Rams put their 3-game winning streak on the line against the AFC North-leading Ravens
LOS ANGELES RAMS (6-6) at BALTIMORE (9-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox
BETTING LINE: Ravens by 7 1/2 according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Rams 5-5-2; Ravens 8-4.
SERIES RECORD: Ravens lead 5-3.
LAST MEETING: Rams beat Ravens 20-19 on Jan. 2, 2022, in Baltimore.
LAST WEEK: Rams beat Browns 36-19; Ravens off.
RAMS OFFENSE: OVERALL (13), RUSH (15), PASS (15), SCORING (13).
RAMS DEFENSE: OVERALL (16), RUSH (16), PASS (15), SCORING (14).
RAVENS OFFENSE: OVERALL (7), RUSH (1), PASS (20), SCORING (7).
RAVENS DEFENSE: OVERALL (2), RUSH (11), PASS (2), SCORING (1).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Rams minus-2; Ravens plus-5.
RAMS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Matthew Stafford threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns against a strong Cleveland defense last week. The Rams are 3-0 since their starting quarterback returned from a thumb injury.
RAVENS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Odell Beckham Jr. had a brief stint with the Rams at the end of the 2021 season, helping the team to a Super Bowl title. Now with the Ravens, he's been more of a factor lately in an offense that's missing injured TE Mark Andrews.
KEY MATCHUP: Baltimore's pass rush against the Rams' offensive line. The Ravens lead the NFL with 47 sacks and have a league-best 10 straight games with multiple sacks. Stafford has been sacked only once in his team's three-game winning streak.
KEY INJURIES: WR Puka Nacua (shoulder) was limited in practice this week for the Rams. TE Tyler Higbee (neck), LB Michael Hoecht (knee), DB Quentin Lake (hamstring) and LB Byron Young (knee) missed practice time. ... Baltimore CB Marlon Humphrey (calf) was at practice this week after missing two straight games. DT Justin Madubuike (concussion) was limited.
SERIES NOTES: Beckham scored the winning touchdown for the Rams with 57 seconds remaining in the teams' most recent meeting. Star QB Lamar Jackson missed that game for Baltimore with an injury. ... When Los Angeles faced Jackson during his MVP season of 2019, he threw five TD passes in a 45-6 rout.
STATS AND STUFF: The Rams are on their first three-game winning streak since they won the Super Bowl in February 2022. … Los Angeles has held its past three opponents under 100 yards rushing after struggling against the run earlier this season. … WR Cooper Kupp has been held under 50 yards receiving in five consecutive games, the longest such stretch of his seven-year NFL career. … Nacua set the Rams’ single-season yards receiving record for a rookie last week despite spraining his shoulder during the win over Cleveland. He would need 445 yards over the last five games to break the NFL rookie record, and 28 more catches to break that rookie mark. … The Rams could have their third kicker of the season if 39-year-old Mason Crosby is promoted from the practice squad. Incumbent Lucas Havrisik has missed two field-goal attempts and an extra point in the past two weeks. … Los Angeles’ defense has held four straight opponents to 21 points or fewer. … The Rams’ opponents have scored a touchdown on their opening drive in six of 12 games. … Baltimore has won six of seven and leads the AFC North by two games. The Ravens have already clinched their 12th winning season in coach John Harbaugh's 16 seasons. ... Baltimore is 12-3 after its open date under Harbaugh. ... The Ravens have rushed for at least 100 yards in 28 consecutive games. ... Jackson is 18-1 as a starter against the NFC. ... Baltimore has allowed a league-low 16 touchdowns on the season. ... Ravens RB Gus Edwards has had multiple rushing touchdowns in three games this season. The franchise record is four by Willis McGahee in 2019. ... Madubuike has nine straight games with at least a half-sack. The NFL record is 11. ... After facing the Rams, the Ravens take on three consecutive teams — Jacksonville, San Francisco and Miami — that are currently in first place.
FANTASY TIP: Ravens TE Isaiah Likely was productive in Baltimore's first full game without Andrews, catching four passes for 40 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers. The big question is whether he can be a factor in the red zone the way Andrews was.
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