RSR staff give their predictions for the Week 7 matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Tony Lombardi
When a Joe Flacco-led offense takes on a Mike Zimmer defense, things don’t often work out well for the Ravens quarterback. In 12 games when taking on defenses directed by the Vikings’ head coach, Flacco’s stat line is as follows:
348 attempts/212 completions/2,134 yards/12 TDs/15 INTs/Passer Rating 71.9
Sunday won’t be any easier for the Ravens QB, and it’s likely to look worse!
The offensive line looks confused at times (see today’s Tale of the Tape) and given the decibel levels at Minnesota’s US Bank Stadium against a team looking to wrestle away control of the NFC North, pre-snap communication will be a challenge. Ditto for Joe Flacco and his pre-snap adjustments.
I look for the Vikings to load the box and force Flacco into uncomfortable down and distance scenarios. They will choke out Alex Collins. The Ravens will then hope that a patchwork posse of below average receivers can actually do damage against one of the more talented secondaries in football.
This is just a bad matchup for the Ravens!
— Joe Flacco will throw for less than 200 yards and he’ll be picked off three times. His passer rating will fall below the putrid 71.9 mark that he’s averaged against Zimmer teams. He’ll be sacked 5 times.
— Alex Collins has averaged 4.9 YPC this season. The Vikings will cut that in half.
— The Ravens only touchdown will be a defensive score.
— The mighty Case Keenum will throw for 2 scores and matriculate the ball downfield against a soft Dean Pees defense suddenly hell-bent on stopping the big play but willing to share underneath. Keenum will register a 90+ passer rating.
Vikings 23, Ravens 13
https://youtu.be/PXmd8raRS2w?t=24m45s
Todd Karpovich
— The potential return of Brandon Williams looms large for the Ravens. Over the past four games without Williams in the lineup, Baltimore has allowed 169.5 yards per game and gone 1-3 over that stretch. Vikings running backs Jerick McKinnon and Latavius Murray will split carries with rookie Dalvin Cook out with a season-ending knee injury. Overall, Minnesota has averaged 135.5 rushing yards per game in the past two weeks. If Williams is limited, the Vikings will find some holes and finish with just over 100 yards.
— The Ravens offense has struggled all season and they face a tough challenge against Minnesota, which is ranked 11th in the league in total defense. Minnesota defensive end Everson Griffen has seven sacks and will cause matchup problems with Baltimore’s injured marred offensive line. Vikings safety Harrison Smith also has been a dominant player and he help keep Baltimore’s inconsistent group of receivers off balance.
— Baltimore likely needs to go 7-3 to avoid missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five years. This is not an ideal place for them to play. However, Baltimore was also not a good matchup for the Bears last week and look what happened. Still, the Vikings (4-2) are tied with Green Bay atop the NFC North and they will not take the Ravens lightly.
Final score: Vikings 24, Ravens 17
Derek Arnold
I predict ugly, ugly, ugly. The Ravens will put up a fight, because they always seem to bounce back nicely under Harbaugh. The return of Brandon Williams will be huge and will help keep Minnesota’s offense bottled up. Case Keenum will struggle to find open men on 3rd-and-long, situations the Ravens defense will finally find themselves in fairly often again, thanks to BWill.
Unfortunately, no amount of *fight* can make this Ravens offense suddenly dynamic or explosive. More dropped passes, more head-scratching play-calls, and more overall ineptitude are on deck. Their TD-less streak extends to two full games (and five straight halves).
In a battle of punters and kickers, Minnesota comes out on top, 16-9.
John Darcey
The Ravens are an absolute hot mess right now! The offense can’t move the ball and the defense can’t stop the run, tackle, or cover anybody. Now, they have to go on the road to face the Vikings (4-2) who have the sixth ranked offense and 11th ranked defense. That can only mean one thing, the Ravens will win this game! I know, I sound crazy. On paper the Ravens have no chance, in my mind I believe they have no chance, but my gut just tells me they are going to win. It seems like over recent years, the Ravens lose games they should win (last week vs the Bears, against Jacksonville in London) and they win games they shouldn’t (at Oakland, Week 9 last year against Pittsburgh after three straight losses, and how about when they beat the Steelers with Ryan Mallet in 2015?!). This may blow up in my face, but I just can’t help to think they pull this one out.
— Alex Collins becomes the first Raven to rush for over 100 yards in a game this season.
— Griff Whalen in his first game as a Raven scores a TD.
— Matt Judon continues his ascension into the number one pass rusher with three sacks.
— After getting destroyed by Jordan Howard last week, the defense allows under 60 yards rushing.
Ravens 23 Vikings 17
Adam Bonaccorsi
No Bradford? No Cook? No Diggs (possibly)? Doesn’t matter when the Vikes have been effective running the ball in recent weeks and – go figure – the Ravens are abysmal at stopping it!
Of course people will point to Brandon Williams as the savior, but like he said – he’s just a player. They may not give up 180 this week but 120 and a touch or two is likely.
On offense, call me a skeptic, a realist, or somebody who isn’t drinking that purple Kool Aid any longer, but I have zero reason to believe Flacco & the offense will be effective… until the 4th quarter down a few scores.
Alex Collins leads the Ravens rushing game with only 50 yards on the ground with a late touchdown, Flacco doesn’t break 200 yards and throws a pair of picks, and somehow, Marty Mornhinweg will still have a job come Monday.
MIN 23
BAL 13
Joe Polek
Case Keenum is the Vikings quarterback right now and the team has been playing well under him. The Vikings are 5th in the NFL in offensive yards. The Ravens are going to have to find a way to stop the Vikings, and I’m not sure that happens.
Defensively, the Vikings are 10th in the NFL in yards allowed, and 6th in rushing yards allowed. So that says the Ravens will not be able to rely solely on the rushing game. They will need to find a way to pass the ball. I don’t see it.
I don’t like this match-up at all, especially on the road.
Ravens lose 24-13.
Ryan Jones
The Ravens offense is going to struggle when it faces a solid defense. Between Xavier Rhodes, Harrison Smith and Everson Griffen the the Vikings have some play makers on that side of the ball and the Ravens will struggle just as they did last week.
Morhinweg and Pees will actually come out of the locker room with some solid game plans, largely because they’ve been heavily scrutinized all week. Has anyone else noticed this with the Ravens? It’s as if it requires being criticized and backed into a corner before the coaching staff can focus and put a good game plan together. They did it after being pummeled by the Steelers when they looked sharp against Oakland. But then they went back to their predictable play calls and conservative defensive looks against Chicago. I’d love to know what goes on in a week after a win when everyone in the castle is feeling good about themselves, but I digress.
Back to the initial point, the Ravens are facing a pretty stout defense and it will be a struggle for them to put up even 20 points, and they won’t. The offensive line will be overpowered, the running game will be nonexistent and the sky will continue to fall in Baltimore – sorry Dean.
Vikings 27
Ravens 17
