ESPN
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Bowen |  | |
| Mike Clay | | |
| Dan Graziano | | |
| Kalyn Kahler |  | |
| Kimberley A. Martin | | |
| Eric Moody | | |
| Jason Reid | | |
| Lindsey Thiry | | |
| Seth Wickersham | |
BALTIMORE SUN
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Childs Walker | | Ravens 31, Chargers 24 “The Chargers are a balanced team capable of winning ugly. The Steelers just used that formula to beat the Ravens. Unlike Pittsburgh’s Russell Wilson, Justin Herbert will attack in the middle of the field, where the Baltimore defense is weakest. That said, Los Angeles has built its winning record and impressive defensive statistics against opponents that can’t touch the Ravens’ firepower. Cincinnati scored in bunches against the Chargers and that was without a notable running attack. If the Ravens get ahead early, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will control this one.” |
| Brian Wacker | | Ravens 30, Chargers 20 “As bad as Lamar Jackson was last week in an ugly 18-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s unlikely he’ll struggle the same way against the Chargers. Jackson is 19-5 as a starter in prime-time games, which includes an 11-1 mark in his past 12, and L.A.’s defense has benefitted from a fairly easy schedule. I also suspect Derrick Henry will get more than the 13 carries he had last week. The biggest concern for Baltimore, of course, is its defense, particularly if Roquan Smith (hamstring) is out. That could spark a big day for former Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins and tight end Will Dissly, who had four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in last week’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Still, Baltimore’s offense hasn’t had two bad games in a row and I don’t expect that to change here as coach John Harbaugh improves his record to 3-0 against younger brother Jim.” |
| C.J. Doon | | Ravens 27, Chargers 20 “If you were building a team to defeat the Ravens, it would closely resemble the Chargers. Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack can rush the passer and set hard edges. Poona Ford can hold up in the middle. Kristian Fulton, Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still can play sticky coverage. Daiyan Henley, Derwin James Jr. and Elijah Molden can tackle in space. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will not have an easy time against Jesse Minter’s defense. On the other side of the ball, L.A. has one of the league’s best quarterbacks in Justin Herbert who has taken a big step forward this season by playing much more aggressively. He’s capable of torching the Ravens’ secondary … if he had a better group of receivers. Even if rookie Ladd McConkey does play, the Ravens’ have the clear edge in offensive talent. It should be enough to win, but Baltimore needs to play a clean game to keep its offense on schedule and avoid giving the Chargers extra possessions.” |
| Tim Schwartz | | Ravens 35, Chargers 24 “The NFL’s second-highest scoring team meets the league’s stingiest defense in terms of points allowed. But before we go too much further, it’s worth noting that the Chargers have feasted on terrible teams for much of this season. Their four-game winning streak features victories over the Saints, Browns, Titans and Bengals. In their three losses, they’ve scored 10 points in two and 15 in the other. For all the talk about the Chargers’ offense, Justin Herbert and coordinator Greg Roman, they average just 22 points per game, fewer than the Steelers and middle of the pack in the NFL, and have scored more than 30 points just once — last weekend against the Bengals. It will take more than 30 points to beat the Ravens on Monday night, and nobody is more familiar with the Chargers’ scheme and personnel than John Harbaugh. They don’t call 'em the L.A. Ravens for nothing.” |
| Bennett Conlin | | Ravens 31, Chargers 24 “The Ravens have stumbled twice this season against awful teams, losing to the Browns and Raiders. The Chargers have done the opposite in their march to a 7-3 record, going 6-0 against opponents with losing records. While Los Angeles thrives on beating up bad teams, the Ravens dominated the Bills and Broncos and controlled their win over the Commanders. Even in close losses to the Chiefs and Steelers, John Harbaugh’s team showed it’s more capable of beating playoff-caliber opponents than Jim Harbaugh’s group. It’s hard to pick against Lamar Jackson in prime time.” |
BALTIMORE BANNER
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Jonas Shaffer | | Chargers 24, Ravens 23 “No matter what the Chargers coaches and players with Ravens ties say about this game, it has to matter more. Greg Roman, J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Bradley Bozeman — none of them were wanted back in Baltimore. They’ve had almost three months to remind the Ravens what they missed out on, and if a resurgent season weren’t enough, Monday’s game is another fine showcase. Lamar Jackson and Co. can’t afford another late start on offense, but a well-coached Chargers defense should give them trouble. Zach Orr needs another good game from his own unit, but it won’t be easy if Roquan Smith is unavailable.” |
| Kyle Goon | | Ravens 31, Chargers 20 “A shorthanded Ravens team still has more talented players than the Chargers, and the offense is versatile enough to keep the pass rush off Jackson’s back. The secondary started figuring some things out last week, and as good as Justin Herbert is, his targets are unexceptional. The Ravens’ strengths and overall talent level should help them in this match-up, and they ought to be motivated to prove they’re a better team than the one that stumbled in Pittsburgh.” |
