Previewing the Ravens vs. Falcons Week 16 showdown

Can Tyler Huntley and the Ravens’ offense bounce back?

Teams (Records)

Baltimore Ravens: 9-5

Atlanta Falcons: 5-9

Odds (Courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Spread: Ravens -6.5

Over/Under: 35.5

Moneyline: Ravens -265, Falcons +225

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Last 5 Games In Regular Season Series

Ravens: 3-2
Falcons: 2-3

Matchup History

Ravens lead series 4-2

Injury Report & Game Status

Storylines

Running the Football

Last week, the Ravens trounced over the Cleveland Browns’ swiss-cheese run defense as running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards marched for 180 yards on 20 carries. But, the team strayed from the run game in the fourth quarter when down by 10 and turned to backup quarterback Tyler Huntley to throw them back into the game. This Saturday will be an opportunity to demonstrate revision. The Falcons defense is ranked No. 26 by run DVOA per Football Outsiders. In a game that may feature single-digit temperatures and gusting winds, the best chance for success would appear to be road-grading the opponents with the top-tier offensive line and two special running backs.

Quarterback Situations

Another week without Lamar Jackson practicing has Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh confirming Huntley will once again start. Last week, Huntley and the passing game struggled to get downfield and the offense scored only three points as a result. They’ll need to refine their game if they hope to claim victory.

On the other end, the Falcons are putting their hopes into rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder, who debuted last week against the New Orleans Saints to middling success. The Ravens tend to bully and take advantage of rookie quarterbacks starting against their defense, look for takeaways and pressures a-plenty.

Injury Outlook

The Ravens will play on Saturday down a few men with Jackson, defensive end Calais Campbell and cornerback Marcus Peters all ruled out for the game. They also placed wide receiver Devin Duvernay on injured reserve earlier this week after suffering a broken bone in his foot.

The Ravens did manage to claim wide receiver Sammy Watkins off waivers to help relieve some of the pass-catching loss of Duvernay, though the team will likely have to bring somebody up to fill in for Duvernay’s role with the offense that specializes in sweeps and misdirection carries.