Beatdown contributors share their bold predictions for Week 12.
The Baltimore Ravens will be hitting the road and travelling to the West coast following a three-game homestand for a primetime matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football. Here are a few bold predictions for Week 12 from the Baltimore Beatdown staff.
The Ravens will remain the top seed in the AFC with a dominant show of force in a rout heading into their long-awaited and well-deserved bye week. Los Angeles Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley might completely blow a gasket and come off the hinges in his post-game press conference after Lamar Jackson carves up his defense for season-highs in passing yards and touchdowns in a single game including a pair of long bomb scores of 40-plus yards. Gus Edwards and Keaton Mitchell will both reach the end zone on the ground and Charlie Kolar will haul in his first career touchdown.
On defense, the Ravens’ top-ranked pass rush harass Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert from start to finish as defensive tackle Justin Madubuike and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh will extend their respective sack streak. In the backend, Brandon Stephens will shut down Keenan Allen while Geno Stone and Marcus Williams will record interceptions. Veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy will be at the right place a the right time to pick up a forced fumble after Los Angeles got backed up with an excellent Jordan Stout punt and will return the loose ball for a touchdown against his former team that he played for last year. — Joshua Reed
Baltimore will take care of business in a ho-hum way. The defense will continue to dominate what is a growing pretty mediocre offense. The offense is the big story with Zay Flowers coming in a little banged up and Odell Beckham Jr. questionable. Rashod Bateman has a statement game with another score and 75-plus receiving yards. The run game also drains the clock on this one, getting the Ravens to their bye week quickly. Gus Edwards will extend his touchdown streak and Keaton Mitchell will have two explosive plays. — Zach Canter
In the first game without All-Pro Mark Andrews, the Ravens’ offense will roll. Tight end Isaiah Likely steps up big with 70-plus receiving yards and catches one of four Lamar Jackson touchdowns. Expect the Ravens to put up big numbers through the air and on the ground against one of the league’s worst defenses that just lost three-time Pro Bowl defense end Joey Bosa. It will be a quiet day on defense as the Ravens will continue to limit big plays and force Justin Herbert into a short passing script. Expect the final score to reflect a closer game than what actually plays out. — Stephen Bopst