Los Angeles Rams (3-2) @ Baltimore Ravens (1-4)
Sunday, October 12, 1:00 PM ET
I have to eat some crow as we talk about this matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens, because I didn’t see any way the Rams were dropping a home game on a short week against the beaten and battered San Francisco 49ers.
I must have forgotten that “Any Given Sunday” also applies to Thursday nights as well.
The Rams got punked on their home field by the 49ers and Mac Jones, and there’s really no other way to slice it. It just goes to show that no matter how big the difference is in terms of an on-field talent gap, guys who get paid to play will make you pay for your mistakes.
Someone put that on a t-shirt.
The Baltimore Ravens have to be the biggest surprise in the NFL right now with a 1-4 record through the first five weeks. It’s not like Lamar Jackson has been gone the entire season. This team had a bad taste in its mouth immediately after dropping a huge lead against the Buffalo Bills, and they’ve been reeling a bit ever since.
With Cooper Rush playing in place of Jackson, it’s hard to see the Ravens going up against the Rams and winning, even with Los Angeles coming out to the East Coast and playing an early window game. Have I mentioned how tough that is for teams sometimes?
The Rams aren’t losing back-to-back games against a backup quarterback. The 49ers are a little different because Jones has played a number of games already and has played well this season, but the Ravens are injured on both sides of the ball and Cooper Rush was a turnover machine against the Texans.
Prediction: Rams win 31-13