The Ravens are headed into Sunday night without the player who usually sets the tone for everything they do. Lamar Jackson won’t be on the field against the Falcons after injuring his ankle just before halftime of last week’s win over the Tennessee Titans, and Baltimore will turn to Tyler Huntley at quarterback.
That changes the whole look of the matchup in Atlanta. The Ravens come in at 3-1, but their lone loss already showed how much this offense can wobble when one of its main pieces is missing.
That game came against the New Orleans Saints, when Zay Flowers was out. Now Baltimore is trying to survive another key absence, only this time it’s the quarterback.
Atlanta, though, has earned the chance to make Baltimore pay. The Falcons have won two straight after opening the season 0-2, and the offense has suddenly found a different gear with Michael Penix Jr. back under center.
Over the last two weeks, Atlanta has been pounding opponents on the ground and then hitting them with play-action shots down the field. The defense has been just as eye-opening, getting after the passer far more than expected.
So the setup for the Week 5 edition of “Sunday Night Football” is pretty straightforward: can the Falcons handle business at home, or can the Ravens steal one with their backup quarterback? Baltimore will try to do it without its best and most important player, while Atlanta looks to keep its momentum rolling in front of its own crowd.
The rest will play out under the lights, with stats, scores and highlights to follow throughout the night.
In Other News...
Jake Matthews Forces A Big Falcons Decision Ahead Of A Rare Milestone
Jake Matthews is hovering around a milestone few NFL offensive linemen ever reach as the Falcons head into Week 5 against the Ravens. The veteran left tackle is questionable with a groin injury from Week 4, and his status has become one of Atlantas biggest pregame decisions because one more appearance would put him at 200 consecutive starts, a rare mark for a player in the trenches.
The timing adds another layer to a game already shaped by injuries on the other side, with Baltimore set to be without star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. For Atlanta, the choice is simple on paper and complicated in practice: protect Matthews, protect the streak, or trust him to keep one of the NFLs steadiest runs going while the Falcons try to keep their offensive line intact. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Run Defense Is About To Face Its Realest Test Yet
Through four weeks, the Falcons have done something that has turned heads around the league: they have looked like the NFLs best run defense. The early slate has kept them mostly away from the kind of pounding ground game that can expose a front seven, but the production has still been there, and Atlanta has made a habit of keeping opposing backs from getting comfortable.
Week 5 brings a different kind of exam. Baltimore arrives with Derrick Henry, a power runner who changes the tone of a game just by getting the ball, and Atlantas defense, including rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels, will have to prove its early success can travel against a back built to wear teams down. This is the test that can tell us a lot more about where the Falcons really stand in stopping the run. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Primetime Run Faces A Very Different Ravens Test
The Falcons have spent the past couple of weeks building real momentum under the lights, and Sunday night gives them another chance to show that their primetime surge is more than a short-term burst. Atlanta has already won two night games in convincing fashion, and now gets Baltimore in a matchup that arrives with the kind of spotlight and intrigue that can reshape a teams early-season conversation.
The wrinkle is on the other side. The Ravens are trying to stack a third straight win, but their outlook is tied closely to Lamar Jacksons availability, which has turned this into a very different kind of betting market than it was earlier in the week. Even with Atlanta now sitting as the favorite, this one feels like the sort of test that can tell the Falcons whether their recent success under the lights is built to last. [Read more 🡒]