The Ravens laid a whoppin’ on the Rams last weekend in St. Louis.  The Jets got pushed around last weekend in Oakland by the Raiders.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens are going to come out running the ball with Ray Rice and Ricky Williams against a Jets’ D that is allowing 136.7 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry so far this year.  The Ravens are hoping to run the ball well, so that the Jets’ D creeps up to stop it.  The Ravens then plan to go over the top off of play action to rookie Torrey Smith.  Anquan Boldin is going to have to earn every yard he gets this Sunday with CB Darrelle Revis likely on him.  It would also be nice for Joe Flacco to look for his young TEs (Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta) in this game.

When the Jets have the ball:  The Ravens are going to gang up to stop RBs Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson, and force Mark Sanchez and his receivers to beat them through the air.  The Ravens are going to be blitzing like mad men in this game with Terrell Suggs leading the charge as Sanchez has already been sacked 9 times so far this year.  Sanchez has not been throwing to his WRs much so far this year, but the Ravens still need to keep their eyes on Santonio Holmes, Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason.  The Ravens’ LBs and safeties will need to be up to the challenge of stopping LaDainian Tomlinson and Dustin Keller in the passing game as they have been Sanchez’ favorite targets in this game.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 24, JETS 16

The Baltimore Ravens have placed 28-year old cornerback Domonique Foxworth on the Injured Reserve List due to a knee injury.  He played in 2 games for the Ravens this year and he had 2 tackles.  Foxworth has now played in 18 games in his first two years with the Ravens and he has 55 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery, 16 passes defensed and 4 interceptions.

36-year old middle linebacker Ray Lewis still has a fire in his belly.  He has played in 3 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has 25 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Teams are only averaging 84.0 yards rushing and 3.5 yards per carry so far this year and Lewis has had a lot to do with that.  Lewis has now played in 16 seasons for the Ravens appearing in 213 games in which he has 1,923 tackles, 47 tackles for a loss, 39.5 sacks, 18 forced fumbles, 18 fumble recoveries, 113 passes defensed and 31 interceptions (3 returned for TDs).  He’s going directly to Canton, Ohio and into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame five years after he hangs up the cleats, but no reason to rush that as he is still playing at a Pro Bowl level for the Ravens.

The Baltimore Ravens destroyed the Rams in all aspects of the game yesterday.  Joe Flacco was outstanding yesterday as he completed 27 of 48 passes for 389 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 9 times for 29 yards (3.2 ypc) in this game.  Ray Rice was very solid for the Ravens in this game as he carried the ball 8 times for 79 yards (9.9 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 83 yards (16.6 avg).  Ricky Williams pitched in with 5 carries for 42 yards (8.4 ypc) in this game.  Rookie WR Torrey Smith hadn’t caught any passes in his first two NFL games, but he made up for lost time yesterday as he caught 5 passes for 152 yards (30.4 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  All three of his TD grabs came in the first quarter for the Ravens!  WR Anquan Boldin (7 rec, 74 yards) and TE Ed Dickson (5 rec, 51 yards) also pitched in for the Ravens in this game.  The Ravens finished up with 168 yards rushing on 26 carries (6.5 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 48 passes (56.3%) for 385 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:11.

The defense was outstanding for the Ravens in this game.  LB Ray Lewis led the way for the Ravens with 10 tackles and 1 sack.  LB Jameel McClain (5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit), DE Terrell Suggs (4 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 2 QB hits) and CB Lardarius Webb (4 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) also had solid games.  DT Haloti Ngata recovered a fumble that he returned 28 yards for a TD.  The Rams rushed for 112 yards on 26 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 32 passes (50%) for 132 yards.  The Ravens are now 2-1 on the year.

The Baltimore Ravens were flat last weekend after kicking the Steelers’ butts in the season opener.  I look for them to be much more focused this weekend against the Rams in St. Louis.  The Rams have suffered a lot of injuries to key players so far this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Rams are giving up 177.5 yards rushing per game and 5.1 yards per carry so far this year, so look for the Ravens to get back to the ground in this game.  Ray Rice and Ricky Williams will likely be the focal point of the offense for the Ravens this weekend.  The Ravens will try to get Joe Flacco back on the right track this Sunday as he will be looking a lot of Anquan Boldin, Lee Evans and his TEs (Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson) this Sunday.  The Ravens will likely have some success throwing the ball as long as Flacco has time in the pocket.  Opposing QBs have a 87.3 QB Rating against the Rams so far this year.

