The New York Jets are on the road on Sunday for the 11th game of their 2025 campaign. They will be facing Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens have struggled a bit this season. They come
into this game with a 5-5 record, good for 2nd place in the AFC North, one game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens’ defense was uncharacteristically porous in the first five or so games this season, but they have since turned things around and are looking more like the tough Ravens defenses of years past. In addition, Lamar Jackson missed a few games with injuries, during which the Ravens struggled badly. Jackson is back, and the Ravens have won four straight games. With the Ravens rounding into shape and playing their best football of the season, this seems like a bad time for the Jets to be visiting them in Baltimore.
Previewing this matchup, Nikhil Mehta, Ryan Parish, site manager at Baltimore Beatdown, was kind enough to answer a few questions regarding the 2025 Baltimore Ravens.
- The Ravens have had a long history of defensive excellence going back decades. However, this season the Ravens struggled badly on defense before turning it around over the last five or so games. What caused the early season defensive struggles, and why have the Ravens been successful in getting back on track on defense?
The early-season struggles can be attributed to three things: a tough stretch of opponents, the loss of DT Nnamdi Madubuike, and four-cornerback dime packages. Three of the Ravens’ first four games came against the Bills, the Lions, and the Chiefs; Madubuike went down in Week 2 and is still tied for the team lead in sacks; and Baltimore’s recent defenses were more successful with three-safety dime looks, but 2024 starter Ar’Darius Washington suffered a torn Achilles during the offseason. The Ravens have since played several softer opponents (including an especially easy post-bye stretch) and completely reworked their defense. Eric DeCosta traded for Alohi Gilman in October to move Kyle Hamilton into a hybrid Star/nickel, and deadline acquisition Dre’Mont Jones has already had an impact on the pass rush. Rookies like Malaki Starks and Teddye Buchanan have made some of the biggest plays of their young careers
- Lamar Jackson seems to be running significantly less this year. Is that an intentional strategy to try to preserve his health for the long run, or is it just statistical noise? If he scales back his running, will the Ravens offense suffer at all?
The feeling is that Lamar Jackson just isn’t fully healthy. We saw him look his normal self in that fantastic week one clash with the Bills. But since, he doesn’t seem to look as explosive after he took a shot from Ed Oliver at the end of that game. Right now, it’s definitely impacting the offense. Jackson’s legs are an easy trigger to pull when the offense gets out of sync. But because of his health, it seems he and the Ravens are trying to dial that back for now. The red zone offense in particular is struggling without Jackson’s legs, with few designed QB runs or scrambles into the end zone. Hopefully, keeping him upright and scaling back his workload right now will have him ready down the stretch.
- How would you attack the Ravens on offense and on defense?
I’ll let you in on a secret: defenses have actually figured out how to stop Lamar Jackson. It’s a job that requires a very specific set of skills, and it’s almost impossible to pull off, but it can be done. One of the basic calls in obvious passing situations is a drop-7, rush-3, with a QB spy. The three-man rush needs to contain Jackson’s scrambling lanes and get their hands up when he goes to pass, and the spy needs to mirror and trigger once there’s an open lane to the quarterback. That also allows you to run man coverage as opposed to the zone coverage Jackson has more frequently torn apart in his career. Against the Ravens defense, the answer is simple: pound the rock. Without Madubuike, Baltimore’s run defense is not as dominant as it has been in years past, and their past few opponents have not taken proper advantage. That can be tough if you’re at a deficit, but the Ravens have been starting slow on offense. The Jets should give Breece Hall plenty of early opportunities in this one.
- Which players, if any, are guys who the casual NFL fan may be unfamiliar with but Ravens fans know can make a difference in the game?
Keaton Mitchell fits this description to a T. He is an explosive play threat on every touch and it is only a matter of time before he finally takes one to the house. The Ravens have tried to get him in the mix as a returner, too, but he has not taken to it as naturally as the team hoped. Tight end Charlie Kolar also frequently draws the easiest matchups as a pass-catcher and can turn simple underneath catches into lengthy catch-and-runs. On defense, I’ll give a shout-out to Trenton Simpson, who got a shot as a starting linebacker last year but quickly fell out of favor. He was extremely effective as a blitzer last week and could make a few more splash plays on Sunday.
- Lamar Jackson is currently leading the NFL in passer rating and touchdown percentage. Last year he led the NFL in passer rating, touchdown percentage, yards per attempt and QBR. He owns the highest career passer rating in NFL history, and the highest career adjusted yards per attempt in NFL history. Jackson is also the greatest running quarterback in NFL history. Is he now the best quarterback in the NFL? Does he need a Super Bowl victory to claim that title?
Ravens fans have felt Jackson was the most talented quarterback in the NFL for a long time. There’s simply nobody else that can do what he does both on the ground and through the air. Jackson’s legs are well known throughout the league, but the strides he’s made with his arm aren’t talked about enough. I think about the throw against the Bengals last year stiff arming a guy while jumping out of bounds. I think about the 62-yard throw to 36 year old DeSean Jackson against Jacksonville. Elite throws that most quarterbacks aren’t making.
But yes, Lamar Jackson will likely need that Super Bowl victory to get most of the public to agree with him being the best quarterback in the NFL. Because otherwise, detractors in the media will always hold it against him.
