Ravens Are Unanimous Pick to Beat Jets
After going undefeated during a three-game road swing, the Ravens return to M&T Bank Stadium Sunday looking to win their fifth in a row and get over .500 for the first time this season.
The Ravens (5-5) will face a New York Jets team led by veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who spent the first four seasons of his career in Baltimore as Joe Flacco's backup. Taylor will start in place of Justin Fields, who was benched following last week's loss to the New England Patriots.
This game looks like a mismatch, hence the Ravens being 13.5-point favorites. All 61 pundits we sampled picked Baltimore to win.
However, the Jets (2-8) have won two of their past three after an 0-7 start. They've been competitive in most of their games this season, losing to current division leaders Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, and Denver by a combined six points.
Here's what pundits are saying about the game:
The Ravens win in a blowout.
The Baltimore Sun’s Sam Cohn: "The Ravens haven't hung 40 points in a win since Week 2. Sunday could be their best and last chance, with the two-win Jets coming to town weeks after dealing away two of their best players and days after announcing a quarterback change. Playing back in Baltimore for the first time in a month with a healthy roster are both obvious pluses. New York ranks poorly in goal-to-go situations and worse than seven of nine teams the Ravens have already played at stopping teams in the red zone — a headlong hitch of Baltimore's offense."
Lamar Jackson will bounce back after a subpar performance last week.
NFL.com’s Ali Bhanpuri: "Lamar Jackson was notably not himself in last week's win over Cleveland, completing just 56 percent of his passes, with zero touchdowns and two picks for a paltry 47.6 passer rating -- easily his worst mark of the season. Perhaps his ongoing knee issue played a part, or perhaps it was more about his opponent. Or maybe it was both. I'm inclined to believe it was Cleveland. After all, No. 8 has had major problems with the Browns throughout his career: Three of his nine lowest ratings have come against his AFC North rival, including his two worst.
"So if I'm willing to write-off Lamar's Week 11 … then the question becomes, how has he previously fared against Aaron Glenn/Steve Wilks-coached defenses? Well, in his most recent five meetings with either coach (all wins), the two-time MVP has thrown for a combined nine touchdowns against two interceptions, with a much more Lamar-like 106.7 mark. And those were all without Derrick Henry by his side."
USA Today’s Joe Hoefling: "Do the Jets have Myles Garrett? No? Oh, then Baltimore all day."
CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco: "The offense still hasn't played great, but I think this is the game for Lamar Jackson to get back to looking like himself after his hamstring injury a few weeks back."
Expect the Ravens to win the turnover battle.
The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer: "Takeaways are the most reliable path to an upset for any double-digit underdog. Fortunately for the Ravens, that's a problem for the Jets. Their defense has forced one — yes, one — turnover this season. Through 10 games, they don't have an interception."
Look for another strong showing from the Ravens defense.
The Baltimore Banner’s Kyle Goon: "Tyrod Taylor should give the Jets a slight boost, even if it's just as a change-of-pace quarterback after weeks of brutal Justin Fields play. A shot down the field here or there? Sure. But this will never be an offense with an arsenal, and the Ravens have feasted upon bad offenses in recent weeks. Expect them to do it again."
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton: "Though Fields isn't an NFL-caliber pocket-passer, he provided another dimension to the offense with his legs, something Taylor can't emulate at this stage of his career. Without star wide receiver Garrett Wilson or the threat of the quarterback breaking out for 20-plus-yard gains on the ground, the Ravens should be able to shut down the Jets offense while they pile on points in their first home game in about a month."
The Jets can keep it close, especially if they work in Fields.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio: "I'd be stunned if the Jets win it, but I think they can keep it respectable with Tyrod Taylor. And I'd love to see the Jets get Justin Fields on the field. Get him in the backfield, let him do what he does. Screw with the Ravens, make them wonder what the hell's going to happen."
