RSR Predictions for Ravens vs. Seahawks

It’s a battle of division leaders when the Baltimore Ravens (6-2) host the Seattle Seahawks (5-2) for an interconference showdown at M&T Bank Stadium (Sunday at 1 p.m. ET). The Ravens are riding a three-game winning streak, while the Seahawks have won their past two contests.

Under head coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens are 42-22 vs. NFC teams (2-0 this season). With QB Lamar Jackson as its starter, Baltimore is 17-1 against the NFC, including 1-0 vs. Seattle (2019). The Ravens-Seahawks all-time series is tied, 3-3, with Baltimore winning the most recent game, 30-16, at Seattle in 2019, aka the Marcus Peters Game. The Ravens are 2-1 in home games played against the Seahawks.

Can John Harbaugh & Co. break the 3-3 tie on Sunday? The Ravens are currently listed as a 6-point favorite. The over/under is set at 44 points.

[Related Article: Ravens v. Seahawks: A Measuring Stick For Both Teams]

Tony Lombardi

The weather conditions for the game suggest that it will be an ideal day for offense, with temps in the mid to upper 60’s under clear skies. This game initially opened up with the Ravens as 4 ½-point favorites. The line has swelled as bettors “invest” in the Ravens. The Ravens, coming off a win in Arizona, not exactly a sight for sore eyes, will look to clean up some of the mistakes they left on the field at State Farm Stadium.

• Lamar didn’t have the best of days in AZ. That changes on Sunday. In his 18 starts against NFC teams, Jackson has totaled 37 touchdowns to go with just seven interceptions. Against the NFC West Lamar is (5-0) with a passer rating 106.0. This season LJ is averaging 220.9 yards passing per game and he’s rushed for 47.5 YPG. He goes over both averages against the Seahawks, throwing for 240 yards and rushing for another 65. It won’t be a completely clean game for Jackson. He will throw his first pick against an NFC West team and the recipient will be the dynamic rookie. Devon Witherspoon who will also register a sack.

• Over the last four games, the Seahawks have allowed just 12.5 points per game. The Ravens will more than double that total.

• Sunday is Odell Beckham, Jr.’s 31st birthday. He’ll celebrate with 5 catches for 75 yards and that elusive first touchdown in Baltimore.

• Keaton Mitchell will touch the ball 3 times. One of those touches results in a 30+ yard gain.

• Wondering why DC Mike Macdonald hasn’t blitzed Kyle Hamilton much lately after his great success against the Colts? It could be because under-appreciated DB Daryl Worley hasn’t been around. His return could free up Hamilton in dime packages. Look for him to get back in the sack column and add two other key tackles-for-loss.

• D.K. Metcalf will torch Marlon Humphrey on a long-distance connection from 40+ yards. It will be the Seahawks only touchdown.

• The Ravens sack Geno Smith five times. Jadeveon Clowney gets 2 while Odafe Oweh, Patrick Queen and Hamilton get one apiece.

• Baltimore will out gain Seattle 400 to 250 and win the turnover battle, 2:1.

• This will be a comfortable game to watch throughout for Ravens fans, the key difference being the Ravens success in the red zone, both offensively and defensively. The Ravens rank 3rd in the league on both sides of the ball while the osprey rank 19th and 13th in the red zone, respectively.

The good guys win to keep pace as all AFC North teams take home a dub in Week 9.

Ravens 27 Seahawks 13

Kevin McNelis

Even from an objective standpoint, this should be a damn good football game. The Seahawks outperformed expectations last season, and they have a ton of young talent. They’ll need all the help they can get as they take a long road trip to face the Ravens, who are finally beginning a long home stand. There are a lot of pretty even factors between these two teams, so how does it shake out?

— The Seahawks boast a pair of premier CBs in Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon. Stretching the field against them will be tough, so Baltimore can’t hesitate to run the ball early like they did last week. Gus and Lamar each record rushing touchdowns as the Ravens exploit mismatches. Once Seattle begins to stack the box, the middle of the field opens up for Rashod Bateman to record a long catch.

— My heart hopes that the Ravens will improve their pass protection from what we saw last week, but my head says this could be a tough game in the pocket. With Leonard Williams’ arrival at the deadline, Seattle adds another dangerous pass-rusher next to Boye Mafe, and they each record a sack on the day. Seattle notches five sacks total, one of which forces a turnover on a bad throw.

— The Hawks don’t have a monopoly on stout defense, though. Baltimore has been suffocating opposing offenses over the last few weeks, and the numbers would be even more impressive if they could finish some of their near misses. Geno Smith has regressed to the mean a bit compared to what we saw last season, and receiving weapons can only do so much for you if you can’t get the ball out in time. Geno records a passing touchdown, but throws two picks. One of them goes to the house, and I’ll say it’s Patrick Queen who gets it.

I get the sense that this will be a tight game until the defense sets up short fields for LJ. That’ll be the deciding factor.

Ravens 27 Seahawks 17

Brennan Stewart

This game brings a very similar vibe that the Detroit Lions game brought in Week 7, with Baltimore once again facing a top NFC contender that’s currently leading its division.

Baltimore and Seattle share two commonalities: they tend to play to their opponent’s skill level whether it be for better or worse, and they are undisputed for having two of the top defenses in the league.

These two factors are sure to make for an interesting game. On one hand you have Seattle which has held opponents to under 21 points in its last four games, and on the other you have Baltimore which averages 25.3 points per game (seventh-highest in the league).

