Overwhelming Majority Pick Baltimore to Win in Minnesota
In Week 9, the Ravens did something they hadn't done to that point this season – win two games in a row.
This Sunday, they'll look to do something they've never done – win in Minnesota. Baltimore is 0-2 against the Vikings there, losing in 2009 and 2017.
But that's ancient history. The 2025 Ravens are trending up after a disappointing start.
The Ravens suffered a slew of injuries earlier in the season, but they haven't had a single player on the injury report this week. After being sidelined for three games with a hamstring injury, Lamar Jackson returned in Week 9 and threw four touchdown passes in a 28-6 victory over the Dolphins in Miami. The defense, which was hit especially hard by injuries, has had an amazing turnaround, allowing just 13 points per game over the past three contests.
Baltimore (3-5) has momentum, but the Vikings (4-4) are a strong team that's coming off an impressive 27-24 upset of the Lions in Detroit. That said, an overwhelming majority of pundits we sampled (54 of 63) picked the Ravens to win.
Here's what pundits are saying about the game:
The two keys to a Ravens victory are …
The Baltimore Sun’s Sam Cohn: "Don't let Justin Jefferson run rampant and don't let Brian Flores' funky blitz package stall out the offense. The Ravens won't be perfect at either, they'll do enough to pull within one game of .500."
Jackson gives the Ravens the advantage.
A to Z Sports’ Brentley Weissman (via “The Mina Kimes Show”): "Lamar is 23-4 when facing NFC teams. It's crazy. I think a lot of it is these coaches don't know how to prepare for him because they don't see him enough, but he just destroys NFC teams. So, I'm going to take Lamar and I think they're going to get a win on the road."
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox: "The Ravens are on the road, their defense is getting better but still not great, and Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy can create some mismatches. However, Lamar Jackson is healthy, so I have to back the Ravens against a QB with three career starts."
USA Today’s Joe Hoefling: "Everyone is so quick to accept J.J. McCarthy once again after the win over Detroit. He only completed 56% of his passes. Baltimore's defense may be subpar, but Lamar Jackson more than makes up for it."
The Ravens' additions at edge rusher could be the difference.
The Baltimore Banner’s Brandon Weigel: "Baltimore's defense is back to creating turnovers and shutting down the run, and the potential activation of two new edge rushers in practice squad signee Carl Lawson and trade acquisition Dre'Mont Jones could help them finally figure out the pressuring-the-quarterback part of the equation."
If the Ravens' running game gets rolling, it'll be much tougher for the Vikings to win.
The Athletic’s J.J. Bailey: "If Jackson (who is again playing MVP football) can establish any semblance of a passing game, it'll free Derrick Henry up to punish Minnesota's (relatively) weak run defense. As the Dolphins just learned, once Henry gets going, it's like trying to tackle a particularly violent ice cream truck, so preventing that has to be first priority. Otherwise, they'll need more from McCarthy than just a few good throws, and he's yet to show he can fill that order."
It could be a big day for tight end Mark Andrews.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley: "Tight end Mark Andrews, who scored two touchdowns in his last game, needs 18 yards to surpass Derrick Mason and become the franchise's all-time leader in receiving yards. He could be primed for another big game against a Vikings defense that has struggled to contain tight ends the past two weeks in the Chargers' Oronde Gadsden II (77 yards and a touchdown) and Lions' Sam LaPorta (97 yards and a touchdown)."
The Vikings will end the Ravens' winning streak.
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec: "The Ravens look like a team gathering momentum, but I don't like this matchup for them at all. Brian Flores blitzed Jackson and the Ravens off the field in their last meeting several years ago. The interior of the Ravens' offensive line is suspect and Jackson is probably still not 100 percent. I don't think the Ravens will be able to overcome their mistakes in a very tough place to play."
CBS Sports’ John Breech: "I definitely don't trust J.J. McCarthy just yet and if the Ravens could get any pressure on the quarterback, I'd probably lean toward Baltimore, but they haven't been able to do that this year. Even the Ravens know they've struggled to get pressure on the QB, which is why they added Dre'Mont Jones in a trade on Monday night. Jones might eventually help Baltimore's defense, but I don't think he'll help much this week."
