ATLANTA (5-9) at BALTIMORE (9-5)
Saturday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NFL LINE: Ravens by 7 1/2.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Falcons 8-6; Ravens 6-8.
SERIES RECORD: Ravens lead 4-2.
LAST MEETING: Ravens beat Falcons 26-16 on Dec. 2, 2018, at Atlanta.
LAST WEEK: Falcons lost at New Orleans 21-18; Ravens lost at Cleveland 13-3.
FALCONS OFFENSE: OVERALL (28), RUSH (3), PASS (31), SCORING (15)
FALCONS DEFENSE: OVERALL (28), RUSH (21), PASS (28), SCORING (22)
RAVENS OFFENSE: OVERALL (16), RUSH (2), PASS (27), SCORING (16)
RAVENS DEFENSE: OVERALL (10), RUSH (3), PASS (25), SCORING (T-4)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Falcons minus-2; Ravens plus-7.
FALCONS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Desmond Ridder completed 13 of 26 passes for 97 yards and rushed for 38 yards in his debut last week. Ridder has three more games to show he deserves to be considered a candidate to start in 2023. Former starter Marcus Mariota was placed on injured reserve with a chronic knee injury after losing the starting job.
RAVENS PLAYER TO WATCH: TE Mark Andrews was an All-Pro last season, but his numbers have been down a bit in 2022. Still, the Ravens are desperate for some production from the passing game, and the decimated wide receiver group hasn’t been providing much. Andrews hasn’t caught a touchdown pass in more than two months, and this would be a good time to end that drought.
KEY MATCHUP: Baltimore’s second-ranked rushing attack vs. Atlanta’s third-ranked running game. The running backs in this matchup won’t face each other directly, but with both teams struggling to pass the ball and cold weather expected, it certainly feels as if whoever moves the ball more effectively on the ground could have the edge.
KEY INJURIES: Falcons backup OL Chuma Edoga (knee) had limited participation on Wednesday. … C Matt Hennessy (knee) was designated to return from IR last week and has made progress this week, according to Atlanta coach Arthur Smith. There has been no update on his possible return to the active roster this week. … Falcons RB Caleb Huntley (Achilles) was placed on IR. … Lamar Jackson (knee) has missed the past two games and didn’t practice Tuesday or Wednesday this week. QB Tyler Huntley, who started for the Ravens in Jackson’s place, was also limited in practice this week because of a shoulder issue but will start. … Baltimore DE Calais Campbell (knee) and CB Marcus Peters (calf) were hurt last weekend. … The Ravens put WR Devin Duverney (foot) on IR this week.
SERIES NOTES: The teams haven’t met all that often, and the Falcons have never beaten the Ravens on the road. Atlanta also never beat the Colts in Baltimore when that franchise played there. … In the most recent meeting in 2018, each team scored a defensive touchdown in the Ravens’ victory.
STATS AND STUFF: Rookie RB Tyler Allgeier set career highs with 17 carries for 139 yards and scored a touchdown last week while averaging 8.2 yards per attempt. His big day included a 43-yard run. Caleb Huntley’s season-ending Achilles injury could clear the way for Allgeier to continue to have more carries for Atlanta. … Falcons rookie LB Troy Andersen made his second start last week, moving ahead of Mykal Walker, and is expected to keep his starting job against Baltimore. … Rookie Drake London was Atlanta’s only WR to have a catch last week against New Orleans. London had seven receptions for 70 yards, giving him 13 catches for 165 yards in his past two games. TE MyCole Pruitt had two catches and Atlanta’s other receptions came from RBs. … The Ravens are one of four teams — along with the Rams, Vikings and 49ers — that have not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season. Last week was a close call, though, when Cleveland’s Nick Chubb ran for 99. … This will be the 200th regular-season game for Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens are 140-59. … Baltimore has multiple sacks in 10 straight games, the longest active streak in the league. … No Ravens WR has had a touchdown catch since Week 3. … Baltimore has a franchise-record 13-game streak of outrushing its opponents. … The Ravens have scored touchdowns on 48% of their red zone chances, ranking 29th in the league.
FANTASY TIP: Expect the Ravens to stick with the running game if it’s working — something they didn’t do last week in the fourth quarter. RBs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards should get every chance to carry the offense.
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