Here’s how the Baltimore Sun sports team views the outcome of Monday’s Week 12 game between the Ravens (7-4) and Chargers (7-3) at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles:
Brian Wacker, journalist
Ravens 30, Chargers 20: As bad as Lamar Jackson was last week in an ugly 18-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, he’s unlikely to struggle the same way against the Chargers. Jackson is 19-5 as a starter in prime-time games, which includes an 11-1 mark in his last 12 games, and Los Angeles’ defense has benefited from a fairly simple. I also suspect Derrick Henry will get more than the 13 carries he had last week. Baltimore’s biggest concern, of course, is its defense, especially if Roquan Smith (hamstring) is out. That could spark a big day for former Ravens running back JK Dobbins and tight end Will Dissly, who had four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown in last week’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Still, Baltimore’s offense hasn’t had two bad games in a row and I don’t expect that to change here as coach John Harbaugh improves to 3-0 against his younger brother Jim.
Childs Walker, journalist
Ravens 31, Chargers 23: The Chargers are a balanced team capable of lousy wins. The Steelers just used this formula to beat the Ravens. Unlike Pittsburgh’s Russell Wilson, Justin Herbert will attack in the middle of the field, where Baltimore’s defense is weakest. That said, Los Angeles has built its winning record and impressive defensive numbers against opponents that can’t touch the firepower of the Ravens. Cincinnati scored in bunches against the Chargers and it was without any notable offense. If the Ravens take an early lead, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will control this one.
Mike Preston, columnist
Ravens 30, Chargers 23: The Ravens lost a tough game to Pittsburgh last week, but they deserved it by losing two fumbles and throwing an interception. Quarterback Lamar Jackson played his worst game of the season and consistently missed open receivers, especially in the first half. The Chargers’ defense has improved each game, but the Ravens will bounce back with a stellar offensive effort. On defense, the Ravens will be challenged as Los Angeles has a good quarterback in Justin Herbert, but the Chargers do not have a quality receiver capable of challenging the Ravens on the ground, even though Baltimore still possesses one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL.
CJ Doon, editor
Ravens 27, Chargers 20: If you were building a team to beat the Ravens, it would look a lot like the Chargers. Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack can rush the passer and establish hard edges. Poona Ford can hold her own in the middle. Kristian Fulton, Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still can play sticky coverage. Daiyan Henley, Derwin James Jr. and Elijah Molden can tackle in space. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will not have it easy against Jesse Minter’s defense. On the other side of the ball, Los Angeles has one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Justin Herbert, who has taken a big step forward this season by playing much more aggressively. He’s capable of torching the Ravens secondary…if he had a better group of receivers. Even if rookie Ladd McConkey plays, the Ravens clearly have the edge in offensive talent. That should be enough to win, but Baltimore needs to play a clean game to keep its offense on schedule and avoid giving the Chargers extra possessions.
Tim Schwartz, editor
Ravens 35, Chargers 24: The NFL’s second-highest scoring team meets the league’s stingiest defense in terms of points allowed. But before we go any further, it’s worth noting that the Chargers have feasted on terrible teams for much of this season. Their four-game winning streak includes wins over the Saints, Browns, Titans and Bengals. In their three losses, they scored 10 points in two and 15 in the other. For all the talk about the Chargers’ offense, Justin Herbert and coordinator Greg Roman, they are averaging just 22 points per game, fewer than the Steelers and the middle of the pack in the NFL, and have scored more than 30 points just once – last weekend. against the Bengals. It’ll take more than 30 points to beat the Ravens on Monday night, and no one knows the Chargers’ scheme and personnel better than John Harbaugh. They don’t call them the LA Ravens for nothing.
Bennett Conlin, editor
Ravens 31, Chargers 24: The Ravens have stumbled twice this season against horrible teams, losing to the Browns and Raiders. The Chargers did the opposite in their progression to a 7-3 record, going 6-0 against opponents with losing records. While Los Angeles thrives on beating bad teams, the Ravens dominated the Bills and Broncos and controlled their victory against the Commanders. Even in close losses to the Chiefs and Steelers, John Harbaugh’s team showed it was more capable of beating playoff-caliber opponents than Jim Harbaugh’s group. It’s tough to go up against Lamar Jackson in prime time.
Do you have a current tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at [email protected]410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13.