| Source | Prediction | Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| ESPN | 8 of 11 panelists pick Ravens | |
| USA Today | 6 of 6 panelists pick Ravens | |
| NFL Network | 9 of 10 panelists pick Ravens | |
| Sporting News | Ravens 27, Vikings 24 | “Lamar Jackson is back to make the Ravens' offense sizzle and they have found some defensive answers. J.J. McCarthy provided a similar spark to the Vikings. This should be a high-scoring game with plenty of purple points. Baltimore's sudden steadiness plus Minnesota's inconsistency leads to a predictable result.” — Vinnie Iyer |
| CBS Sports | 7 of 8 panelists pick Ravens | “Both of these teams got much-needed victories last week with the Vikings really impressing in beating the Lions on the road. The Ravens came to life at Miami and I think that will carry over here. Brian Flores will challenge Lamar Jackson in a big way with his schemes, but I think Jackson will get the best of him with his legs and his arm. Ravens take it.” — Pete Prisco |
| Sports Illustrated | 5 of 7 panelists pick Ravens | |
| Baltimore Sun | 5 of 6 panelists pick Ravens | "This Ravens team, riding a two-game win streak acting more like the confident but not complacent group that has won them games in recent years, should be an even cleaner version of who they’ve been since the bye week." – Sam Cohn |
| Baltimore Banner | 6 of 7 panelists pick Ravens | “This is a litmus test for the Ravens’ rebirth. If they really are on an upward trajectory, they’ll have too much firepower for the Vikings. … There will be tense moments in a deafening road environment, but the gap between the two quarterbacks is enough reason to back the Ravens.” – Childs Walker |
| NFL.com | 5 of 5 panelists pick Ravens | “Is it possible Minnesota's physical, blitz-heavy front stalls Baltimore's pass game? Yes. Is it also possible that the Vikes' defense executes its plan well, yet Lamar Jackson – joined by future Hall of Famer Derrick Henry in the backfield – still takes over the game? Yes.” — Brooke Cerosimo |
| Pro Football Talk | 2 of 2 panelists pick Ravens | “Both teams need this one. The two-time MVP gets the edge.”— Mike Florio |
Several Analysts Are Still Picking Ravens to Win the Super Bowl
Despite the Ravens' tough start to the season, several pundits who picked them to win the Super Bowl in the preseason are sticking with their prediction.
NFL.com’s 25 analysts revisited their original Super Bowl pick, and four of them still believe the Ravens will take home the Lombardi Trophy. Only the Buffalo Bills (six) and Kansas City Chiefs (five) received more votes. Here's a look:
Dan Parr: "Ravens over Eagles. I'm sticking with my preseason prediction. The Ravens make a historic comeback, going from 1-5 to Super Bowl champions by peaking at the best possible time."
Bobby Kownack: "Ravens over Rams. Fueled by playing do-or-die football since October, Baltimore climbs out of a 1-5 hole to reach the Super Bowl, where Lamar Jackson puts the finishing touches on a comeback season for the ages."
Michael Baca: "Ravens over Eagles. Despite all the adversity Baltimore has faced so far this season, I'm going with my original Super Bowl LX matchup and winner -- Lamar Jackson leading the Ravens to glory over the defending champions after enduring a battle-tested regular season.
Brooke Cersosimo: "Ravens over Lions. It's not how you start. The Ravens fight and claw to reach the playoffs and make the most of it. They lean on one of the best players of this generation and Lamar Jackson delivers, fulfilling his draft night promise seven years ago: 'They're gonna get a Super Bowl out of me. Believe that.'"
On a side note, ESPN’s Field Yates predicted the Ravens will overtake the Pittsburgh Steelers and win the AFC North.
"Despite a 1-5 start, the Ravens find themselves in a reasonable spot to jet back to the top of a division that will almost assuredly come down to them or the Steelers," Yates wrote. "Pittsburgh's defense made a statement in its Week 9 victory over Indianapolis, but I'm not fully sold that it can keep it up weekly going forward. Baltimore's margin for error is extremely narrow, but with two games against Pittsburgh and four matchups against teams that are currently at or below .500, I'm expecting a surge."
CBS Sports' Emory Hunt not only believes the Ravens will win the AFC North, but he also thinks they will go undefeated the rest of the season.
Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame said the Ravens' attempt to make a playoff run is one of the most intriguing second-half-of-the-season storylines.
"If the Ravens get into the playoffs, they'll be one of the most dangerous teams, entering white-hot and with a two-time MVP quarterback," Verderame wrote. "For Baltimore to make such a move, it'll take near-perfect football over the final two months."
Kyle Hamilton Is Ravens' 'Fixer'
It's no coincidence that the Ravens' turnarounds on defense this season and last occurred when personnel changes allowed the team to deploy Kyle Hamilton differently.
Last year, Hamilton moved back into a more traditional safety role over the second half of the season. This year, he's moved closer to the line of scrimmage.
The Athletic's Robert Mays named Hamilton one of 10 players who have quietly shaped the season and likened him to the Winston Wolfe character in "Pulp Fiction."
"Kyle Hamilton is Winston Wolf. That's king of what's happening right now, where he's just like the fixer for the Ravens defense," Mays said. "So whenever you have a problem, we're calling Kyle Hamilton. There is no one like him, and so the fact the Ravens can just use this one person to solve whatever ails their defense in a given season is insane, but that's who he is."
Or to quote another 90's pop culture icon, “if there was a problem, yo, he’ll solve it.”
