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After two games on the road, the Baltimore Ravens are heading back home. Their bye week comes to an end as they meet up with the Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. ET at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday. The Ravens are out to stop a four-game streak of losses at home.
Baltimore was able to grind out a solid victory over the New Orleans Saints two weeks ago, winning 27-13. RB Kenyan Drake and QB Lamar Jackson were among the main playmakers for Baltimore as the former punched in two rushing touchdowns and the latter passed for one TD and 133 yards on 22 attempts in addition to picking up 82 yards on the ground. Jackson ended up with a passer rating of 120.30.
Baltimore's defense was a presence as well, as it got past New Orleans' offensive line to sack QB Andy Dalton four times for a total loss of 28 yards. Leading the way was OLB Justin Houston and his 2.5 sacks. Houston now has 8.5 sacks through nine games.
Meanwhile, Carolina netted a 25-15 win over the Atlanta Falcons last Thursday. Among those leading the charge for the Panthers was RB D'Onta Foreman, who rushed for one TD and 130 yards on 31 carries. Foreman had some trouble finding his footing against the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks ago, so this was a step in the right direction.
Most of the squad's points came courtesy of special teams, which contributed 13. K Eddy Pineiro delivered a perfect 4-for-4 game.
The Ravens are the favorite in this one, with an expected 13-point margin of victory. At 1-3 against the spread at home, they are no cash cow. That said, the Panthers aren't so hot on the road, where they are 1-3.
The wins brought Baltimore up to 6-3 and Carolina to 3-7. A pair of offensive numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: Baltimore enters the game with 168.1 rushing yards per game on average, good for second best in the league. Less enviably, Carolina is stumbling into the contest with the second fewest yards per game in the NFL, having accrued only 294.2 on average. So the cards are definitely stacked against the Panthers.
