The Ravens host the Minnesota Vikings at M&T Bank Stadium this Sunday at 1 PM. The Vikings are coming off a loss to the Cooper Rush and the Dallas Cowboys at U.S. Bank Stadium by the score of 20-16 to drop the Vikings to (3-4) on the season. The Ravens are currently listed as 6-point favorites with the over/under set at 49 ½. On the call for FOX are Adam Amin (play-by-play), Mark Schlereth (analyst) and Shannon Spake is handling sideline duties. Carl Cheffers crew will handle the officiating. No word yet on what uniforms the Ravens will wear but out of respect for the insane fourth quarter entertainment the last time these two teams met in Baltimore, put me down for the purple jerseys and black pants.
UPDATE (11:32 AM)
And late this morning the Ravens agreed with me on the uniform ensemble!
An icon to reveal this week's jersey combo 😂🔥@Tyrethefuture | #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/Nugu7J3Ngt
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 4, 2021
News & Notes
The Ravens are (5-2) for the ninth time in franchise history, matching records from 2020, 2019, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2006 and 2000 (each season Baltimore went on to earn a playoff berth). The Ravens aim to become (6-2) for the seventh time (2006, 2010-12, 2019-20) in team
history and for the third-straight season.
Under head coach John Harbaugh, Baltimore is (10-3) in games immediately following a bye week. Since their 1996 inception, the Ravens are an NFL-best 17-8 (.680) in games immediately following a bye week.
Gearing Up For The Home Stretch
The AFC seems to be a bit watered down at the moment with the Bills looking like the most balanced of the teams competing for the Number 1 seed in the conference. That’s not to say that Buffalo is a juggernaut but their blemishes, relatively speaking, are the least detectible.
The Titans season took a severe blow when Derrick Henry went down with a foot injury that required surgery, which according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, will put the MVP candidate on the shelf for the balance of the campaign. Filling in for Henry is the recently signed 36-year-old Adrian Peterson. (I guess Eddie George was busy)…The Raiders are standing on shaky ground if for no other reason, they are enveloped in drama given the firing of Jon Gruden and the fatal accident involving Henry Rugg, III…The Ravens have issues that need to be corrected across their offensive line, running back and their defense. Remember the days when you felt comfortable with the team leading by a field goal with under 2 minutes to play. Unfortunately, those days are in the distant rearview mirror.
“And there’s the handoff to Adrian Peterson…” pic.twitter.com/eQ7xI2iPDy
— Korked Bats (@korkedbats) November 1, 2021
The Bengals just lost to the Jets, enough said…The Steelers lack offensive explosiveness…the Chargers have lost two straight while the Patriots rely on a rookie quarterback…the Chiefs are a mess for the moment with O-line issues and a sieve for a defense while the Browns are doing more Browns things, soaking in the drama of Odell Beckham, Jr.
The race is WIDE open and is likely to be won by the first team that can get on a roll. There’s no reason that can’t be the Ravens and an (8-2) record is quite plausible with the Vikings, Dolphins and Bears on the slate before Harbaugh & Co. get into the teeth of their schedule.
Where Are They Now?
While thumbing through Facebook memories this little homemade video popped up about Ricky Williams. You may recall that Ricky was part of the Ravens 2011 squad whose season came to a crashing halt – or should we say it was Cundiffed. Williams planned to return to the Ravens the following season, in part inspired by Ray Lewis speech following that bitter AFC Championship loss to the Patriots. But that never happened, and here’s why.
According to Wikipedia, Williams is currently a football analyst for ESPN’s Longhorn Network.
[Related Article: A Tribute to Baltimore Legend Tom Matte]
On The Move
The Rams trade for Von Miller was a ballsy move by LA, an indication that they are all-in on being the second consecutive host city to win the Super Bowl. To land the coveted edge defender on what is likely to be a short-term rental of the 8-time Pro Bowler, the Rams gave up their second and third round picks in 2022. The trade leaves the Rams with just a third-round comp pick, a 5th and two 7th-round picks in next year’s NFL Draft. The Rams also will be without a first-round pick until 2024 thanks to previous trades involving Jalen Ramsey and Matthew Stafford. This coupled with a tight cap situation expected in 2022 given an extremely top-heavy roster, could place jobs at risk in La-La Land if the Rams don’t win it all.