I said it before the Lions game and now I’ll say it about the Seahawks: it’s the case of an unstoppable force meeting an unmovable object. Both teams are of high caliber which means it’s only a matter of who will be controlling the momentum.

Here are some predictions for how it might play out:

• Seattle’s defense holds running backs to 3.1 yards per carry which is best in the league. However, it allows quarterbacks 5.4 yards per rush attempt, coming in at second-worst. The reliance on Gus Edwards last week will feel like a distant memory, with Lamar Jackson finishing as Baltimore’s rushing leader for the fourth time this season.
• Both defenses will account for at least three sacks.
• Odell Beckham Jr. finally earns his first touchdown as a Raven.
• Brandon Stephens gets an interception to make up for the one stolen from him by Geno Stone in Arizona last week.
• Justin Tucker makes a late fourth quarter field goal to give Baltimore the win.

 

With the home crowd advantage once again, the Ravens have everything they need to take care of business like they did against Detroit. Having the better defense, they advance to 7-2.

Ravens 24 Seahawks 21

Rob Shields

I think this will be toughest game of the year to date. Seattle is playing great defense and the offense poses a lot of issues.

The Ravens are going to find it tough sledding throwing the ball against a high level secondary and they are also good against the run.

I think the difference in this game is at the QB position. Lamar is just better than Geno. Obviously, the Ravens and Lamar have to take care of the ball but as long as they do that, I think they win this game.

Ravens 23 Seattle 17

Darin McCann

This will be a good test for the Ravens’ defense, as the Seahawks offer a good passing game with extremely dangerous weapons, and a very good run game. On the other side of the ball, the Seahawks are an improving unit. They rank 15th in Defensive DVOA, and they haven’t given up more than 20 points since Week 3. Still, the Ravens have home field, are native to this time zone for a 1 p.m. kickoff and seem to have the better all-around team. While the Seahawks do rank 15th in Defensive DVOA, the Ravens sit at first. And that dangerous Seattle offense is ninth in DVOA, while the Ravens rank fourth. Still, this is one of the marquee NFL games this weekend, and it would be a bit insane to predict a landslide.

Buckle up for the insanity, folks. Hey, it’s “Bold Predictions,” right?

• Lamar Jackson will rebound from a pretty middling performance against Arizona with a big one — pulling off a “Jackson 5.”
• Rashod Bateman will produce two touchdowns and more than 100 yards as he will out-target OBJ by more than double.
• Zay Flowers takes a post the distance for his second career TD.
• Kyle Hamilton has a rare trifecta — sack, a pick and a forced fumble.

 

Ravens 38 Seahawks 16

Chris Schisler

I think the Ravens have a statement win against the Seahawks. The Ravens defense will make the Seahawks one dimensional and the Ravens will win the battle at the line of scrimmage. Geno Smith has been struggling the past couple of weeks and the Ravens defense is one of the strongest units in the NFL. Seattle can create a lot of matchup problems with their elite receivers and their running backs, yet Mike Macdonald has earned my trust. I think the Ravens will get another four or five sacks and force a turnover or two. Lamar Jackson will be lethal in the passing game having a few big plays that get the Ravens in the end zone. I also believe that Gus Edwards will have another big game.

— Ravens defense forces 5 sacks and has two interceptions

— Lamar Jackson has 300 yards passing for three touchdowns

— Gus Edwards has 100 yards and a touchdowns

— Justin Madubuike keeps his sack streak going

Ravens 31 Seahawks 17

Jared Pinder

This is going to be a good game of football. The Seahawks offense has hit a bit of a wall with Geno making more mistakes and a hurt O-Line messing up his time in the pocket. Geno is a gunslinger who wants to take shots, but without the time in the pocket, he is starting to force a ton of mistakes that are stalling the offense. The Seahawks’ defense is really good since it got healthy with one of the better secondaries in football. This looks like a pretty even matchup if the Ravens can avoid mistakes.

— Lamar continues to impress throwing three-plus touchdowns.

— Geno struggles against the Ravens’ pass rush and he throws two interceptions.

— The Seahawks defense tries their best to keep them in the game but they come up short with the offense struggling.

Ravens 27 Seahawks 10

Tanner George

Watching the Ravens head home from Pittsburgh at (3-2) after a crushing defeat, it seemed like the season might’ve been over. At least, that’s how much of the Flock felt. If we can’t beat the Matt Canada-led Steelers, we thought, how can we possibly expect the Ravens to beat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs? Combined with a really tough schedule in terms of travel ahead, it was easy to see how the season could spiral out of control—and fast.

Fast-forward three weeks, and the Ravens sit at an impressive (6-2), tied for the best record in the AFC. And, kicking off a three-week homestand, it really feels like it’s time for this team to pounce.

But it all starts this week with Seattle. The Seahawks have been solid thus far, posting a (5-2) record… but this comes against the easiest schedule in the NFL. Their resume isn’t all that impressive. Aside from sneaking past the Lions in Week 2, just who has Seattle beaten?

The Panthers, the Giants, the Cardinals, and the Browns. All teams playing without even an above-average quarterback. All teams near or at the bottom of their divisions. Records can be deceiving.

I think the Ravens win pretty easily here—something I am very wary to say. Give me three TDs from Lamar (Flowers, Andrews, and a rushing score) as well as another end zone trip for the Gus Bus. Playing at the Bank for just the second time in the last six weeks, the good guys will really feel one of the best home-field advantages in the league support them.

It always helps when you’re not playing in a different time zone.

Ravens 31 Seahawks 17