The Detroit Lions are heading to The Bank as they'll be facing the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night for our spotlight game of Week 3!
Both teams are coming off major wins last week. Detroit's 52 points last week against the Chicago Bears are the most points scored by any team so far this season. Meanwhile, Baltimore, spearheaded by the NFL's No. 1 scoring offence, was the only team in the league to score at least 40 points in each of their first two games.
Detroit will be looking for revenge after the Ravens gutted them back in 2023 by a brutal score of 38-6. Baltimore has won five straight against the Lions and are 6-1 all-time.
Ravens starters Nnamdi Madubuike (DT), Kyle Van Noy (LB), Isaiah Likely (TE), and Pat Ricard (FB) are all out for the Monday night matchup after not practicing this week. As for the Lions, EDGE rusher Marcus Davenport is the only play that has been ruled out after not practicing all week due to a chest injury.
Baltimore are 4.5-point favourites over the Lions, now marking three straight weeks of being the favourites, with the over-under set at 53.5 - the highest of any game in Week 3.
So, who will come out on top in a battle of the league's best offences? Let's break it down.
Baltimore Ravens
After blowing a 40-25 lead in Week 1 to the now 3-0 Buffalo Bills, the Ravens did what everyone expected them to do with the Browns - burying them. Despite being completely stuffed in the run game by Cleveland's underrated front seven, quarterback Lamar Jackson had no issues with being forced to throw to put up points.
However, what most don't realize is that the Browns have the No. 1 defence in football, especially after holding the Green Bay Packers to a measly 10 points on Sunday. Meanwhile, Detroit is middle of the pack in both run defence and pass defence, giving the Ravens' offence a lot more room for big plays.
On the flip side of their top-tier offence, Baltimore has the second-worst pass defence (yet again). They did manage to force an interception and fumble recovered for a touchdown last week, but they'll be going up against a much more pristine offence than the one Cleveland brought forth.
Here's what the Baltimore Ravens need to do to beat the Detroit Lions.
First, their defensive line needs to target the Lions' guards. Both Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratledge have let up three of the four sacks this season and half of the team's QB pressures (8-16).
With Van Noy out, their EDGE rush is going to have problems against the Lions tackles in Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell. And now with their dominant force in Madubuike being out, they're going to need to incorporate blitz packages to throw the Lions guards off if they want any hope of pressuring quarterback Jared Goff.
The Ravens need to understand they don't have the luxury of sending just three or four guys after Goff. They don't have a Micah Parsons, T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, or Trey Hendrickson. So they need to send at least five guys if they have any hope of pressuring Goff.
Secondly, get on wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown like glue. Do not let him get into open space. A third of his yards this season come from after the catch. He's also tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns (3) for a reason.
Placing Nate Wiggins on St. Brown would be ideal for Baltimore while having Marlon Humphrey on Jameson Williams, who also has a big chunk of YAC after two games. Don't play conservative Cover 2 defence or the Lions will eat that 31st-ranked pass defence alive.
Lastly, pound the rock and don't get pass-happy if they go down a touchdown. Baltimore has a panic tendency for some unknown reason. But Detroit is going to score points. They're a very well put-together offence that isn't the same from 2023 when the Ravens held them to six points.
Take Derrick Henry's Week 2 performance with a grain of salt - Cleveland's front seven is a force to be reckoned with. The Ravens need to bully that Lions front seven and never let up, even for a second. Keep the high motor offense, regardless of whether they're up by one score or four.
Detroit Lions
Defence aside for one moment, the Lions' offence is good enough to make them a Super Bowl contender. They've proven that they can do just fine without former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, and I'm sure that'll continue on Monday night.
They were stumped in Week 1 against a stout Green Bay Packers defence, but bounced back against the Bears in Week 2 in a major way. However, the question is whether or not their defence can hold up just enough for Goff and company to keep them ahead on the scoreboard.
Detroit won 40-34 in their Monday night road matchup against the San Francisco 49ers last season and this game definitely poses the opportunity for a similar shootout.
Here's what the Detroit Lions need to do to beat the Baltimore Ravens.
First, as much as attacking the A-gap between center Tyler Linderbaum and guard Daniel Faalele seems ideal, it'll just force Lamar outside, where he'll make them regret it.
Collapsing the pocket, whether by sending defensive backs on the blitz or sending pressure up the middle, while having the ends go downfield to collapse the pocket, they have to attack the Ravens in some way.
Jackson is going to make the defence look stupid no matter what the game plan is. And Derrick Henry is undoubtedly going to to be fed on Monday night.
But they have got to find a way to force the Ravens into a three-and-out at least a few times to give their offence a chance to do what they do best - score.
Second, get running back Jahmyr Gibbs going and going early. The Ravens don't have the same run defence they once had. Establishing a run opens up everything else in an offence, especially this one for the Lions.
If Detroit can break open some lanes for Gibbs, Baltimore is going to have an incredibly tough time winning this game. Dating back to last season, Baltimore is 3-4 when they give up more than 100+ yards on the ground.
Lastly, keep attacking the middle of the field through the air. Two of St. Brown's biggest gains last week were crossing routes 15+ yards down the middle of the field. Baltimore tends to become lackadaisical in zone coverage.
Using tight end Sam LePorta in seam routes, or even doing the Travis Kelce method of running behind the linebackers in their hook zones and sitting in an open spot, will get the Lions critical first downs when they'll need them the most.
Lions vs. Ravens preview roundup
Jackson has thrown 22 touchdowns and not a single interception in Monday night games throughout his career, making him basically an unstoppable force in primetime. He has the highest passer rating in NFL history for a reason. It's not far-fetched to say he's impossible to contain, let alone stop.
Since John Harbaugh became the head coach in 2008, Baltimore has the best record (43-19) in primetime.
Detroit will need to rely on their guys like Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph to come up huge in this game, the latter being the league-leader in interceptions last season. Joseph already has one this year and Monday night would be a perfect time for him to grab his second.
The DB combo will go up against one heck of a test with DeAndre Hopkins, Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Mark Andrews, Tylan Wallace, and Devontez Walker lining up opposite them.