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are likely going to be starting #3 RB Jerious Norwood against the Ravens due to injuries to Steven Jackson and Cadillac Williams.  The Ravens are only giving up 70.0 yards rushing per game and 3.1 yards per carry.  With those factors in mind, look for Sam Bradford to try to air it out against the suddenly very weak secondary of the Ravens (except for Ed Reed).  The Ravens need to get a good pass rush against the Rams, because if Bradford has time to stand in the pocket, he going to complete some throws downfield to Danario Alexander, Brandon Gibson and Mike Sims-Walker.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 24, RAMS 20

26-year old QB Joe Flacco was outstanding against the Steelers in the season opener but he was terrible against the Titans last Sunday.  He has played in 2 games for the Ravens so far this year and he has completed 32 of 61 passes (52.5%) for 421 yards with 4 TD passes and 2 INTs (82.8 QB Rating).  But, he has yet to carry the ball this year…..and that is a good thing.  The Ravens need Flacco to be more consistent, because as good as the defense is, the Ravens aren’t going to win a lot of games without scoring their fair share of points this year.

The Ravens have lost 24-year old kick returner David Reed for the next 3-6 weeks due to a shoulder injury.  Reed returned 3 kickoffs for 125 yards (41.7 avg) for the Ravens last weekend in his season debut.  FB Vonta Leach and CB Lardarius Webb replace him in the season opener when he was suspended, but, it’s more likely that either rookie WR Torrey Smith or rookie WR LaQuan Williams will replace Reed going forward.

The Ravens were tied 10-10 at the half against the Titans yesterday, but that’s when the roof caved in as the Titans kicked their butts in the second half.  Joe Flacco had that deer in headlights look back on his face yesterday as he completed only 15 of 32 passes for 197 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs.  Ray Rice was busy with 13 carries for 43 yards (3.3 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 53 yards (10.6 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Ricky Williams had an awful game with 4 carries for 2 yards (0.5 ypc) and he lost a fumble!  Anquan Boldin led the way in the passing game for the Ravens yesterday with 3 grabs for 46 yards (15.3 avg).  The Ravens finished up with 45 yards rushing on 17 carries (2.6 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 32 passes (46.9%) for 184 yards as they had possession of the ball for 24:08.

The defense was outstanding against the Titans’ running game but they couldn’t stop Matt Hasselbeck and his WRs.  CB Lardarius Webb led the way for the Ravens’ D yesterday with 10 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  LB Ray Lewis (8 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit), safety Ed Reed (8 tackles) and CB Cary Williams (8 tackles) also pitched in defensively for the Ravens in this game.  The Titans finished up with 74 yards rushing on 29 carries (2.6 ypc) and they also completed 30 of 42 passes (71.4%) for 358 yards.  The Ravens are now 1-1 on the year.

The Baltimore Ravens have waived 25-year old linebacker Jason Phillips.  Phillips played in 9 games for the Ravens as a rookie last season and he had 5 tackles.  This might hurt the special teams of the Ravens a little bit, but they should be able to cover for his loss at LB.  The Ravens should be o.k. without Phillips.

The Baltimore Ravens are looking to keep rolling against the Titans this weekend in Tennessee.  The Ravens could have a little bit of a let down this Sunday and still beat the Titans.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens have to be licking their chops at the sight of the Titans’ D.  They are likely going to pound Ray Rice and Ricky Williams at the interior of the Titans’ defense and challenge MLB Barrett Ruud.  After the Ravens establish a solid running game, look for Joe Flacco to attack the Titans deep off of play action passes to Lee Evans and Anquan Boldin.  Also look for the Ravens to attack the Titans over the middle with TEs Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta.

When the Titans have the ball:  The Ravens are going to focus on stopping Chris Johnson and daring Matt Hasselbeck to beat them by throwing the ball.  The Ravens are going to need DE Terrell Suggs and the rest of the D to get to Hasselbeck, because if he has time to throw the ball, he could do some damage to the secondary down the field.  WR Kenny Britt (5 rec, 136 yards, 2 TDs) is a absolute mis-match against any of the Ravens’ corners.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 21, TITANS 13