ExtremeRavens Posted 8 hours ago Posted 8 hours ago The formerly 1-5 Ravens swam furiously up from the ocean floor, reaching sea level at 5-5 to keep pace with the first-place Steelers. Their heads are “just above water,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We’re breathing.” Climbing back toward postseason relevance continues Sunday against the lowly Jets in the first of Baltimore’s three-game home stand. Who will have the advantage this weekend at M&T Bank Stadium? Ravens passing game vs. Jets pass defense Lamar Jackson did something last Sunday he’s never done. Usually, that sentence indicates some superhuman feat, something perhaps no quarterback has ever done. Not this time. In a win over the Browns, Jackson threw a pair of interceptions without a passing touchdown. Neither pick was entirely his fault, both skipping into the wrong hands. New York could be the perfect bounce-back opportunity. The Jets have not recorded an interception, the only NFL team with a goose egg on the leaderboard. They’re 27th in scoring and 20th in yards allowed per game (329.7). To make matters worse, the Jets traded away their top defensive lineman and top cornerback at the deadline, leaving an unimpressive defense on the verge of flatlining. EDGE: Ravens Jets passing game vs. Ravens pass defense Jets coach Aaron Glenn is willing to try anything to get his flailing club going offensively. Anything to inject life into the league’s least efficient passing attack (139.9 yards per game). This week, that means a change at quarterback. Glenn confirmed that he’s benching Justin Fields in favor of Tyrod Taylor, the 15-year veteran drafted by Baltimore in 2011. Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr said that he didn’t think it would be a “major difference.” In three games this season, Taylor has thrown three touchdown passes and three interceptions with a 62.3% completion rate. He’ll be tasked with facing a defense that is finally “playing to our potential,” safety Kyle Hamilton said. Since Week 8, the Ravens have one of the best defenses in football — which feels like déjà vu from a similar worst-to-first turnaround last year. Since Week 8, when they downed Chicago to kickstart this win streak, the Ravens have forced eight turnovers and sacked the quarterback seven times. They’ve allowed one passing touchdown in that stretch. Taylor has his hands full playing in Baltimore for the first time since 2016 with Buffalo. EDGE: Ravens Ravens running game vs. Jets run defense The rushing play that captured the hearts of Ravens fans this week didn’t feature lead back Derrick Henry. It was “Hurricane” — the Mark Andrews fake tush push that helped decide a win in Cleveland. That accounted for 35 of a collective 184-yard day. Henry contributed 103, his fourth best showing of the year. All told, the Ravens have one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL, even though it’s lacking familiar dominance in short-yardage or red zone situations. New York’s defense held up OK against the run last week in a loss to New England. Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson scored three touchdowns (two on the ground) but ran for just 62 yards on 19 carries. The door is cracked open for Henry to have a big day. EDGE: Ravens Jets running game vs. Ravens run defense New York’s ground game ranks near the top of the NFL, even if it hasn’t produced wins. The Jets are third in yards per play (5.02) and fifth in yards per game (141.6). Much of that is a credit to the offensive line opening lanes for Breece Hall. But Hall has only rushed for two touchdowns this season, both against a porous Bengals defense in Week 8. The dual-threat Fields was also a key cog in opening up the ground game. He kept defenses honest with his 5.4 rushing yards per attempt. An age-36 Taylor won’t break out in space as effectively. Keying in on one rushing threat should be plenty to temper New York on the ground. Against the Browns last week, rookie Quinshon Judkins burned Baltimore in the first half but went nowhere on six carries after halftime. Baltimore is wreaking as much havoc up front as it has all season. EDGE: Ravens Ravens special teams vs. Jets special teams A pair of third-phase mistakes nearly cost the Ravens in Cleveland. Rookie LaJohntay Wester muffed a punt near the end zone. And special teams ace Jake Hummel jumped offsides to give the Browns a first down. Both blunders led to field goals, not touchdowns, thanks to an admirable effort from the Ravens’ defense. The Jets made Cleveland pay for special teams lapses, returning a pair of kicks back for touchdowns. Special teams is the one unit the Jets have been able to hang their hat on under first-year coordinator Chris Banjo. Punter Austin McNamara has the best average hang time in the league (4.76 seconds) and Nick Folk is the only full-time kicker who hasn’t missed a field goal or a extra point attempt. EDGE: Jets Ravens intangibles vs. Jets intangibles It’s Week 12. Lamar Jackson has played in seven games. And he’s already matched his sack total from 2024. Opposing defenses have brought him down 23 times, marking what has been a troubling year for the Ravens’ offensive line and the slightly hurt quarterback. Detroit sacked Jackson seven times, Cleveland did it five. Each of those are tied for most and second most in a single game over his eight-year career. The Jets aren’t exactly the team to take advantage. They’re 25th in sack percentage per pass attempt, averaging 1.8 per game, while 10 of their 18 sacks were recorded in two games. So yes, Jackson and company have struggled to keep him on his feet, but the Jets aren’t likely to exacerbate that issue. EDGE: Ravens Prediction The Ravens haven’t hung 40 points in a win since Week 2. Sunday could be their best and last chance, with the two-win Jets coming to town weeks after dealing away two of their best players and days after announcing a quarterback change. Playing back in Baltimore for the first time in a month with a healthy roster are both obvious pluses. New York ranks poorly in goal-to-go situations and worse than seven of nine teams the Ravens have already played at stopping teams in the red zone — a headlong hitch of Baltimore’s offense. Now a .500 team again, this would be the week for the Ravens to prove they can dominate. Ravens 40, Jets 13 Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. View the full article Quote
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