With the Ravens eyeing their fourth straight win in hosting NFC West-leading Seattle on Sunday, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. This matchup looks like a good test for both teams with Seattle aiming to score its most impressive win of the season and Baltimore beginning a stretch of three straight against teams sporting winning records. As the Ravens themselves noted, “These November home games can lead to January home games.”
2. The cost of acquiring Chase Young was intriguing, but I was otherwise OK with Baltimore standing pat at the trade deadline compared to deals that were made. Face it, this team is already a legitimate contender if Lamar Jackson is healthy, and nothing else really matters if he isn’t.
3. Though the Ravens are in good shape with injuries, it’ll be interesting to see if they play it safe with Marcus Williams, who’s been limited in practices returning from a hamstring strain. With Geno Stone playing so well, why rush someone who was already playing through a pectoral injury?
4. Whenever Williams returns, I expect to see more of Kyle Hamilton at the nickel, but Seattle’s slot options — veteran Tyler Lockett and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba — are on the smaller side, which may make Arthur Maulet the better choice for the slot in this matchup. Mike Macdonald has plenty of options.
5. Geno Smith was one of the NFL’s best stories last year, but he hasn’t been as sharp in 2023, especially with five interceptions over the last three games since Seattle’s Week 5 bye. That said, his play-action passing has been excellent, and he has dangerous playmakers.
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6. Leonard Williams was a notable deadline addition this week, but the Seattle defensive line isn’t regarded as the most physical group, making one wonder if Todd Monken leans on the run early after not doing so last week. Much like Arizona, the Seahawks don’t blitz very often.
7. Seattle has given up 282 rushing yards over the last two weeks despite playing opponents with limited quarterbacks. Lamar Jackson ran for 116 yards against the Seahawks four years ago, so you know Pete Carroll has made containing Jackson a major point of emphasis, regardless of whether it’ll be successful.
8. The Seahawks have an ascending secondary with Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon forming one of the best young cornerback duos in the league. Versatile safety Jamal Adams appears to be healthy now and could prove pivotal in trying to keep Jackson in check. Seattle mostly stays in zone coverage.
9. Ignoring the recent angst from fans and media, the Ravens rank third in the NFL in red-zone offense, which is even more critical with Baltimore still having not scored a touchdown from outside the red zone this season. That’s hard to believe with Jackson at quarterback.
10. Roquan Smith was a high school sophomore when Bobby Wagner made his NFL debut in 2012 and noted how the eight-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker gave him advice upon being drafted. Pro Football Focus has graded Wagner second among off-ball linebackers entering Week 9 while Smith is sixth. Special players.
11. How much has the cornerback picture improved since the end of the preseason? On Thursday, the Ravens waived veteran Kevon Seymour, who spent a sizable portion of training camp taking first-team reps in the wake of multiple injuries. The emergence of Brandon Stephens dramatically changed the makeup of that group.
812. I’m not a betting man, but a prop bet of Geno (Smith) throwing a pass intercepted by Geno (Stone) in a city where one of its football heroes was named Gino (Marchetti) sounds fun. I just regret not being able to work Gino Gradkowski into this bit. I’ll stop now.
Prediction: I don’t expect this game to be nearly as lopsided as the blowout win over Detroit two weeks ago, but I learned my lesson picking against Jackson and the Ravens when going up against an NFC opponent, especially when we’re now talking about a West Coast team playing a 1 p.m. game. Seattle is better than many predicted and more than capable of winning if Baltimore again downshifts and becomes too charitable as the game progresses, but I just don’t see any distinct advantages for the Seahawks to really exploit in this matchup. After an underwhelming performance in Arizona, Jackson will rebound with a strong dual-threat output in a 26-17 win for the Ravens, giving them their first 7-2 start since 2019.