| Source | Prediction | Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| ESPN | 11 of 11 panelists pick Ravens | |
| USA Today | 6 of 6 panelists pick Ravens | |
| NFL Network | 10 of 10 panelists pick Ravens | |
| Sporting News | Ravens 31, Jets 10 | “The Ravens get the reduced version of the Jets' defense coming to Baltimore and will welcome that after Lamar Jackson was roughed up in Cleveland. Jackson needs a get-well game and Derrick Henry also goes back to doing his 2024 damage. The Ravens' defense [gets] another break vs. a limited offense.” — Vinnie Iyer |
| CBS Sports | 8 of 8 panelists pick Ravens | “The Jets are making a change at quarterback with Tyrod Taylor in as the starter. Does it really matter? The Ravens [have] won [four] straight to right things as they push the Steelers in the division. The offense still hasn't played great, but I think this is the game for Lamar Jackson to get back to looking like himself after his hamstring injury a few weeks back. Ravens win it.” — Pete Prisco |
| Sports Illustrated | 6 of 6 panelists pick Ravens | |
| Baltimore Sun | 6 of 6 panelists pick Ravens | “Now a .500 team again, this would be the week for the Ravens to prove they can dominate.” – Sam Cohn |
| Baltimore Banner | 6 of 6 panelists pick Ravens | “Even if Lamar Jackson struggles with his ankle injury, the Jets don’t have enough firepower to get any decent defense on its heels. A rejuvenated home crowd should help pull the Ravens through early-game struggles.” – Jonas Shaffer |
| NFL.com | 5 of 5 panelists pick Ravens | “Unless Will McDonald IV and Jermaine Johnson II can successfully fluster [Lamar Jackson] like Myles Garrett & Co. managed last Sunday, and the Jets' second-level defenders avoid taking the bait on run fakes (an area in which they've struggled), I think the Ravens' rushing and play-action attack will consistently and convincingly do damage (even with Lamar not 100 percent). The Jets’ QB change could give their pass game a bit more juice, but I'm not sure New York has the playmakers (beyond Breece Hall) to keep pace with Baltimore.” — Ali Bhanpuri |
| Pro Football Talk | 2 of 2 panelists pick Ravens | “Tyrod Taylor returns to Baltimore, and Lamar Jackson is sufficiently banged up to allow the Jets to keep it within the [13.5-point spread].”— Mike Florio |
Eddie George Says Henry Could End Up As the Greatest Running Back of All Time
Henry has an opportunity on Sunday to move within one spot of the top 10 all-time leading rushers.
Henry, who has 12,230 career rushing yards, needs 83 yards to move from No. 15 to No. 11 on the list, surpassing Hall of Famers Marcus Allen, Edgerrin James, Marshall Faulk, and Jim Brown.
Earlier this month, Henry moved up to No. 4 in career rushing touchdowns. He has 113, trailing only Emmitt Smith (164), LaDainian Tomlinson (145), Allen (123), and Adrian Peterson (120).
Given Henry's resume and the fact that the 31-year-old is still among the best running backs in the league, could he go down as the greatest running back of all time?
Former All-Pro running back Eddie George was posed the question during an appearance on FanDuel TV's "Up & Adams" show.
"He's certainly making that mark," George said. "Not just in the NFL, but from high school, college. I don't think he's ever missed a game. I think he missed one season in the NFL due to injury (he was sidelined for eight games in 2021). He's a home run hitter in a big man's body. He has 98-yard touchdown runs under his belt. He can catch passes out of the backfield. And he's still doing this at a very high level late in his career. It's a testament to what he does in the offseason.
"So, it's certainly up for debate and being in the conversation of being the greatest of all time because of what he's been able to do, consistently putting up big numbers year in and year out. It's just amazing."
Pundit Believes Jackson Will Get Back in MVP Conversation
Jackson was having another superb season before missing three games with a hamstring injury. He has led the Ravens to three straight wins since returning, but hasn't put up gaudy statistics the past two weeks.
The Baltimore Banner’s Ravens reporters debated whether the two-time MVP can return to form this season.
"I have wondered about Jackson's level of play before around this time in the season, only later to rue my doubts. I'm not getting fooled this year," Goon wrote. "Jackson doesn't look as healthy as he could be, and I'm definitely worried about the escapability and improvisation-in-the-pocket skills that elevate him from a great talent to a singular one. That being said, he's still passing at a pretty high level, and there's an opportunity to get better against defenses that aren't as good as the two he just faced. With a few prime-time matchups left, I expect Lamar to vault himself back in the MVP conversation and make us question how he ever left."
Giana Han is less convinced.
"I'm confident Jackson can, I'm just less confident he will. … If he can get on a roll, this offense could once again be unstoppable, offensive line or no offensive line, but I've been holding my breath every game, and it hasn't happened yet," Han wrote.
