The front runner for the NFL league MVP in a lot of people’s eyes Lamar Jackson will be taking his talents to LA. The Baltimore Ravens have been dominating the league and Jackson has made it clear he can get the job done with his legs or arm. We thought it was special when we saw Michael Vick but the Ravens have the super cheat code version of Vick in Jackson. Some of the plays that Lamar Jackson has been able to make for this Ravens team this season have been nothing but amazing. Jackson is coming into the matchup against the Rams with 25 total touchdowns 19 through the air and 6 on the ground. He has 2,258 passing yards and 781 rushing yards on the season. The Rams defense has come on strong as of late and will have their hands full trying to slow down Lamar Jackson. The Ravens have the most complete weapon in the NFL in Lamar Jackson and they will put that on full display tonight in LA. Jackson has the ability to split defenders and draw out plays to make sure that his receivers can get open while he’s scrambling in the pocket. One of the best things that have happened to the Ravens was getting Mark Ingram in the offseason for Lamar Jackson because having that dominate running back behind him keeps a defense honest. Mark Ingram has been a complete beast his whole career and his first season in Baltimore has been nothing short of signs of “Beast Mode” like Marshawn Lynch on runs. With the explosive play of Mark Ingram behind Lamar Jackson, it keeps the defenses guessing what the Ravens will do next.
The passing game and the running game for the Ravens are on full display weekly as the play action and RPO are always in full effect. Lamar Jackson has been able to get the ball to his playmakers in the receiving core but one person that has taken full advantage of the special play of Jackson has been Mark Andrews. This season Mark Andrews has been the number 1 guy for Jackson and his stats have shown that with 82 catches for 1,150 yards with 9 touchdowns. Andrews has been able to emerge as one of the best tight ends in the NFL and the play from Lamar Jackson has helped him in that discussion. When Marquise Brown has been healthy and playing at 100% he’s been another weapon that Jackson has gone too on the season. We can rave about the offense as much as we want too but this Baltimore Defense has been on another level since getting Marcus Peters from the Rams. The Baltimore defense is coming off shutting down Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans at home. This Ravens defense has been ball-hawking and they’ve found a way to get to quarterbacks all season. The Ravens will try to get to Goff and slow down Todd Gurley in the running game to get this win tonight. The Rams are in serious need of his game and that could have them force the ball in places they usually wouldn’t against this defense. Look for Earl Thomas to try and shut down the Rams passing game as the Ravens defense will be trying to bring one back to the house.
The Los Angeles Rams are coming into this game against the Ravens fresh off a win to the Chicago Bears. If the Rams want to remain successful they will have to ride the Todd Gurley train all night long. Last week against the Bears was the first time all season that Gurley was pretty much let loose and they let him run all over the Bears defense. The Rams have been resting Gurley all season pretty much and this is now the time in the season for them to let him take over. The Rams need the 2018 Todd Gurley back in the biggest way as they’re at 6-4 on the season in a strong NFC West with the Seahawks and 49ers. If Gurley can return to that form then it will make the Ravens have to be patient and not blitz Jared Goff all night. This team was built off the run game and the strong defense so it will be the right time to get that back into full force tonight. Jared Goff got paid and hasn’t returned back to the play that he did with last season. Goff has been rushing in the pocket and he hasn’t been able to look or feel comfortable in the pocket all season long. If the Ravens get to Goff it could be a long night for the Rams. What the Rams need to get back to is the screen pass game as they would set up Todd Gurley for great plays to get him in space. If Goff can get the ball to Gurley in space that’s usually a great way to get to a victory.
Jared Goff has been without Brandin Cooks and he will be coming back tonight against the Ravens as that will help create more opportunity. With Cooks coming back that will give Jared Goff’s number 1 option Cooper Kupp a chance to flourish even more. This season Kupp has been a complete monster in the slot and has been the go-to guy for Goff all year long. This season Cooper Kupp has 845 yards receiving and 5 touchdowns through 11 weeks so look for him to add on to that total tonight. If Kupp can get loose in the Ravens secondary that will be really good moving forward for the Rams who need this game badly. The Rams defense will have their hands full with Lamar Jackson but if anyone can get to him it’s the reigning defensive player of the year, Aaron Donald. Donald is a generational talent that can disrupt any opposing offenses gameplan and make sure that they can’t execute at all. Aaron Donald is one of those players that can rush the quarterback like no other and he will have to have his hands all over this game tonight for the Rams to be winners. The addition of Jalen Ramsey will be huge as he will try to slow down some of the offensive players for the Ravens in their receiving core but it will take an overall effort from LA. Look for the Rams to pull out all the stops tonight against the Ravens as we may even see some trick plays and fakes tonight.
This will be a huge game for both teams when it comes to seeding in their conferences. This should be an offensive battle and it will be a great one in LA tonight. The Rams need this to stay in the mix for the wild card and the Ravens need this game to stay in the hunt for the number 1 seed in the AFC. Look for both offenses to go off tonight and make some serious highlight plays but it will come down to the defense or special teams play in this game.
Score Prediction: Baltimore Ravens Win (31-24)
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