The Rams' 2022 fifth-round pick arriving to rookie minicamp: pic.twitter.com/YJo03Lkpce
— Nora Princiotti (@NoraPrinciotti) November 1, 2021
Closer to home, congrats go out to Trey Mancini and his new fiancé Sara Perlman. Perlman said yes while the couple was vacationing on Ireland’s coast along the Cliffs of Moher.
FIANCÉ @TreyMancini ☘️🇮🇪♥️😭❤️🔥♥️ pic.twitter.com/YJZvIXa1t1
— Sara Perlman (@saraperlman) November 3, 2021
Other Tweets of Interest
Thank you💜💜 https://t.co/yDsQcd05Gf
— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) November 2, 2021
Too many people talking about Ruggs and not enough talking about Tina. RIP https://t.co/iFtmxbN90O
— Brian (@Bmore_Sports8) November 4, 2021
The Henry Riggs incident is even more tragic and heartbreaking in this video …
Riggs is seen sitting on the street next to the fiery car carrying the victim of the accident … absolutely horrible (H/T @TMZ_Sports)
(@1053TheFan @1053SS @RJChoppy) pic.twitter.com/Mqbaerw6iQ
— T̷R̷O̷Y̷ ̷H̷U̷G̷H̷E̷S̷ (@TommySledge) November 3, 2021
"There’s value in everybody."
Back in 2019, Ernie shared a powerful message about his son Michael.
Michael Johnson passed away at age 33 on Friday, but his impact will never be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/MAdSsFrhQ4
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 2, 2021
Make a layup. Make a free-throw. Make a three-pointer. Make a half court shot. All in under 30-seconds.
For 10,000 in college tuition. Get some… pic.twitter.com/PWlyR9w33t
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) November 3, 2021
This is awesome, her face at the end!😎🔊👇🎶 pic.twitter.com/tU8JHHCPHk
— Max Q ⚡ (@Randy_Shannon) November 1, 2021
My Single Friend
My Single Friend (“MSF”) was being followed by a police car. He panicked and started driving faster until he was pushing 100 mph. Finally, he came to his senses and pulled over. The cop approached his car.
COP: Look, it’s been a long day and my shift is almost over, so if you can give me a good excuse for your behavior, I’ll let you go.
MSF: My recent girlfriend dumped me for a cop about a week ago. I thought you might be that cop trying to give her back!
The TailGOAT
As they do each game, Jimmy’s Famous Seafood is hosting their TailGOAT party adjacent to Ostend Street. This week against the Vikings they have some special things planned including celebrity guests Jacoby Jones and Jarret Johnson plus they’ll be visited by FOX’s pregame show. If you are going to the game and haven’t been to one of Jimmy’s shindigs, treat yourself!
Off to Nashville
This weekend I’m heading to Nashville with some friends and one of our stops will be to Tin Roof Broadway, the home of Baltimore Ravens Fans in Nashville, aka #NashFlock. Country music artist Jimmy Charles is leading the way along with #NashFlock founder Meg Wilmer. It’s there that I’ll be watching the Vikings lose to the Ravens, 27-20.
A couple of years ago I interviewed Jimmy who performed for us. Jimmy is a soulful, genuine and passion-filled Country Singer/Songwriter who brings unparalleled energy to all his performances. Jimmy grew up on the eastern shore of Maryland and graduated from Towson University where he played linebacker for the Tigers (being nicknamed “The Crash” for his hard hitting style) and received a Mass Communications Degree.
Jimmy has had an impressive beginning to his professional career as a Season 9 contestant on “AMERICAN IDOL” gaining high praise from judge ‘Simon Cowell. Jimmy also was named in the Top 50 on the show “Nashville Star”.
In this episode of Music Fanimal we discuss Jimmy’s career, his devotion to prostate cancer awareness and prevention and we’re visited by Ed Rice, a man who carefully crafted Jimmy’s most recent guitar.
And Lastly
This week we’ll be introducing a new program for Rock Spring Financial. They are going to offer two tickets to an upcoming Ravens game along with 2 tickets to the aforementioned TailGOAT for all new customers. If tickets and a tailgate party aren’t your thing, Rock Spring will offer a free home appraisal instead. Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by the Ravens Town Tavern!
