Mapping a out a blueprint to success in this AFC North showdown.
The Baltimore Ravens will stay on the road in Week 12 where they travel to the West Coast to face several familiar faces in a matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football. This will mark the second straight year these two teams play each other in primetime as the Chargers look to extend their win streak to five while the Ravens aim to bounce back from a disappointing divisional loss last week.
A win would not only improve the Ravens’ record to 8-4 and give them the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Chargers in the wildcard contention standings but with the Pittsburgh Steelers falling to the Cleveland Browns, it would only put the half a game back of the top spot in the AFC North standings.
Here are five keys integral to the Ravens’ coming out on top in Week 12.
Limit Justin Herbert’s dual-threat ability
During the Chargers’ current winning streak, the quarterback run game with the Pro Bowl signal caller has been a big part of their success on offense. With the way he has been extending and making plays with his legs, he has run 21 times for 148 yards, an average of 37 yards per game and 7.04 yards per carry, and a season-high 65 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals last week.
The Ravens must maintain rush-lane integrity both on the edge and up the middle to limit Herbert’s opportunities to escape the pocket and take off with his legs. With the advantage they should have in the interior trenches, Herbert will likely get flushed out of a collapsing pocket several times in this game when that happens, making sure he can’t get to the edge and turn upfield will be key to getting Los Angeles off the field.
Thunder and Lightening running game needs to take over
Despite playing with light boxes at the highest rate in the league, the Chargers have been among the best run defenses in the league allowing the 10th fewest total rushing yards and and yards per game. However, they have yet to face a rushing attack that features the dynamic tandem of reigning league MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry. The Ravens lead the league in total rushing yards and yards per rush (5.8) and are second in yards per game (177.3). Henry leads the league in rushing yards and is tied for second in yards per attempt (6.0) behind only Jackson (6.1) who leads all quarterbacks with 584 rushing yards.
To dictate the pace of this game and keep Herbert on the sideline for extended periods of time, unleashing their most dangerous weapons in the ground game would help accomplish that goal. Jackson will also need to not be as reluctant to take and use his legs on scrambles as he was last week against the Steelers when rushing lanes presented themselves instead of waiting for someone to get open downfield because that played a part in their demise a week ago.
Keep J.K. Dobbins from getting loose on the ground
The fifth-year veteran running back is one of many former Ravens players on the Chargers roster and one of two in the offensive backfield alone. With the injury bug that plagued him and ultimately cut his career in Baltimore short finally behind him, he is thriving on the West Coast. Dobbins leads the Chargers with 726 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, both of which are more than the rest for the team combined as he is on pace to surpass 1,000 rushing yards and double-digit touchdowns for the first time in his career.
The Ravens’ 2020 second-rounder has been averaging just over 15 touches per game and hasn’t eclipsed 100-plus yards on the ground since the Chargers started the season 2-0 and would love nothing more than to record his first in eight games against his former team on a national stage. However, it will be tough sledding for Dobbins on Monday as the Ravens have the league’s second-best rush defense that is only allowing an average of 77.5 yards on the ground per game and a league-low 3.4 yards per attempt.
Don’t get carved up between the hashes through the air
Going up against a Greg Roman offense also means several passing concepts that attack the middle of the field at the intermediate and deep levels. Herbert has loved targeting veteran tight end Will Dissly down the seams and standout rookie Ladd McConkey all over but especially out of the slot. The Ravens still rank dead-last in pass defense although they appeared to have finally turned a corner last week against the Steelers in terms of not having any miscommunication or lapses in coverage.
Nevertheless, disrupting Herbert and McConkey’s connection and not allowing the Pro Bowl signal caller to gash them repeatedly will be paramount to the Ravens’ defensive effort especially if All Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith can’t play as a result of the hamstring injury he suffered last week. As soon as he exited the game, the Steelers began to have success throwing over the middle of the field to tight ends in particular so ensuring that doesn’t happen whether he is playing or not will be a top priority.
Get Zay Flowers going early again
There was a five-week stretch from 5-9 where the second-year wide receiver eclipsed 100-plus receiving yards in four games when the Ravens offense looked unstoppable and he was virtually unguardable. The 2023 first-rounder did the vast majority of his damage in the first half of those games including a career-high 132 yards and franchise record nine catches in one half in the team’s Week 6 win over the Washington Commanders. Flowers leads the Ravens with 52 receptions on 79 targets for 727 receiving yards in 11 games.
According to Pro Football Focus, he has the fourth-most explosive receptions of 15-plus yards with 22 and his 17 missed tackles forced are first among all wide receivers. He’ll be a handful and a headache for any Chargers’ defensive back he lines up against on Monday night and the earlier they get him going, to better chances the Ravens passing game has of getting on track and in rhythm.