No Ravens? No problem. Here are 4 games to watch
While the Ravens (6-3) are enjoying their bye, there’s plenty to learn from the NFL’s Week 10 schedule about how the rest of Baltimore’s season might play out. Here are four games for Ravens fans to watch:
Vikings at Bills (Sunday, 1 p.m.): If the Ravens hope to claim the top seed in the AFC and a first-round bye, they’ll need to have a better record than Buffalo (6-2), which owns the tiebreaker thanks to its 23-20 comeback victory over Baltimore in Week 4. That looked like an uphill battle heading into Week 9, but the Bills’ 20-17 loss to the Jets coupled with an injury to star quarterback Josh Allen opened the door for the Ravens to climb into that top spot.
Allen is day to day with a right elbow injury, according to coach Sean McDermott, which means the Most Valuable Player candidate could miss Sunday’s game and potentially even more time. He missed four games during his rookie season with an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and ESPN reported that it’s the same UCL — and related nerves — that is causing discomfort this time. Case Keenum, whom the Bills acquired in a trade with the Browns in the offseason, is the backup.
Keenum would face his old team that he led to a surprising berth in the NFC championship game in the 2017 season. That playoff run included the Minneapolis Miracle, a 61-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs — the former Terps and current Bills star — on the final play of a 29-24 divisional-round win over the Saints.
The Vikings have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2022 season, starting 7-1 under first-year coach Kevin O’Connell, but Sunday’s game will be just their third against a team that has a winning record entering Week 10.
Browns at Dolphins (Sunday, 1 p.m.): The Dolphins (6-3) could be one of the teams the Ravens are battling for the top seed in the AFC, while the Browns (3-5) could be on the verge of turning their season around.
Miami is 5-1 in games quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has started this season, including three straight wins. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill, acquired from the Chiefs in the offseason in a blockbuster trade, is on pace to smash the NFL single-season receiving yards record with 1,104 in just nine games. The Dolphins clearly believe in their ability to make a deep postseason run under first-year coach Mike McDaniel, trading for Denver Broncos star pass rusher Bradley Chubb before the Nov. 1 deadline.
The Browns, meanwhile, breathed some life into their playoff hopes with a 32-13 win over the Bengals in Week 8, ending a fourgame losing streak. Cleveland faces the ninth-toughest remaining schedule, according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA, but they have a strong offensive line, the league’s best running back in Nick Chubb and perhaps the Defensive Player of the Year in defensive end Myles Garrett. Quarterback Deshaun Watson will also return from his 11-game suspension next month.
Broncos at Titans (Sunday, 1 p.m.): After a potentially season-altering win over the Jaguars in London in Week 8, the Broncos
(3-5) could be much more formidable by the time they face the Ravens in Week 13. Sunday’s game will be the first chance to see if Russell Wilson and company can build on that momentum.
After trading a huge package of picks and players for Wilson and giving him a five-year deal worth $245 million in the offseason, the veteran quarterback has failed to meet expectations. The Broncos’ offense ranks 27th in efficiency, according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA, while Wilson ranks 28th in QBR, an all-encompassing stat that takes rushing into account. The offense, led by Wilson and firstyear coach Nathaniel Hackett, was supposed to carry this team. Instead, it’s the defense, which ranks second in DVOA and seventh in pressure rate (25%).
The Titans’ defense has had to carry much of the load, too, especially in Sunday night’s overtime loss to the Chiefs. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill remains limited by an ankle injury and could miss a third straight game, which would thrust rookie Malik Willis back into the starting lineup after he completed just five of 16 passes for 80 yards against Kansas City. Tennessee (5-3) is also dealing with injuries to starting linebackers Zach Cunningham and Bud Dupree, defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons and safety Amani Hooker, making it difficult to envision a repeat performance.
Jaguars at Chiefs (Sunday, 1 p.m.): The Ravens avoid the Chiefs (6-2) this year, but they travel to Jacksonville for the first time since 2016 in Week 12. The teams have changed dramatically since, with Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley, kicker Justin Tucker and defensive lineman Brent Urban the only holdovers on both sides.
While the Ravens built a perennial contender around Jackson after trading up for him in the 2018 draft, the Jaguars (3-6) are looking to do the same after picking quarterback Trevor Lawrence first overall in 2021. The former Clemson star experienced a rocky rookie season, but a lot of that can be blamed on the dysfunction created by former coach Urban Meyer and his staff. Now under the tutelage of coach Doug Pederson and offensive coordinator Press Taylor, Lawrence is starting to flash the talent that made him an elite prospect, ranking ninth in the league in passing yards (2,075) while throwing 11 touchdown passes to six interceptions. He’s been helped by the addition of free-agent receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones and the emergence of former Clemson teammate Travis Etienne, who ranks fifth in the league in rushing yards (680), nearly half of which (379) have come in the past three games.
While Jacksonville’s record isn’t pretty, they’ve been very unlucky, with all six losses coming by eight points or fewer. According to Pythagorean calculations, which gives an expected winning percentage using the ratio of a team’s wins and losses related to the number of points scored and allowed, Jacksonville has played well enough to earn five wins. Their plus-21 point differential is by far the best in the AFC South and better or equal to the Jets, Giants and Seahawks, all of whom have at least six wins. Sunday’s matchup against the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes — an early favorite for MVP after his masterful start to the season — is an ideal opportunity for Jacksonville to prove it’s better than its record.