The Seahawks are up against it this week as they’re on the road and facing what may be the best team in the NFL this season in the Ravens.
Here are eight things to know heading into this week’s game.
Lamar Jackson owns the NFC
The most important thing to know about this Ravens team is they have a potential Hall of Famer starting for them at quarterback. Lamar Jackson has as many physical gifts as any QB that’s ever played in the NFL, but he’s also a rare level of competitor. If you need evidence, look no further than his record against NFC opponents. Jackson is 17-1 in his career in these intra-conference matchups so far. While he does it with a very different style, Jackson has Tom Brady’s ability to will his team to win.
Geno Smith's INT issues are back
On the other side, Seattle has a top-10 QB in their backfield in Geno Smith. While No. 7 is still doing a fantastic job of avoiding sacks and making a lot of high-level throws, Smith has also regressed over the last few weeks when it comes to turnovers. After only throwing one interception his first four games, Smith has thrown five picks over his last three and is frankly lucky that number isn’t higher. Geno will have to be especially careful this week considering his competition…
Baltimore has the NFL's top scoring defense
This Baltimore team is tough in a lot of ways, but under John Harbaugh they have always hung their hat on defense. This year is no exception and they’re doing it as well as they ever have. Heading into Week 9 the Ravens are only allowing 15.1 points per game, the fewest of any team in the league this year. They also rank second behind the Browns in yards allowed per game (276.5).
Two evenly matched teams
As potent as the Ravens look on paper, in many ways the Seahawks are just as good – or at least really close. If we go by a couple of advanced stats on offense, their production has been nearly identical this year. This chart showing success rate vs. EPA/play has Baltimore and Seattle right next to each other.
NFL Offenses – Entering Week 9 pic.twitter.com/xMBEWPfSN2
— SumerSports (@SumerSports) November 2, 2023
If we use some traditional numbers and shrink the sample size down to begin starting in Week 4, these teams are also remarkably close defensively in points and yards allowed as well as sacks.
Two elite defenses go at it on Sunday😤
Who has the edge in this one?🤔 pic.twitter.com/ATONSiuSvY
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) November 1, 2023
Seattle is officially 4-deep at wide receiver
One area where the Seahawks do enjoy a distinct advantage over the Ravens is at the wide receiver position. This is no longer just a two-man show featuring DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Rookies Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo have also been integrated into the passing game over the last few weeks, combining for a total of 19 catches, 274 yards and three touchdowns over the last three games. No other NFL team can boast of being truly four-deep at this spot.
Expect some elite linebacker play
However, there are a plenty of other positions where these teams are either about even or Baltimore has a slight advantage. One of them is linebacker. Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks are both playing incredibly well this season, but the Ravens might have the league’s top off-ball linebacker combination in Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen. Fans should expect to see some superb linebacker play on both sides.
Ravens ranked No. 1 in DVOA
As excited as we are about these Seahawks right now, it would come as a surprise if they’re able to pull off an upset on the road against the Ravens. On paper they’re a better team and the advanced stats show it’s true. Heading into this week, Baltimore ranks No. 1 in defensive DVOA, No. 4 in offensive DVOA and No. 1 overall in total team DVOA. Meanwhile, Seattle ranks No. 9 on offense, No. 15 on defense and No. 10 in total DVOA.
Leonard Williams making Seahawks debut
Closing that gap will require some ball-out performances from several key players. One we will be watching closely is defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who will be making his debut for the Seahawks after getting traded from the Giants earlier this week. Williams is stout against the run and is also an exceptional interior pass rusher. If Williams can consistently get into the backfield and disrupt Lamar Jackson’s rhythm it would go a long way towards an upset.
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