Being 3-0 usually wins you a few fans, unless you’re the Baltimore Ravens. The unbeaten AFC North club still has a lot to prove against the Oakland Raiders in Week 4.
The Silver and Black will arrive at M&T Bank Stadium on the back of an impressive win against the Tennessee Titans. It was a game featuring some improvement from what had been a very leaky Raiders defense.
The Ravens have the weapons to produce some big plays against Oakland, though. Provided quarterback Joe Flacco improves after some stunted displays through three weeks.
Here’s Sports Illustrated‘s Greg A. Bedard summing up what’s been wrong with Flacco recently: “Joe Flacco has thrown three touchdowns against four interceptions and has a 77.4 passer rating. That is nowhere near good enough.”
Flacco’s struggles showed up via two interceptions during Week 3’s road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Problems with the pass attack combined with a limp running game to force the Ravens into settling for four field goals and a rare Flacco scoring scamper in Florida.
Still, he’s not short of of options to get the ball to. Wide receivers Steve Smith Snr., Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman can all stretch defenses deep. Yet, the real key to reviving the Ravens offense lies in getting Justin Forsett back on track.
The patient runner hasn’t looked the same since Gary Kubiak left town with his zone-stretch running game in 2015. As a result, Baltimore’s ground game is ranked 26th in the NFL, per the league’s official site.
However, Forsett should welcome the sight of the Raiders’ 30th-ranked rush defense given his current struggles. Oakland’s problems stopping the run are a surprise considering how head coach Jack Del Rio loves to stack the line of scrimmage. The Raiders also pack plenty of beef along their defensive line, thanks to 660-plus pound tackle tandem Dan Williams and Justin Ellis.
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Baltimore offensive coordinator Marc Trestman should spread the Raiders out with multiple receivers and keep them out of their base defense. Then Williams and Ellis won’t see the field often, and Forsett might have some joy running out of single-back sets.
Date: Sunday, October 2
Start Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: Baltimore, MD
Venue: M&T Bank Stadium
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: NFL Sunday Ticket MAX (Subscription required)
Mobile: Verizon NFL Mobile (subscription required)
The Raiders have the talent on offense to force Flacco and his struggling unit to keep pace. Oakland quarterback Derek Carr and a group of receivers led by Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper could cause the Ravens D’ problems. It will be up to Flacco and Forsett to pose a few more of their own.