The Baltimore Ravens are back on the road this week as they travel to Arizona to take on the struggling Cardinals, who currently sit at 1-6 following their 20-10 loss to the Seahawks in week seven.
The Ravens on the other hand enter week eight after their best performance of the year as they jumped all over the Lions last Sunday on their way to a dominate 38-6 victory. Last Sundays win moved the Ravens to an AFC north leading 5-2.
The Ravens will once again be without safety Marcus Williams (hamstring) as he will miss his fifth game of the year, while wide receiver Tylan Wallace (hamstring) who has missed the previous four weeks and had been placed on injured reserve, practiced in full this week. Wallace is currently listed as questionable for Sunday. Running back Keaton Mitchell (hamstring) practiced in full on Friday and is also listed as questionable. Outside linebacker Odafe Oweh who returned last week from an ankle injury that sidelined him for five weeks, popped back up on the injury report this week again with an ankle injury. Oweh was limited in practice on Thursday and did not practice on Friday, he is currently listed as questionable. Linebacker Roquan Smith missed Tuesday’s practice with what was listed as a shoulder injury, but practiced the rest of the week and has been removed from the injury report, meaning he will play on Sunday.
The Cardinals have already ruled out linebacker Krys Barnes (hamstring), defensive lineman Kevin Strong (shoulder), and offensive lineman Elijah Wilkerson (neck). Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray who hasn’t played since tearing his ACL week 14 last season, practiced in full this week but is listed as doubtful, meaning Joshua Dobbs will be under center for the eighth straight week. Other notable Cardinals with injury designations this week include wide receiver Greg Dortch (ankle), cornerback Antonio Hamilton (groin), and safety Jalen Thompson (hamstring), all are listed as questionable.
Players to Watch:
Marlon Humphrey
After foot surgery that prematurely ended his training camp, Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey has returned and is set to play in his fourth game of the season. A rough first start for Humphrey in week five against the Steelers, saw the All-Pro corner give up a late touchdown that would ultimately be the difference in the Ravens 17-10 loss in Pittsburgh.
But since then Humphrey has continued to look more fluid and like he has his feet back under him. Since his return Humphrey has 10 total tackles and one pass deflection, while also helping the Ravens begin to separate themselves as the leagues best defense since his return. Since Humphrey returned in week five the Ravens are allowing just 204 yards passing per game, and a league leading 13 points per game in that three game span. The Cardinals rank near the bottom of the NFL in both passing yards and points, expect Humphrey and the rest of the Ravens secondary to make several big plays in the passing game on Sunday.
Marquise Brown
Marquise Brown, otherwise known as Hollywood, will face off against his former team on Sunday for the first time since being traded two off-season’s ago. Brown became disgruntled with his usage in the Ravens offense following the 2021 season in which he caught a career high 91 passes for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns. The Ravens traded Brown and a third round pick to the Cardinals in exchange for the Cardinals first first round pick in 2022. The Ravens would use the Cardinals pick to trade back with the Buffalo Bills to pick number 25 which turned into Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum.
Since becoming a Cardinal, Brown has turned into the Cardinals number one receiver catching 32 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns so far this season. Brown remains a speedy an elusive receiver that has largely been failed by the inconsistency at the quarterback position in his two season in Arizona. The Ravens know what to expect from Brown and know his big play ability should be respected as he can change the landscape of a game.
Prediction
The 2023 Arizona Cardinals are a bad football team plain and simple. By the end of the year they will without a doubt be in the conversation for the number one pick in April’s draft, and will presumably be moving on from former number one overall pick, quarterback Kyler Murray.
But, it is the NFL, and the Cardinals have been fairly competitive despite their poor record. The Cardinals lone win did come against the Dallas Cowboys, who at the time was 2-0 and had outscored their opponents 70-10 prior to facing the Cardinals. In the Cardinals six losses they have lost by an average of 11 points, meaning they have given themselves opportunities to win games. Sunday is a prime spot for a let up game for the Ravens coming off a big win then hitting the road against scrappy but inferior opponent.
The Ravens knew they could have played even better last week against the Lions, and that kind of mentality heading into a game like this and the way the Ravens have played defensively, since the start of the year, and the Cardinals simply do not have the roster to be competitive against a great team . Turnovers will be hard to come by for the Ravens as Joshua Dobbs has been careful with the ball only throwing 3 interceptions, but he has been sacked 15 times, with three coming last week. With all that said I don’t see how the Cardinals have anything for the Ravens as the Ravens roll to another blowout victory. Ravens win 34-6.
Line: Baltimore -10
Over/Under: 44.5
All-Time Record: Baltimore leads series 5-2
Last Meeting: 9/15/19 Baltimore 23-17
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