Late for Work: What Pundits Expect in Ravens-Lions Game

Large Majority of Pundits Pick Baltimore to Beat Detroit on 'Monday Night Football'

The last time the Ravens and Detroit Lions played, Baltimore rolled to a 38-6 win two years ago on a Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium in a game that was billed as a potential Super Bowl preview.

Both teams are again regarded as Super Bowl contenders as they square off tonight in the first "Monday Night Football Game" in Baltimore since 2021.

A large majority of the pundits we sampled (52 of 62) are picking the Ravens to win again, but no one expects a blowout this time.

It's an important game for both teams, as one of them will fall to 1-2 (barring a tie).

Here's what pundits are saying about the game:

Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy being sidelined will be a challenge for the Ravens defense.

The Athletic’s Colton Pouncey: "The Ravens will be without Kyle Van Noy and Nnamdi Madubuike, and that's excellent news for the Lions. Baltimore ranked 25th in pressure rate entering Week 3, and those are two players who could've made life difficult for Jared Goff and a Lions interior offensive line that's learning how to play together. If the Ravens can't generate pressure, this one has shootout potential."

The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer: "Together, they averaged 20.5 sacks per season in 2023 and 2024, including a combined three takedowns in the win over Detroit. Last year, without either on the field, the Ravens recorded just eight of their 54 sacks. Now, with Van Noy sidelined by a hamstring injury and Madubuike by a neck injury, the Ravens' pass rush will have to embrace a youth movement. Their most disruptive defenders on the edge — Odafe Oweh, Tavius Robinson and Mike Green — and along the interior — Travis Jones and Aeneas Peebles — are all playing on rookie contracts."

The Ravens have the edge because they are really good in prime-time games – especially at home – and so is Lamar Jackson, who also dominates NFC teams.

NFL.com’s Brooke Cerosimo: "Home-field advantage should play a major role. The Ravens have the highest win percentage (.763) in home prime-time games among all NFL franchises since 1970. Not to mention, their two-time league MVP is 7-2 with 22 pass TDs and zero(!) interceptions in Monday night games – that's the most pass TDs without a pick by any player on a single day of the week all time."

Baltimore Positive’s Luke Jones: There are so many impressive — and arbitrary — stats thrown out there pertaining to Jackson, but the Ravens' 24-2 record in games he's started against NFC opponents really does encapsulate how unique he is and how much more difficult preparing for this offense is when you don't see it very often. … At less than 100%, the Baltimore defense will have its hands full against one of the deepest collections of offensive skill players it'll see all season, but I'm not betting against Jackson on the prime-time stage."

The Lions are coming off a lopsided win over the Chicago Bears, but the Ravens are not the Bears.

USA Today’s Blake Schuster: "The Lions have to be feeling great after hanging 50 on their old offensive coordinator last week. They'll come back down to Earth against a true Super Bowl contender on 'Monday Night Football.'"

Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame: "To beat the Ravens in their house, the Lions will have to be nearly perfect. Even after last week's 52–21 win over the Bears, there's not enough evidence that they can do that."

The Athletic’s Vic Tafur: "Detroit was foaming at the mouth last week against former Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson and blew the doors off the Bears. That's going to be hard to replicate, especially when some offensive line issues resurface here."

Derrick Henry might be angry, and opposing defenses won't like him when he's angry. Expect some angry runs from No. 22.

CBS Sports’ John Breech: "In Week 1, Henry had a huge game with 169 yards, but he also lost a fumble late in the fourth quarter that allowed the Bills to come back and win. In Week 2, he ran for just 23 yards. Based on how the first two weeks have gone, I feel like the Lions are going to get an angry Henry and let me just say that the last person I would ever want to tackle is an angry Henry. I have never tried to tackle a steamroller, but I feel like that's what it would be like to tackle Henry when he's angry."

The Ravens should be able to take advantage of a banged-up Lions defense.

