NFL
By: Joey MacDonald
The Baltimore Ravens have now won 2 consecutive games for the first time all year as they beat the Miami Dolphins 28-6 in week 9, thanks to the return of star quarterback Lamar Jackson, who returned after missing three straight games with a Hamstring injury, and threw for four touchdowns in a victory over Miami. And now the Ravens head to the Midwest and take on the other purple team, the Minnesota Vikings, in a Week 10 interconference matchup.
This Week’s 10 matchup is an intriguing one when you are looking at it on paper. The Baltimore Ravens are coming in having won two consecutive games, after knocking off both the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins in back-to-back games. And now the Ravens are looking for their 1st 3-game winning streak of the season. The Minnesota Vikings, who lost two straight games, got back on the winning side with a win over their division rivals, the Detroit Lions, in Week 9. They look to continue their path towards the top of the NFC North. This game will feature two of the most exciting players in the NFL: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
The Baltimore Ravens are coming into Week 10 as fresh as they can be. Most of the players who were injured earlier in the season are starting to recover for this matchup and for the rest of the season, which could be great news for the Ravens, but also trouble for the AFC. As this team gets healthy, teams in the AFC will start getting nervous about playing this team potentially in the postseason. The defense in the last three games has played much better than it has in the past, allowing only 13 points per game. And, this Sunday, the secondary will have the challenging task of trying to hold down the best wide receiver in the NFL, Justin Jefferson. And if the secondary can hold its own against Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, then the Ravens defense could be in for an easy day. And, as Lamar Jackson stays healthy, this team will be the favorites in every game.
The Minnesota Vikings, on the other hand, haven’t been playing their best football in the last few games, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers before knocking off their division rival, the Detroit Lions, by the score of 27-24, picking up their 4th win of the season. The Vikings are a team that’s always had one great game one week and one bad game the next, and that’s something that could spell trouble for any football team trying to make a run for the postseason. Like the Ravens, the Vikings also have a superstar player in the form of wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Jefferson is having a solid year, with 649 receiving yards, which ranks 5th in the NFL. However, he has only two touchdowns, which is concerning, given that last year he had Sam Darnold as his quarterback, whereas this year he has JJ McCarthy. But a positive for Minnesota is that they are facing the 28th-ranked pass defense, which could give Justin Jefferson a big day. And if Justin Jefferson has a big game, then the Vikings can win this game.
The Ravens will need a big game from their secondary to slow down Justin Jefferson, as well as from the entire defense, which has allowed only 13 points in the last three games. If the defense plays well, the Ravens could win their third game in a row. Also, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry will need to run the ball and play old-school Ravens football to win. And with the way the Minnesota Vikings play every week, the Ravens could make things look really easy on Sunday. In the end, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will make more big plays than Justin Jefferson.
Prediction: Ravens 31 Vikings 20
