Baltimore @ Atlanta preview
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 3, 2015 ) Baltimore 19, Atlanta 20
A quarterback controversy is bubbling up for the Baltimore Ravens, who will try to continue their surge toward a playoff spot with a road game Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. The Ravens have won two straight with rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson running the offense, but it’s unclear whether Joe Flacco will return against the Falcons, who have lost three straight to fall to the far fringes of the playoff picture.
Flacco returned to practice Thursday for the first time since injuring his right hip Nov. 4 against Pittsburgh, but his status may remain uncertain up until Sunday. It might not matter, because Jackson has played well while leading the Ravens to wins over Cincinnati and Oakland the past two weeks, rushing for 190 yards and a touchdown and passing for 328 yards and a touchdown with three interceptions. “We have no control over who plays or doesn’t, so we’ll be prepared to play whichever way that we have to go,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn told reporters. “I would say the styles are definitely different. … These two styles are different from the way that the offense has featured Joe in a lot of ways and how they’ve featured Lamar.” Despite a three-game skid, the Falcons aren’t completely out of the playoff picture — they trail a pack of potential wild-card teams by two games — but another loss would likely dash their slim hopes.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Atlanta -1.5. O/U: 48.
ABOUT THE RAVENS (6-5): Baltimore boasts the league’s best defense and has held its past two opponents to 255 and 249 total yards. Jackson’s move to the starting role has sparked the ground game, which has rolled up 509 rushing yards the past two games, as fellow rookie Gus Edwards has posted consecutive 100-yard games. Jackson completed passes to seven different receivers in last week’s 34-17 win over Oakland.
ABOUT THE FALCONS (4-7): Atlanta has one of the most prolific passing attacks in the league, but the absence of a running game has been detrimental. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are still putting up big numbers — Jones has six straight 100-yard receiving games — but the Falcons totaled only 26 rushing yards and lost three fumbles in last week’s 31-17 loss at New Orleans. The secondary that was torched early in the season has played better of the late, but the Falcons have been unable to stop the run the past three games, which is problematic if Jackson starts.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Ravens’ defense has not recorded an interception since Week 5, a string of 234 passes without a pick.
2. Falcons WR Calvin Ridley leads all rookies in receiving yards (625) and touchdown receptions (eight).
3. Baltimore OLB Terrell Suggs has notched a sack in each of his past three games against Atlanta.
PREDICTION: Ravens 27, Falcons 20