The Baltimore Ravens are not a team you want to play from behind against, given how well they run the ball and generate pressure on the quarterback. Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Rams, their defense has been the worst in the NFL when it comes to preventing touchdowns on opening drives.
It’s something that’s plagued Los Angeles all season, regularly giving up points on opponents’ opening drives, often forcing the offense to play from behind early. According to Stathead (h/t Greg Auman), the Rams have given up six opening-drive touchdowns to their opponents in just 12 games.
That’s the most of any team in the NFL, and the average length of those touchdown drives are 11.3 plays, 77.2 yards and on average, take 6:11 off the clock. The Rams offense is pretty good on its opening drives, scoring four touchdowns (tied for sixth-most) in 12 games, but this game is about slowing down Baltimore’s offense on its first drive of the game.
The Ravens rank second in the NFL in opening-drive touchdowns with six, so they’ll certainly have the edge against Los Angeles’ defense on the first drive of the game. By the same token, the Rams could struggle to put up points on their opening possession, with Baltimore allowing only one touchdown on its opponents’ first drives of the game.
The Rams will want to start fast and grab an early lead against the Ravens to prevent them from skewing toward the run and unleashing their pass rushers on defense, but that could be a real challenge on Sunday.