| Giana Han | | Ravens 28, Chargers 24 “Despite the loss, last week’s game came with some encouragement after the defense took a step forward. The release of Eddie Jackson implies the Ravens are willing to try almost anything to get the secondary right. But if inside linebacker Roquan Smith can’t go, that will make it even harder to take another step forward. Even so, I would be surprised if Lamar Jackson doesn’t elevate his game. He’s had over a week to think about what went wrong and plan his rebound, and he has been able to overcome terrible defensive performances before.” |
| Paul Mancano | | Ravens 22, Chargers 20 “It feels reductive to make a prediction based on the status of one player — especially a non-quarterback — but Roquan Smith has that kind of effect on a game. As uncharacteristic as his 2024 season has been — PFF ranks Smith 51st at his position — he still entered Week 12 leading the NFL in tackles while playing 94% of all defensive snaps. With all the struggles this passing defense has endured this season, one shudders to think of what it would look like without Smith in the middle. If Malik Harrison starts next to Trenton Simpson, expect Justin Herbert and the Chargers to exploit the middle of the field without sympathy. If Smith plays, perhaps the Ravens’ defense can build off a strong performance in Pittsburgh.” |
| Brandon Weigel | | Ravens 27, Chargers 21 “As the GOAT Bill Belichick has said, when things don’t go well for the Ravens, it’s because they get in their own way. We saw that in Pittsburgh with all the penalties and miscues. That won’t be the case here. The Ravens’ offense, still one of the best in the NFL, will look to re-establish itself after putting up just 16 points against the Steelers, and they’ll get a good matchup with Derrick Henry going against a Chargers defense that yields 110.5 rushing yards per game. (Let’s get him more than 13 carries, please.) Coming off one of its better performances of the year, the defense is banged up, with it unclear if inside linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring) and defensive lineman Travis Jones (ankle) will play. But there should be enough pieces to string together one of those elusive games where all three phases are working.” |
USA TODAY
| Pundit | Projected Winner | Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| Jarrett Bell | | Ravens 27, Chargers 25 |
| Chris Bumbaca | | Ravens 27, Chargers 23 |
| Nate Davis | | Ravens 27, Chargers 23 |
| Tyler Dragon | | Ravens 25, Chargers 23 |
| Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz | | Ravens 28, Chargers 21 |
| Lorenzo Reyes | | Chargers 24, Ravens 23 |
NFL.com
| Pundit | Projected Winner | Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| Ali Bhanpuri | | Ravens 24, Chargers 23 |
| Brooke Cerosimo | | Ravens 27, Chargers 24 "Since Week 8, Herbert has thrown seven TDs with zero INTs and a 111.3 passer rating (both tops in the league in that span). He's also benefitted from the support of the Chargers' stingy defense, which ranks No. 1 in scoring (14.5 points per game) and second on third down (32.3 conversion rate allowed) and in the red zone (40.9 TD percentage allowed). And unlike Lamar, Herbert will face a defense that has really struggled at times and has allowed the most pass yards (284.5 yards per game) and the second-most pass TDs (22, tied). All this points in the Chargers' direction. However, they are 6-0 this season against teams currently below .500 and just 1-3 vs. teams at .500 or better. In this game, all three phases are going to be crucial -- looking at you, Justin Tucker -- and while the Ravens might have a slightly steeper hill to climb on paper, their X-factor quarterback has more experience in big games." |
| Dan Parr | | Ravens 25, Chargers 24 |
| Gennaro Filice | | Ravens 28, Chargers 24 |
| Tom Blair | | Chargers 27, Ravens 24 |
NFL NETWORK
| Pundit | Projected Winner | Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| Adam Rank | | Ravens 24, Chargers 23 |
| Colleen Wolfe | | Ravens 21, Chargers 20 |
| Marcas Grant | | Chargers 24, Ravens 21 |
| Maurice Jones-Drew | | Ravens 24, Chargers 21 |
| Nick Shook | | Ravens 26, Chargers 23 |
| Kevin Patra | | Ravens 24, Chargers 21 |
| Bucky Brooks | | Ravens 24, Chargers 21 |
| Grant Gordon | | Ravens 22, Chargers 21 |
| Eric Edholm | | Ravens 27, Chargers 26 |
SPORTING NEWS
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Vinnie Iyer | | Ravens 24, Chargers 20 “John Harbaugh's Ravens hope that Lamar Jackson can rebound vs. the Chargers, the team that thwarted him in his first playoff game. They also need the defense to stay on point vs. Justin Herbert, as Jim Harbaugh's offense can toggle between run-heavy and pass-happy, making both work. In the end, Jackson will help his team make a few more big plays than Herbert to steal another lower-scoring classic.” |
CBS SPORTS
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Pete Prisco | | |
| Will Brinson | | |
| Jared Dubin | | |
| John Breech | | |
| Ryan Wilson | | |
| Tyler Sullivan | | |
| Dave Richard | | |
| Jamey Eisenberg | |
PRO FOOTBALL TALK
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Florio | | Chargers 31, Ravens 30 “Thanksgiving week starts with the perfect kind of family awkwardness.” |
| Chris Simms | | Chargers 27, Ravens 24 |
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Albert Breer | | |
| Mitch Goldich | | |
| Gilberto Manzano | | |
| Connor Orr | | |
| John Pluym | | |
| Matt Verderame | |
