Baltimore's beleaguered defense could desperately use a break.
What the Ravens have instead is a date with Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and the Los Angeles Rams, who rank second in the NFL in total offense.
After the Ravens gave up 44 points in last week's loss to Houston — and 177 through five games — it may seem like there's nothing they can do to slow down the Rams on Sunday. But Baltimore is going to try. The Ravens made a trade this week, acquiring safety Alohi Gilman. They also signed safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the practice squad.
Baltimore (1-4) will be without star quarterback Lamar Jackson for a second straight game. The Ravens are expected to have safety Kyle Hamilton back after he missed last weekend with a groin injury. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf) returns as well. Linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring) is still out, and defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) has been lost for the season.
Of course, even a healthy defense would have its hands full against Los Angeles. Stafford leads the NFL with 1,503 yards passing. Nacua leads in both catches (52) and yards receiving (588). Nacua is the first player to reach 50 catches in the first five games of a season.
“They do a lot of motions and shifts,” Baltimore defensive coordinator Zach Orr said. “They probably motion more than any team in the National Football League. So, we have to make sure that we are aligned right, that we’re aligned quickly and we’re communicating and on the same page so we can give ourselves a chance.”
The Rams (3-2) are coming off an overtime loss to San Francisco. Their other defeat was at Philadelphia on a blocked field goal in the final seconds.
“You want to talk about two gut punches in terms of how we’ve lost the two games that we have,” coach Sean McVay said. “We’re a couple execution plays away from being a 5-0 team, but the reality is we’re 3-2.”
The first six games of Baltimore's schedule includes five matchups with division winners from last season. Now the Ravens face the prospect of losing all five of them — which would have sounded absurd just a month ago for a team that was considered a Super Bowl contender.
Baltimore will have a much-needed open date after facing the Rams, but the injuries that have wreaked havoc with the lineup have led to the Ravens being underdogs by about a touchdown this week — even though they're playing at home.
Even as Baltimore gradually becomes healthier, a 1-5 start would be quite a hole to dig out of.
Although Baltimore’s run defense has been porous, Los Angeles’ rushing offense is a pedestrian 21st in the league with 112.2 yards per game. Kyren Williams has 368 yards while getting roughly 80% of the Rams’ running back carries, but his two fumbles — most notably his goal-line blunder against San Francisco last week — and a handful of key dropped passes have badly compromised the Rams’ effectiveness. Blake Corum has been inconsistent as Williams’ backup, and rookie fourth-round pick Jarquez Hunter has yet to get an offensive snap, likely because he’s not trusted to be an NFL-level blocker.
The Ravens had only 40 offensive plays in a 44-10 loss to the Texans — not the type of performance that was needed to keep their struggling defense off the field. Baltimore has a league-high nine touchdowns of at least 20 yards this season, but the Ravens are 31st in the NFL in time of possession and haven't been able to sustain a consistent running attack after years of dominance in that area.
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken said the offense is in a “rut” — and he hopes that can be overcome soon.
“When I said a rut, a rut is usually small. Then maybe it’s a ditch, and then maybe it’s a canyon,” he said. “But right now, we consider that a rut.”
Whoever is behind center for the Ravens will face a challenge from Los Angeles’ impressive pass rush. The Rams are third in the NFL with 15 sacks, and Byron Young ranks second with 5 1/2, stepping up his game in his third NFL season and becoming an elite edge rusher. Jared Verse also remains very difficult to stop, generating his 100th career quarterback hurry last week against San Francisco in just his 22nd game. The Rams get to the quarterback even with one of the NFL’s lowest blitz rates — and they probably can’t afford to blitz much, given the mediocre play of their cornerbacks this season.
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