Tag: key matchup

Ravens LB Patrick Queen vs. Jaguars RB James Robinson is our key matchup of Week 15

The Baltimore Ravens take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15 and LB Patrick Queen vs. RB James Robinson is our key matchup of the game.

The Baltimore Ravens are set to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15 of the 2020 season. It’s a game Baltimore is expected to win, however, the team does have a history of playing down to opponents. Baltimore will have to be careful not to overlook Jacksonville, especially in what is all but a must-win scenario.

As is always the case, the Ravens will be looking for a full-team effort to take down their opponent this week. But as is usually the case, certain individual matchups will carry a little more weight in determining the winner of this game. For this game, it’s Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen vs. Jaguars running back James Robinson.

There haven’t been a lot of bright spots for Jacksonville this year but Robinson has certainly been one of them. The underrated rookie out of Illinois State has rushed 224 times for 1,035 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns. He’s also a proven threat as a receiver, accumulating 46 receptions for 326 yards and two touchdown catches. The Jaguars’ offense flows through Robinson, so if Baltimore wants to slow down Jacksonville, their first concern should be stopping Robinson.

One of the players on the Ravens’ defense who will be key in containing Robinson is Queen. He’s had an up-and-down rookie season, at times looking like an inexperienced rookie in some games only to look like a Defensive Rookie of the Year contender in others.

Queen has a team-leading 92 tackles along with two sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception, and one touchdown return. While he’s struggled in coverage as well as being in the right place at times, he’s been a pleasant surprise for a first-year player, especially considering that there was no preseason and a limited offseason in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Queen will be tasked with stopping Robinson at the second level of Baltimore’s defense. Players like Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams, and Derek Wolfe will eat up blockers, giving Queen free lanes to the runner. If he can win one-on-one battles on first and second down by scraping down the line and meeting the ball carrier in the hole, it should force the Jaguars into many third-and-long situations.

If Baltimore can make Jacksonville’s offense one-dimensional by taking away their running game early, it should make things easier on their defense. Queen will be a big part of that, so if he has a big game, it should bode extremely well for the Ravens.

Ravens DT Calais Campbell vs. Colts QB Philip Rivers is the key matchup of Week 9

The Baltimore Ravens will need a big game out of Calais Campbell while the Indianapolis Colts need Philip Rivers to be at his best in Week 9

The Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts both come into this week sitting at 5-2 and second place in their respective divisions. In a contest that could have serious playoff implications down the road, the star players on each side will have to bring their ‘A’ game if they hope to secure a victory. The key matchup for this week will be Ravens defensive tackle Calais Campbell vs. Colts quarterback Philip Rivers.

Both players shared a unique narrative coming into this season — the seasoned veteran looking to help take a contending team to prominence.

The Ravens acquired Campbell this offseason in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 34-year-old has recorded 4 sacks in the first 7 games as the Baltimore defense has lived up to its preseason standards allowing just 18.9 points per game.

Rivers is in his first season with the Colts after spending 16 seasons with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, 14 of them as the full-time starter. So far for Rivers, he has 1,860 passing yards with 10 touchdowns to 6 interceptions on the season with a 97.3 passer rating. While these numbers may not jump off of the page, the savvy veteran has the Colts in a position to play their way into the postseason. Indianapolis had hoped to make a championship leap a season ago, but with the unexpected retirement of Andrew Luck, they were unable to make it back to the playoffs.

In order for the Ravens to secure a victory this Sunday, there is no doubt a focal point will be to get after Rivers and not allow him time to make easy decisions. With cornerback Marlon Humphrey out after testing positive for COVID-19 and the secondary at less than full strength, it will put more pressure on Campbell, Yannick Ngakoue, and Matthew Judon to make their presence felt.

Campbell has found some success this season getting after the quarterback. In addition to leading the team in sacks, Campbell’s is tied for the top spot with five tackles for a loss and sits in second with 10 quarterback hits. On the flip side, Rivers hasn’t been pressured very often this year (14.6%) but has found plenty of success under duress throughout his career, leading the NFL in passing yards when pressured last season. Both Campbell and Rivers will need to strike a balance between being aggressive enough without committing any major errors.

These two teams currently sit in the top-two wild card spots in the AFC playoff picture. That amplifies this matchup for the current standing as well as a potential tiebreaker if necessary come January. Both Campbell and Rivers know all too well the importance of every game and building momentum toward a playoff run.

While Campbell and Rivers have had potential Hall of Fame careers up to this point, a Super Bowl ring has eluded them both. With so much at stake in this game, you can bet both teams are primed and ready to take the field this Sunday for a tightly contested contest.

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