Baltimore Ravens @ LA Rams: Goff's Rams to unleash battering on Baltimore

Romilly Evans
25 November 2019

Rams raid: Goff and his oval accomplice can score some useful frequent flyer miles

Join

View market

Twitter

Facebook

View the Betslip

As the Rams bid to revive their playoff prospects in the white-hot NFC West, Romilly Evans is backing Jared Goff and Todd Gurley to lead from the front...

"As result, opposition Ds can be reduced to quivering wrecks, paralysed with fear as to whether Jackson will gash them deep downfield, or exploit a gap by running himself. He can pass and run, Mark Ingram can run and catch, while Baltimore's tight ends are just as effective as their wide receiving crew."

Baltimore Ravens @ LA Rams
Tuesday, 01:15
Live on Sky Sports Action

Lamar Jackson set to stumble on late-night moonwalk

Like a slow-burn hit series, after some rather curious or aggressively average openers, the writers and schedulers behind the primetime mainstay more commonly referred to as Monday Night Football are finally getting back in the groove with some decent scripts, starring some compelling candidates for the Vince Lombardi trophy. After a thriller in Santa Clara a fortnight ago which saw the Hawks edge the Niners in a seesawing overtime, we now have the rampant Ravens of Baltimore on the long road to the Los Angeles Rams' Coliseum, last year's Super Bowl runners-up.

The Ravens come in as away-team favourites, an unlikely scenario based on their preseason odds and the Rams' stellar playoff run, but very few reckoned on the rapid emergence of Lamar Jackson as this season's standout MVP pretender. For now, at least. Under Jackson, Baltimore has added an unknown wheel of offensive fortune to an outfit whose core competencies had traditionally leant on a doughty defense and an old-school high-tower quarterback in Joe Flacco.

In short, thanks to Jackson's creative flair, improvised passing and rapid rushing, rivals just don't know what's coming their way. While most teams can only skin a cat a few ways, Jackson wields the knife from a weighty playbook of moves to which he's still adding.

As result, opposition Ds can be reduced to quivering wrecks, paralysed with fear as to whether Jackson will gash them deep downfield, or exploit a gap by running himself. He can pass and run, Mark Ingram can run and catch, while Baltimore's tight ends are just as effective as their wide receiving crew.

That said, now is not the time for the Rams to hit the panic, button especially at home. It's often a fine line between a heavy reliance and an unhealthy over-reliance, so they must keep the faith that the inexperienced Jackson is due a few missteps and miscues. After all, there remains an inherent lack of refinement to his passing game, with some basic fundamentals that need to be addressed before this early bloomer can rival the hardy perennial status of, say, Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady.

Will staunch Ds be able to maintain their defensive walls?

Granted, Jackson is cut from a very different cloth. Yet he is now up against a staunch defense which hasn't coughed up more than 20 points in its last five match-ups. And three of those games only allowed 10 or fewer points. Although the Ravens' own D can effectively mirror these recent stats, they've been posted against weaker teams. Therefore, tonight will prove something of a definitive test for Jackson and a true statement of his versatility versus these battering Rams.

On the other side of the park, LA's running man Todd Gurley is returning slowly yet surely to the more prosaic work ethic and strategy that initially defined Sean McVay's offense. The 25-year-old enjoyed as many carries last weekend against Chicago, a nickel short of 100 yards and an average of four yards per carry. That's much more like it, as Gurley and QB Jared Goff bid to kick-start a sleeping giant in time for a late playoff push. On collective talent alone, this is the side which no-one will want to face in the postseason, if they can snaffle a wildcard from arguably the toughest division in football, the NFC West. The Rams certainly can't afford any more mistakes, which makes this a must-win game for them.

For his part, much like Gurley, Goff and his receivers haven't been up to the breakneck pace of previous campaigns. However, having been a little banged up at wideout, both Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods should return from the sidelines this evening Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods to facilitate those deep downfield connections of last year. Cooks, in particular, looks the target man to inject a shot of life into a stud line-up currently languishing in the third and dirtiest dozen of the league for offense.

With Gurley rebounding to form and workload (last week's 66%-34% rush-pass split was pretty much ideal for equilibrium), Goff can benefit by palming off the pigskin almost twice as much as they pass. This will allow McVay to control the clock, and keep Baltimore guessing on defense, eventually allowing Goff to launch some bombs to Cooks and Cooper Kupp, even if Woods doesn't start. And let's not forget Gurley himself, whose twin-threat skills often get overlooked, considering how effortlessly they evolved.

As he's already repeatedly proved, Jackson can leave those who question him with egg on their faces. So, I hope I'm not just the latest red-faced doubter. Nevertheless, I say this is the game his six-game winning streak runs aground against a cohesive defensive unit which will sink this raft of league-leading 200-yard rushing performances, forcing Jackson to do it through in the air. And that's where the doubts really reside for this would-be superstar.