When the Rams take the field on Monday night against the Ravens, they’ll have their work cut out for them. Not only do they need a win to remain one game back of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC wild-card race, but they’ll have to beat the hottest team in football, winners of six in a row.
The Rams’ playoff hopes don’t completely hinge on this game against Baltimore, but losing on Monday night would put the Rams two games behind the Vikings and three behind the Seahawks, who play each other in Week 13.
It’s not an insurmountable deficit, but it’s one that will be difficult to overcome.
So, how will this game against the Ravens go? The Rams are home underdogs and will have a hard time slowing down Lamar Jackson. He’s the MVP favorite right now and has led Baltimore to 39 points per game in its last four. The Ravens lead the league in scoring and their defense is second in points per game allowed since Week 7, right behind the Rams, who are No. 1.
The Rams haven’t exactly shown they’re capable of keeping up with the league’s top offenses this season, scoring just 29 points in the last two games against the Steelers and Bears. To beat the Ravens, they’ll likely need to score more than that total on Monday night.
Expect the Rams to use a lot of nickel and dime packages against Baltimore, which sounds counterintuitive given Baltimore’s run-heavy offense. However, you can’t keep up with Jackson and the speed of the Ravens with hulking linebackers all over the field.
The Rams have the secondary depth to use three safeties at a time and to consistently deploy three cornerbacks on the field, but that doesn’t account for making the correct reads against Jackson and making tackles in the open field.
The Ravens are going to move the ball almost inevitably, so this game will come down to the Rams defense getting key stops in the fourth quarter and forcing Baltimore to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns. If they can do that, they’ll have a chance.
But that’s also assuming the offense can score at least 24 points, considering the Ravens have scored no fewer than 23 in a single game this season, and at least 30 in each of the last four games. The Rams are plenty capable of lighting up the scoreboard as we saw them do early in the season and dating back to the last two years, but the offense simply hasn’t clicked in recent weeks.
Ultimately, the Ravens are going to come away with a win despite being held to their lowest point total since Week 7. The Rams will have trouble stopping Jackson, as so many other teams have, as well. Los Angeles will fall to 6-5 and put its postseason hopes on life support.
Final score prediction: Ravens 31, Rams 24