NFL Game Of The Week: Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore Ravens

The Chargers will head to Baltimore on the heels of an incredible 47-42 win over Cleveland. The Ravens will have a short week after beating Indianapolis 31-25 in overtime on Monday night. Let's hope both teams have more left in the tank for this one, because it has the makings of a classic.  

The Chargers' battle with Cleveland featured eight lead changes and Justin Herbert throwing four Tds, running back Austin Eckler scoring three TDs in the fourth quarter alone, Mike Williams hauling in two Td catches and 165 yards of receiving, and anyone who had any of those players on their fantasy team having too much fun. Los Angeles has won three straight and sits atop the AFC West. 

Herbert, in his second year out of Oregon, is emerging into a top quarterback. He's thrown 13 touchdowns against three INTs through five games. His 1,576 passing yards are good for fourth amongst all quarterbacks in the league, and he's completed 67.1 % of his passes. Someone get this guy a shirt that says "Not A Rookie Anymore." Oh that's dumb? Gotcha. 

Like any great quarterback wearing a "Not A Rookie Anymore" t-shit, Herbert has a great surrounding cast. Eckler, who scored the game-winning touchdown on Sunday, has 349 yards on the ground this season and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Six of Herbert's TD passes have gone to Williams, who's 471 receiving yards lead the team. Keenan Allen (34 Rec, 349 YDS, 1 TD) and Jared Cook (17 REC, 210 YDS, 1 TD) are also dangerous targets. Eckler has proven to be a duel threat, and has three touchdown receptions to go with his four touchdown runs. Put that on a t-shirt. 

On the defensive side, safeties Derwin James Jr. and Nasir Adderly lead the team in solo tackles with 28. Linebacker Joey Bosa is always dangerous, but he's having an off year, having registered just 15 tackles (8 solo) and 2.5 sacks. Another area of concern: the Chargers' run defense is giving up an average of 157.6 yards per game on the ground, which is problematic when going against Lamar Jackson, or anybody for that matter. 

Jackson by the way, can also throw. His 442 yards in Monday's win were a career high. He finished the game 37 of 43 with four TDs, including the game-winner to Marquise Brown in overtime, completing a rally that brought the Ravens back from a 25-9 deficit. 

What exactly is happening with Baltimore's running game? They've had season ending injuries to featured backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. They brought in Leveon Bell, but he only has 18 yards on the season. Lamar Jackson is now saying he prefers to pass. No matter. The Ravens rushing attack is historically good and led by No.8, who has a team-leading 341 yards on the season while averaging 6.1 yards per carry. The Ravens as a team are averaging 148.8 per game on the ground this season. 

The Ravens' run success all began with Jackson, who rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2019 and 2020, becoming the first quarterback ever to achieve that feat. His consistency since being drafted in 2018 has helped the Ravens go a remarkable 43 consecutive games with over 100 yards rushing as a team, tied for the most ever in the NFL. They missed the chance to break the record and get to 44 by just 14 yards on Monday against Indy. 

So who's getting the rock against the Chargers? Perhaps the mystery is part of the plan. It could be Latavius Murray (50 ATT, 168 YDS, 3 Tds). It could be Ty'son Williams (31 ATT, 170 YDS, 1 TD). It could be Bell, who has only played in one game and should become more involved in the offense as the season progresses. It could and probably will be Jackson, who can take off at anytime and pick up yards that are nearly impossible to defend. 

Baltimore's wideouts have benefitted from Jackson's maturity as a pocket passer. Marquise Brown leads the team with five TD catches and 451 receiving yards, while tight end Mark Andrews leads the team in receptions with 29. Sammy Watkins, Devonta Freeman, Devin Deuvernay and James Proche II are a few of the targets who will have the Chargers secondary busy on Sunday. 

The Ravens D is one of eight teams in the NFL holding opponents to under 100 yards per game rushing (93.8), but they are surrendering nearly 300 yards per game though the air, putting them in the bottom half of the league. L.A. enters averaging 303 yards per game through the air, good for third in the league. Looks like the Ravens secondary will be busy also. 

Safety Chick Clark leads that secondary with 18 solo tackles. Corners Anthony Averett, Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens will be tasked with helping him make Herbert look ordinary. Linebacker Patrick Queen leads the team with 23 solo tackles and will lead a front six that will try to make Herbert look so ordinary the secondary won't even have to be worried about him. 

Prediction: Herbert and the Chargers look like a playoff team, but the Ravens have too many weapons, including a quarterback who puts up 100+ games as a fun hobby when he's not beating you with his arm. 

Baltimore 28-Chargers 21.