Count me amongst the few glad to see this one remain on Sunday Night if for no other reason than to see if the Ravens can keep building towards the playoffs. Right now, they look like the favorite to take the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the first time in their 16 years in Baltimore. They need to win-out to guarantee that and to avoid looking back on the season wondering quite how they managed to lose in Jacksonville.
The Chargers are clinging on by a thread this year and could be mathematically eliminated from the postseason with a loss on Sunday night. Regardless, change seems inevitable for the Chargers after yet another disappointing season. Truthfully, the Chargers have wasted an incredibly talented roster the last two years when the AFC West was theirs to be won.
Despite their problems, the Chargers still represent a significant threat to the Ravens aspirations to be home for the playoffs. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the three matchups to focus on this week.
San Diego’s Offensive Tackles vs. Baltimore’s Pass Rush
Ravens fans remember Jared Gaither (+4.6) all too well for all the right–and all the wrong–reasons. Two years ago he was a Top 5 left tackle for the Ravens but he left the team this past offseason amongst stories of a lack in motivation. He certainly looks to be motivated now for San Diego, allowing no pressure whatsoever in his first two starts for the Chargers. The same can’t be said for Jeromey Clary (-32.5) who has struggled all year at right tackle, allowing seven sacks, five hits and 37 pressures.
When it comes to the Ravens pass rush, it’s no longer centered around just Terrell Suggs (+37.0). Don’t get me wrong, Suggs still leads the way with 13 sacks, eight hits, and 32 pressures this year, but Pernell McPhee (+16.9) and Paul Kruger (+7.0) have both stepped up to provide additional pass rushing presence. McPhee’s success as a fifth-round rookie were highlighted in this week’s debut edition of The Scramble but it’s safe to say with his seven sacks, six hits and 16 pressures, he is the Ravens' best pass rush threat next to Suggs. Kruger has very quietly put together his best season as a Raven with five sacks, three hits, and 14 pressures.
San Diego’s Cornerbacks vs. Baltimore’s Wide Receivers
Both Chargers’ CBs have struggled this season with Quentin Jammer (-5.8) allowing 62.0% of the passes thrown into his coverage to be caught while giving up five touchdowns. Opposite him, Antoine Cason (-4.0) has improved from a rough start to the year that saw him give up five touchdowns in the opening seven games, including three against the New York Jets. Since then he has allowed just the one touchdown and hasn’t allowed a completion percentage of higher than 37.5% over the last three weeks.
For the Ravens, despite Torrey Smith’s (-0.2) emergence as a legit deep threat, Anquan Boldin (+3.7) is still the Ravens' top WR. Averaging 15.2 yards per catch, Boldin is closing in on another 1,000 yard season despite catching just three touchdowns while dropping eight passes. We haven’t seen as many big plays from Smith lately as we did earlier in the year but his speed poses a problem for most defensive backs in the NFL. He dropped a sure touchdown last week against Indianapolis but Joe Flacco will still take his shots deep as he looks for the rookie receiver.
Marshal Yanda
This current Ravens offense boasts, in my opinion, their best offensive linemen since Jonathan Ogden. Marshal Yanda (+27.2) is our highest rated guard through 13 games, and for good reason. As a pass blocker he has given up just one sack, one hit, and five pressures – good enough for top spot among all guards in our Signature Stat, Pass Blocking Efficiency, that measures pressure allowed on a per snap basis. Making the Ravens equally as happy, his run blocking grade is second only to Philadelphia's Evan Mathis and just ahead of New Orleans' Jahri Evans.
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