The Baltimore Sun’s Bennett Conlin: "The Ravens look like a clear-cut Super Bowl contender with upside in all three phases. The Lions could get there, too, but I have questions about their defense with an injured Marcus Davenport highlighting the team's pass-rushing issues. Detroit's defense will return defensive tackle Alim McNeill and linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez at some point this season, but they won't be ready for Monday night."

The Baltimore Banner’s Brandon Weigel: "Detroit left tackle Taylor Decker, All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph, linebacker Jack Campbell and cornerback D.J. Reed are listed as questionable, while defensive end Marcus Davenport is out."

John Harbaugh on Balancing Consistency With Evolving

Head Coach John Harbaugh sat down for an interview with ESPN's Scott Van Pelt. Here are some excerpts from the conversation:

On being able to bounce back after disappointing losses like the one to the Bills in Week 1: "I think it starts with just having the right people. We have the right kind of people. We do a really good job here of bringing in the kind of people that are going to fit here and do well here – guys who love football, guys who want to work, guys who care about their teammates, guys who want to be on stage. They want to be in the middle of things. And when you're a leader like that, an opportunity like that is what you kind of recognize. In other words, yeah, we had a tough loss. OK, how am I going to respond to this? Because how I respond is going to kind of set the tone for who I am going forward. It's a chance to make a statement in a different kind of a way, and I think our guys do a good job of that."

On balancing consistency with evolving: "You're always evolving and growing because you always you always should know more tomorrow than you knew today, more today than you knew yesterday. So, you're growing in that sense. But also, the point is that like there's certain principles that are written in stone. Those things aren't going to change. Those are what we're based on. Those are foundational. Those are self-evident truths of football, or life, these are things that just are true. So, we're not losing those values. But the rest of you, you got to keep moving. I mean, this is ever-changing. This is strategy. This is a high-level operation. People are smart. You can't live in the same world. You can't run the same plays. You can't run the same blitzes. You can't run the same coverages. Can't be the same kickoff returns. You've always got to be finding new ways to keep it moving on people and keep surprising people and do something different. And when we don't do that, or if you're the kind of a coach that lives in like one system and 'this is me, this is what I do and everything needs to fit to what I do,' eventually people are going to overtake you and you're going to lose ground, So, always find the next thing, the next way, the next strategy, the next technique, the next advantage for your players, try to put your players in position where they have an edge over their opponent."

On his appetite for coaching still being strong in his 18th season: "Let's just be honest: We wake up in the morning, we're still alive, man. Start with that. For anybody, you have a chance to live a day of life, and who could have a better job? My dad always says, 'Attack this day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.'"

Henry Is One of the NFL's 'True Closers'

The winning formula for the Ravens is to take a lead into the fourth quarter and have Henry trample a worn-down defense.

NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks labeled Henry one of the NFL's "true closers."

"If the term 'four-minute back' is ever added to the dictionary, Henry's headshot will accompany the definition," Brooks wrote. "The five-time Pro Bowler embodies the closer role as a 6-foot-2, 252-pounder who owns a devastating stiff-arm with knockout power. Don't be misled by the high-profile fumble that helped fuel the Bills' unlikely comeback in Week 1. That was a clear anomaly.

"The two-time rushing champ rarely blows a save when the head coach gives him the ball in the clutch. Consider that he's fumbled just 22 times total, tied for the second-lowest mark of all time by any NFL player with 2,000-plus career carries. Stack that against his 11,615 rushing yards and 108 rushing touchdowns, and it's obvious The King is the perfect finisher for a Baltimore team that wants to bully its opponents into submission."

ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote about how Henry's signature stiff-arm has helped him become one of the NFL's all-time great running backs and "leave smudges on the reputations of the best defensive players in the league.

"When Henry outmuscles Pro Bowl linebackers and defensive backs, it can cause years of embarrassment, leaving more mental scars than physical ones," Hensley wrote.

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