BALTIMORE (8-3) at LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (4-6)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EST, NBC
BETTING LINE: Ravens by 3 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Ravens 7-4; Chargers 4-6.
SERIES RECORD: Ravens lead 8-5.
LAST MEETING: Ravens beat Chargers 31-6 on Oct. 17, 2021, in Baltimore.
LAST WEEK: Ravens beat Bengals 34-20; Chargers lost to Packers 23-20.
RAVENS OFFENSE: OVERALL (7), RUSH (1), PASS (20), SCORING (4).
RAVENS DEFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (13), PASS (3), SCORING (2).
CHARGERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (18), PASS (9), SCORING (8).
CHARGERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (12), PASS (32), SCORING (T-23).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Ravens plus-1; Chargers plus-7.
RAVENS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Odell Beckham Jr. returns to the site of his knee injury in the Super Bowl two seasons ago when he was with the Los Angeles Rams. Beckham is coming off perhaps his best game since joining the Ravens. He had four catches for 116 yards against Cincinnati, although he came out of that game with a shoulder issue.
CHARGERS PLAYER TO WATCH: DT Sebastian Joseph-Day got his third sack and third tackle for loss of the season against Green Bay. Los Angeles will need the five-year veteran to keep up that disruptive play against the versatile and committed running attack of Baltimore.
KEY MATCHUP: Ravens QB Lamar Jackson vs. the Chargers defense. Jackson has Baltimore’s offense operating at peak efficiency, having scored 31 points or more in five straight games. He is completing 69% of his passes with seven touchdowns against two interceptions in that span, and that’s before facing a struggling Chargers defense. After allowing 322 yards passing and two touchdowns to Green Bay’s Jordan Love, Los Angeles coach Brandon Staley must find a way to get cleaner and more consistent play out of his unit before it is too late.
KEY INJURIES: Ravens TE Mark Andrews injured his ankle last week and could miss the rest of the season. … Baltimore CB Marlon Humphrey (calf) and LT Ronnie Stanley (knee) missed last week’s game. … Chargers OLB Joey Bosa will miss the next four games after being put on injured reserve because of a sprained right foot he sustained in Green Bay.
SERIES NOTES: The Ravens have won the past three regular-season matchups against the Chargers, including a 22-10 victory in 2018 in their most recent visit to Southern California. … Los Angeles did bounce back with a 23-17 win in an AFC wild-card playoff game less than a month after that defeat in their temporary home in Carson, California. … The Chargers have sacked Jackson six times in two regular-season games and seven times in that postseason triumph.
STATS AND STUFF: The Ravens are 13-4 in prime-time games started by Jackson. … Baltimore has 44 sacks on the season, the most in the NFL. The Ravens have at least one sack in 32 consecutive games. They also lead the league with 14 players who’ve had at least one sack this season. … Baltimore RB Gus Edwards has rushed for nine TDs in the past five games. … The Ravens have allowed 13 offensive TDs, the fewest in the NFL. … Baltimore has rushed for at least 100 yards in 27 straight games. … Ravens DT Justin Madubuike has at least one full sack in six consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL. … Chargers RB Austin Ekeler had 64 yards rushing on 10 carries against the Packers. It was his most efficient game since the season opener after having failed to top 3.5 yards per attempt in any of his previous five outings. … Los Angeles has not had a takeaway in its past two games. In its four wins, the defense has 10 takeaways. … WR Keenan Allen has consecutive games with at least 10 receptions, 100 yards and a touchdown. He had 10 catches for 116 yards and a score against the Packers. … The Chargers have won their past two “Sunday Night Football” games. They are 3-1 in Sunday night home games since moving into SoFi Stadium in 2020. … After throwing four interceptions in three games against the Raiders, Cowboys and Chiefs, QB Justin Herbert has one interception in 146 pass attempts over his past four games.
FANTASY TIP: Edwards has scored a rushing touchdown in five straight games. That streak could continue considering the Chargers have allowed 302 yards and four scores on the ground over the past two weeks.
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