NFL Monday Lions vs Ravens

We got the Lions on Monday Night Football. Last year, the Lions gave us a couple bangers on MNF.

I think we know the Lions offense this year isn't going to be quite as explosive but they did show us some of it last week.

So will we see another 40+ point Monday Night performance from the Lions? Well we need to figure out what we think of the Baltimore defense. The numbers really don't look good so far this season.

Now obviously, we don't think the Ravens defense is bad... but they did get off to a slow start last year so it's not crazy to say we might have to be cautious about trusting this defense right now. Especially since they're missing pieces. Madubuike is right up there with Kyle Hamilton and Roquon Smith as one of the most important pieces on this defense. Kyle Van Noy is solid also. The Ravens with serious holes on this defensive front.

So even though this Lions offensive line isn't quite the same as last year, this might be a game where Detroit is able to generate push and run the ball. Obviously, having Taylor Decker active would be a huge advantage. He practiced on Friday and sat out of practice Saturday. It says he sat out Saturday's practice for "rest" though... so we'll see. I personally think he's going to play.

We saw Cleveland running the ball on Baltimore last week... now they were down in this game and some of these numbers mighta came against a Ravens defense that was sitting back in coverage. But with the injuries to the Ravens defensive front, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Lions running the ball in this game.

Now on the other side of the ball, this is where we really need to see a bounceback from the Ravens because the offense didn't look great against the Browns last week. Baltimore had no run game what-so-ever.

Now I gotta say... after seeing what this Cleveland defense just did to Green Bay... that now makes 3 games this year where the Browns defense looked unbelievable. And those 3 games were against Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Jordan Love. So the Browns defense might just be out of this world... and we shouldn't overreact to this.

But I'm also thinking this Lions defense might be slightly under-valued. First impressions can really have an effect on your perception of things... and we all remember how the season started. Green Bay was just marching up and down the field on the Lions and we were all kinda like "ok so the Lions defense is trash".

What may be slipping under the radar a bit... is the fact that since halftime of that Week 1 game against the Packers, Detroit's been playing excellent defense.

You look at the Lions defensive numbers on the season... it doesn't look good at all. But the 2nd half against Green Bay was great... and the Bears put up almost half their total yards for the game in the 4th quarter when Detroit was up 30 points. So I think this Detroit defense might be a bit better than the numbers are showing right now.

And specifically, they're looking really strong against the run... which comes in clutch when you're playing Baltimore.

The problem is... just like the Baltimore defensive line, the Lions defensive line is missing pieces also. Now the good news is all of the "QUESTIONABLE" tags look like they're going to play... and McNeill has been out. He hasn't played yet this season. So the only new injury is Marcus Davenport... which is definitely a key loss.

So can the Lions stop the Ravens rushing attack? I'm gonna go with probably not... and what may be even more concerning is the fact that Detroit can't seem to get a pass rush going to save their lives. This dates back to the 2nd half of last season... we kinda chalked it up to injuries... and yes they still are dealing with injuries. But the problem doesn't seem to be solved. This is a problem... because Lamar Jackson with a clean pocket is the most dangerous offensive weapon in the NFL. Not only has he developed as a passer... but when he has time to get set, he almost always makes the 1st pass rusher miss. The times we see Lamar Jackson struggle are where the pass rush is disruptive and he's feeling pressure before he gets set in the pocket. That's not Detroit at all.

Baltimore may be a really tough matchup for the Lions... and we saw it a couple years ago. Obviously, it's two years later. But that Lions team mighta been better than this Lions team. Meanwhile, I think this version of the Ravens might be better than the 2023 version.

I believe this Baltimore offense is the best in the NFL. Also this is historically a spot you can trust the Ravens. Harbaugh's got an excellent record in prime time games. Lamar Jackson at home in prime time games.