The Ravens and Seahawks only square off against one another every four years, so it’s tough to pin a “rivalry” tag on the match-up.
But it looks to be a competitive game, and while Ravens fans are seeing this as a bit of a litmus test for the defense facing off against a Pro Bowl quarterback in Geno Smith, Seahawks fans are seeing this game as a similar opportunity for their team.
Brian Nemhauser of HawkBlogger.com put together a “Tale of the Tape” for this game, and he had some words of praise for the purple and black.
The Baltimore Ravens are generally considered the best team in football to this point in the season. Lamar Jackson, their quarterback, is the leading candidate for MVP. They pass well. They run well. They defend well. Their special teams are solid.
“This is a team with no clear weakness. They are mostly healthy, and they eviscerated the last good team to roll into their stadium. That would be the very Lions team Seattle counts as their quality win.”
Nemhauser believes the speed the Seahawks have on defense, along with sure tacklers, gives them an opportunity to control the damage Lamar Jackson can do on the ground, thus negating an important part of the Ravens’ attack. He also said the Seahawks have the best defensive backfield the Ravens have faced this season. Sure, the Browns might have something to say about that, but it’s probably safe to say the Seahawks are comfortably in the Top Two.
Jackson has a ridiculous 17-1 record in games he has started against NFC opponents, and he showed his in-the-pocket elusivity when asked about that mark.
“Bro,” Jackson said while laughing and shaking his head, “We’re playing football. It’s not about NFC or AFC — I’m trying to win regardless.”
Jackson has shown an unwillingness to engage in self-praise or trash talk or really anything that puts the attention on himself for his words. And he even played off his unwillingness to “bite” with some levity.
“I don’t even want to put that in my head or let you finish that question,” he said.
The Baltimore Ravens are averaging 7.2 yards per play and 39% DVOA with 21 personnel.
The Seattle Seahawks… have faced 9 snaps of 21 personnel all year so nobody knows if they are particularly good or bad against it!
— Aaron Schatz 🏈 (@ASchatzNFL) November 1, 2023
This is an interesting stat for a number of reasons. First, the Ravens are showing real success with Patrick Ricard on the field. Those numbers are real.
However…
To my eye, Ricard has been playing more of that old “Nick Boyle” role — lined up tight, basically serving as a second tight end, as opposed to standing in the backfield and getting a running start into people.
It feels to be a formation description often based on positional definition found on the roster, as opposed to where that second “running back” is aligned. Either way, 7.2 yards per play = good.
Also of note out there:
Ravens History vs. Seattle (Football Database)
The Ravens Look Like One of the NFL’s Best Teams. Here Comes One of the NFL’s Toughest Schedules (Baltimore Banner)
Marcus Williams Returns to Practice, but Six Players Absent (Baltimore Ravens)
AFC North Whiparound (The Athletic)
