Baltimore Beatdown
This AFC clash features key battles between specific players, units, and coaches.
The Baltimore Ravens will stay on the road in Week 12 where they will travel to the West Coast to play the Los Angeles Chargers in the third edition of the Harbaugh Bowl in primetime on Monday Night Football. For the tenth straight week, the Ravens are favored to come out on top in this clash of AFC contenders with so many ties to each other from the coaching staff, front office and players on both the active and practice squad roster.
However, games aren’t won on paper or decided by betting odds. There are some pivotal matchups between individual players, units, and coaches that will go a long way in determining the outcome of this contest.
Below are a handful of those key battles that could be deciding factors in Week 12.
Baltimore’s edge defenders are facing the daunting task of taking on arguably the best offensive tackle tandem in the league with Pro Bowl blindside protector Rashawn Slater and first-round rookie Joe Alt. However, the Chargers aren’t nearly as stout between the tackles where the Ravens defensive tackle trio of Pro Bowler Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones and Broderick Washington can be consistently disruptive as pocket pushers and interior pass rushers. They have seven sacks and 15 quarterback hits between them and the group is primed to add to that total going up against former Ravens center Bradley Bozeman and third-year pro Zion Johnson who Jones treated like nothing more than a rag doll in last year’s meeting between these two teams.
Even though the Chargers have a run-based offense, their rushing attack is far from the most potent and efficient. They rank 20th in EPA per rush with a mark of -0.06, 26th in rushing success rate, tied for 10th in yards per rush with 4.2 and 18th in overall rushing yards with 1,216 which is only 31 yards than Derrick Henry’s league-leading total of 1,185 yards through 11 games. Former Ravens running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards will have their work cut out for them on Monday given how stout their former defensive compatriots are against the run. The Ravens have given up the second-fewest rushing yards this season and are only allowing an average of 77.5 yards on the ground per game—second-best—and a league-low 3.4 yards per attempt.
Seemingly anytime the Chargers need a key conversion in the passing game, the second-rookie is who quarterback Justin Herbert looks to and relies upon the most often and has delivered spectacularly at times. McConkey is a crisp route-runner with explosive short-area quickness and dangerous run-after-the-catch ability. He leads Los Angeles and ranks fourth among all rookie pass catchers with 615 receiving yards with 43 catches and four touchdowns. Since he operates from the slot and outwide, he’ll likely...
