With the Ravens trying to win a third straight game and secure their first ever victory in Minnesota on Sunday afternoon, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. The Ravens found a way against Chicago in a must-win game. A Thursday road win should never be taken for granted, but it came against dismal, dysfunctional Miami. Sunday’s a step up in weight class with Minnesota coming off a victory more impressive than any of Baltimore’s in 2025.
2. The Vikings owned the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball against Detroit, which is notable after the Lions did that against the Ravens in Week 3. The transitive property of NFL matchups is regularly proven wrong, of course, but it’s no secret the trenches are Baltimore’s weakness.
3. Though Dre’Mont Jones has mostly lined up outside the last two seasons, the Ravens haven’t shied away from his versatility being an appealing factor in acquiring him. He’s not going to fix all that ails the pass rush, but I’m interested to see how Zach Orr deploys Jones.
4. A blitz-happy Brian Flores smothered Lamar Jackson in a 2021 loss in Miami that John Harbaugh described Monday as “a key game in the evolution of the offense.” Jackson has improved markedly against man blitzes, but those remain a relative weakness. Minnesota ranks second in the NFL in blitz rate.
5. I can’t remember the Ravens playing back-to-back games without anyone carrying a game status designation, so they’ll certainly enjoy that degree of health while it lasts. Meanwhile, Vikings running back Aaron Jones (shoulder) expressed optimism Friday that he’ll be ready to play. His availability and effectiveness could prove pivotal.
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6. Returning from a five-game absence, J.J. McCarthy showed some impressive poise in a divisional road upset, but he completed 56% of his passes for 143 yards, illustrating his limitations. That said, he has the athleticism to create problems in scrambling situations if Baltimore doesn’t get to the second-year quarterback.
7. We’ll see if Nate Wiggins travels with Justin Jefferson, but this could be an intriguing matchup that garners the second-year cornerback acclaim if he can prevent arguably the NFL’s best wide receiver from wrecking the game. That said, Jordan Addison is no slouch as a No. 2 wide receiver either.
8. If Minnesota hopes to slow down Jackson, Vikings linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman will need to be as dynamic as they were against Detroit. Van Ginkel is a high-impact edge defender, and Cashman will be a pivotal piece if Minnesota spies Jackson like Detroit and Kansas City did.
9. Improvement in the red zone has been massive to the defensive turnaround as the Ravens rank third in the NFL in red-zone touchdown percentage (27.3%) over the last three games after ranking 31st at 76% over the first five weeks, per Sharp Football. Still bending plenty, but less breaking.
10. After a breakout night for Baltimore’s tight ends in Miami, it’s worth noting the Vikings have surrendered big days to Detroit’s Sam LaPorta and the Chargers’ Oronde Gadsden the last two weeks. Mark Andrews is 18 receiving yards from eclipsing Derrick Mason for the franchise’s career record.
11. The Ravens and Vikings have played some memorable games, but this being just the third meeting in Minneapolis in Baltimore’s 30-year franchise history is pretty crazy. U.S. Bank Stadium is one of the league’s loudest environments, so we’ll see how this maligned offensive line handles the noise.
12. Are the Ravens still the top-tier AFC contender most expected before the nightmare start or merely a playoff contender in a weak division? This game serves as an eyeball test and a pivotal outcome in terms of playoff probability. The same holds true for Pittsburgh playing the Chargers Sunday night.
Prediction: November is such a critical month for the 3-5 Ravens to right themselves in the standings and preserve what little margin for error remains for December when the schedule’s difficulty — on paper — picks up again. That said, the Vikings (4-4) made quite a statement upsetting the Lions on the road last week and are healthier and more confident than they’ve been since the opening week of the season, which makes a fast start critical for Baltimore in what will be a loud environment. You’d like to believe the extra time to prepare after a Thursday win in Miami should lead to a good defensive plan to confuse McCarthy in only his fourth career start, but Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell is an impressive offensive mind well aware of Baltimore’s weaknesses up front. That and Flores’ defensive play-calling style make this a dangerous game despite the Ravens being favored and having a major edge at the quarterback position. I’ll predict a season-best rushing performance from Jackson factoring into a 27-23 win, but my confidence level isn’t as high as it was a week ago.
