackle Michael Pierce ended up retiring, leaving a hole on the interior defensive line.
The team got some help, though, in the draft to offset some of the losses, drafting safety Malaki Starks in the first round and upgrading the linebacker room with Mike Green and Teddye Buchanan. They also got some depth on the offensive line with tackle Emery Jones Jr. and Carson Vinson. The Ravens would move on from Tucker, and they drafted Tyler Loop with hopes that he could be the next great kicker for them. Overall, the Ravens didn’t lose too much and made a few splash signings that could get them to push into the Super Bowl in 2025.
2025 season thus far (1-1)
Week 1: Lost to Buffalo Bills 41-40
Week 2: Defeated the Cleveland Browns 41-17
Stats:
- 1st in points scored, 25th in points allowed
- Overall DVOA: 4th (2nd on offense, 14th on defense, 4th on special teams)
The ending of 2024 and the start of 2025 have been stressful for the Ravens. In Week 1, they were on the verge of avenging their loss to the Bills in the divisional round, up by 15 with seven minutes and 16 seconds left. They had the Bills looking like they couldn’t overcome the dominant performance by Henry and Jackson, but the Bills scored to make it 40-32 with less than four minutes to go. Henry, who rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns, fumbled on the next possession, and the Bills would score again, and like the Ravens did in the playoffs last year, fail on their two-point attempt to tie the game. All Baltimore needed to do was get a first down, and they could escape the nightmare.
But they couldn’t.
The Ravens punted with just over 90 seconds left, and the Bills would go on to kick the game-winning field goal. Baltimore was not happy with how that game turned out and took out their frustrations on the Cleveland Browns the following week, putting up 41 points. Jackson had a strong performance against the Browns, going 19-for-29 for 225 yards with four passing touchdowns. The rushing attack for Baltimore did take a step back, as Henry only had 23 yards on 11 carries and Jackson had only two carries for 13 yards.
The defense needed to play better after allowing 41 points to Buffalo, and it started with two turnovers against the Browns, forcing quarterback Joe Flacco to fumble and throw an interception. The rushing defense did take a step back, as they held the Bills to 3.5 yards per carry; the Browns averaged 5.2 against them. In the end, the Ravens rebounded and got their first win of the season, holding Cleveland to just 17 points. This offense is scary with how many points they have put up so far, and if their defense can play well and limit the opposing team to under 20 points, this team shouldn’t have any problems making the playoffs and competing for the Super Bowl.
Injury notes
Key players ruled out: S Ar’Darius Washington (PUP), LB Kyle Van Noy (hamstring)
Key players to monitor: CB Jaire Alexander (knee), FB Patrick Ricard (calf), TE Isaiah Likely (foot)
The Ravens are mostly healthy heading into the matchup with the Lions. They will be without safety Ar’Darius Washington as he is on PUP, and against the Browns, Van Noy suffered a hamstring injury that the team hopes is short-term, but he will not play on Monday Night. Fullback Patrick Ricard is dealing with a calf injury and didn’t practice last week, so he has the lowest chances of playing this week. Likely hasn’t played yet this season, but saw limited practice last week, so if he can ramp up to a full participant, he could make his season debut this week. Alexander has a history of playing the Lions, and after reaggravating a knee injury against the Bills, he got a week off and could return in the matchup against Detroit.
Biggest strength: Offense
This offense will be one of the toughest units the Lions have to face this season. Jackson is tied with Lions quarterback Jared Goff with six passing touchdowns, per NFL Next Gen Stats (most in the NFL), and his legs will be a huge problem for Detroit, but more on that later. The other problem, besides Jackson, is trying to slow down Henry. We did see the Browns hold Henry to his lowest yards since December of 2023, so there is a way to stop him in his tracks, but can the Lions defense do it? The Lions allowed Bears running back D’Andre Swift to average 5.3 yards per carry in the matchup last week, and the Bears had to abandon the running game since they were trailing.
Flowers is far away as the top receiver on the team, as he leads Baltimore in receptions with 14 for 218 yards and a touchdown. The next highest is a tie between Hopkins, wide receiver Rashod Bateman, and running back Justice Hill with four. The Lions allowed Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze to get 128 yards and two touchdowns last week, and while Flowers isn’t as big as Odunze, he’s quicker. Detroit will have to limit the chances he has with the football, as he is capable of creating explosive plays in the passing game.
If the Lions can slow down or limit opportunities for this offense to move the chains, they can win the game, but the defense will need to play its best game of the season. The Lions’ defense improved after their opening loss, but there are still areas that need work. Going up against an offense like the Ravens, you can’t afford mistakes, or else they will capitalize and end up costing you. The Ravens offense is dangerous all over, and the Lions can’t simply pay attention to one detail; they have to keep tabs on everyone.
Biggest weakness: Pass Blocking
While the offense is the Ravens’ strength, they are struggling to protect Jackson in the pocket. Jackson can run around and extend plays all he wants, but sometimes there aren’t chances for him to do that. So far this season, the Ravens have allowed five sacks, and if the trend of averaging two and a half per game allowed continues, they would finish with 42.5 sacks allowed this season, the most ever for Jackson. While I don’t believe the struggles will be that dire, as a two-game sample size is small, you can’t ignore it either.
According to PFF, the Ravens have the sixth-worst pass blocking grade (49.6), and their star left tackle, Ronnie Stanley, has allowed the most sacks (two) and pressures (five) on the team. Center Tyler Linderbaum hasn’t played his normal level of football either, as he has a 27.6 pass blocking grade and has allowed three pressures. Left guard Andrew Vorhees has been the worst starter of the five, with a pass blocking grade of 23.1, with three pressures allowed as well.
The Ravens can’t rely on Jackson escaping the pocket just because he can; they must keep him protected before the play breaks down. This is the best chance for the Lions to strike if they want to win this game: getting to Jackson and keeping him contained. The Lions haven’t had success in doing that against Jackson, but with an offensive line struggling to keep him upright, this could be their chance.
Key matchup: Lions front seven vs. Lamar Jackson
Speaking of containing Jackson, the Lions’ attempt to do so is the key matchup for me this week. Seeing Jackson run around and not just break away from multiple sacks, but turn it into a huge gain for the Ravens against the Bills was awesome to watch as an outsider, but I won’t be enjoying it if it happens in primetime on Monday night.
In his two games against Detroit, Jackson has run for 94 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. The Lions have a history of letting running quarterbacks have their way with them, and if Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard adopts the same method as the Lions’ previous defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn, there won’t be a quarterback spy out there.
The Lions have to generate pressure on Jackson, and when they have their grip on him, don’t let go. He can be slippery and work his way out of tackles, and with the Lions having the highest tackling grade per PFF (76.8), they should follow through and bring him to the ground when the opportunity presents itself. If the Lions struggle with Jackson’s legs once again, it might be a tough flight home with the Lions falling to 1-2.
Vegas line for Monday: Ravens favored by 5.5
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