The Ravens-Titans matchup on Sunday has all the makings of a messy one, and that may be exactly why Baltimore needs a few under-the-radar players to matter. With the Ravens dealing with problems at home, trouble putting lesser teams away, and an offensive line in rough shape, the usual stars may not be enough by themselves.
That opens the door for some lesser-discussed names to become central pieces in Week 4.
Justice Hill looks like the clearest candidate to see a bigger role. His snaps have dropped every week, aside from the heavy workload he got while helping bleed the clock in Week 1’s blowout win over the Colts, but that trend figures to reverse now.
Baltimore’s battered offensive line has only made the case stronger for more run-game volume, and Hill fits the situation. The Ravens are getting better production out of shotgun runs from their backs, with those plays averaging 6.0 per carry compared to 4.7 under center, and Hill is more involved in those spread looks.
He also checks a lot of boxes the Ravens need right now. The offense may have to get more perimeter action, and Hill is useful there.
He is Baltimore’s best pass protector by a wide margin, he can handle the two-minute role, and he may be asked to do more in a game where keeping Lamar Jackson upright matters as much as anything. Hill has only three targets this season, but Sunday could bring more.
He could also get north of 10 carries, and if Baltimore keeps reworking its short-yardage approach, he might even show up in the red zone in a way he usually does not.
That kind of usage would make sense in a game that may not offer much room to breathe.
DeAndre Hopkins is another player who could pop in a different way. He does not catch a lot of balls, and his impact is not always steady, but when he does connect, it tends to matter.
The Ravens may need him on the kind of downfield shots that can flip field position or bail out a possession. With Zay Flowers drawing plenty of attention in coverage, Jackson could look Hopkins’ way on several deep throws.
Even a pass interference call on an underthrown ball could swing things in a game that figures to be a grind.
There is also a real chance Hopkins lands a long touchdown on an under-center play-action look early in the down. That fits the type of shot Baltimore may need to take, even if Titans coach Robert Saleh is not expected to blitz much or take unnecessary risks while trying to keep a lid on the offense.
On the other side of the ball, Travis Jones is positioned to play a major role up front. He already made a key impact against the Cowboys, when Nnamdi Madubuike was playing his first football in more than a year. Jones diagnosed a shovel pass, blew up Jake Ferguson, and forced a turnover at a moment when Dallas was moving the ball effectively against Baltimore’s defense.
Now the Ravens may need even more from him. Madubuike is still easing back in, Calais Campbell is 40 years old and on a pitch count, and Minter does not seem eager to lean too heavily on two-gap bodies to stop the run.
Jones has been asked to carry a lot already, and that could continue Sunday. He has played 105 snaps, the most of any Ravens defensive lineman, and with $30M pass rusher Trey Hendrickson out for this game, interior pressure becomes even more valuable.
Jones should also benefit from Madubuike’s return. He already has four tackles for loss and four pressures, and with Cam Ward struggling against the blitz and prone to getting rattled, Jones could do damage in NASCAR packages if Baltimore gets the matchup it wants.
In Other News...
Ravens Beat Dallas In A Game Bigger Than Anyone Realized
The Ravens trip to Rio de Janeiro ended up carrying far more weight than just an early-season win over Dallas. Baltimore came away with a 34-31 victory in a game that drew a massive audience on CBS, and Nielsens numbers made it clear this was not just another overseas showcase. It became the most-watched international NFL game ever, a reminder that when the Ravens are part of a big-stage matchup, the spotlight can be as much about the event as the result.
For Baltimore, the significance goes beyond the box score because this was one of those rare games that pushed the leagues global reach while also producing a tight finish against a team with a huge fan base. Dallas entered at 1-2, and its supporters showed up in force even far from home, which only added to the backdrop of a game that felt bigger than the standings. The Ravens left with the win, but the size of the audience suggested the league may have just found another international benchmark. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Face One Ugly Threat That Could Derail Lamar Jackson
The Ravens are walking into Sunday with a familiar kind of worry hanging over the offense: protection. Tennessees defense has long been built around Jeffery Simmons, and Baltimores line is still trying to sort through its own issues, including a rookie guard being asked to start at center. With Lamar Jackson under center, the margin for error shrinks quickly when the pocket is unstable, and this matchup threatens to make every pre-snap decision matter.
Baltimores staff knows the answer is not simply asking Jackson to escape trouble after it starts. Declan Doyle pointed back to past performance and the need for cleaner execution, which is a reminder that the Ravens have to arrive with a plan, not a hope. If the line cannot hold up against Simmons and the Titans front, the game could turn into an uncomfortable test of how much Jackson can create on his own. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Pass Rush Suddenly Faces A Bigger Trey Hendrickson Concern
A week that already carried some uncertainty around the edge of the defense took another turn when Jesse Minter said outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson will not play against the Tennessee Titans. Hendrickson dealt with multiple fractures in a finger in Week 1, then missed every practice this week while looking for a permanent solution, leaving Baltimore to manage one of its key pass-rush pieces without him for at least this matchup.
The hope inside the building is that the surgery serves as a short-term fix that lets the finger heal properly over the long haul, but the immediate reality is a pass rush that has to adjust without one of its more disruptive options. For a defense that leans on pressure to set the tone, the next question is how quickly Hendrickson can get back to being available and effective once the medical side is settled. [Read more 🡒]