The Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, two of the league’s top offenses, could be headed for a shootout in Tampa in an intriguing Monday night matchup.
The Ravens (4-2) are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for first place in the AFC North, while the Buccaneers (4-2) share the NFC South lead with the Atlanta Falcons.
The Buccaneers are scoring 29.7 points per game, tied for second with the Washington Commanders behind the Detroit Lions (30.2). The Ravens are ranked No. 1 with 453.7 yards per game and are averaging 29.5 points, which ranks fourth.
Conversely, the Ravens and Buccaneers have among the worst pass defenses in the league. Baltimore is ranked 31st, allowing 275.7 yards passing, and Tampa Bay is 28th with 252.3 yards per game.
As a result, there could be plenty of scoring at Raymond James Stadium.
“If you can get a lead and you can make somebody one-dimensional, the gym bag is open,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said. “You can kind of reach in and pull out anything you want to pull out, those guys start flying around and making plays and you can see the results.”
The Ravens have been dominant against NFC opponents, and the Buccaneers are no exception. Baltimore has won five straight against Tampa Bay after losing the first two meetings dating back to 2001.
Baltimore has an even more formidable running attack this season with the addition of All-Pro Derrick Henry, who leads the NFL in rushing yards (704), attempts (119) and rushing touchdowns (eight) entering this week.
Henry is also the first player since Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005 with at least one rushing touchdown in each of his team’s first six games.
“He’s one of one,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said about Henry. “Somebody asked me in the (network TV) production meeting this week, âWho do you compare him to?’ I’m like, âMan, who do you compare him to?’ I saw the Eric Dickerson article. OK, I think there is some similarity. I remember Eric Dickerson coming up, but after that, and even that, I don’t know, man.”
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, is having another MVP-caliber season. Jackson has completed 118 of 176 passes for 1,529 yards with 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. He is also second on the team with 403 yards rushing with two scores.
Jackson is 22-1 against the NFC opponents, the best mark by a quarterback against an opposing conference in NFL history. Jackson is 2-0 against Tampa Bay.
“There’s room for improvement and we just got to keep stacking (wins),” Jackson said.
None of the Ravens’ starters missed practice Thursday, so they should be healthy for the matchup against Tampa Bay. Cornerback Arthur Maulet could make his season debut after dealing with knee and hamstring injuries.
Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield is also having an exceptional season. He is 134-for-189 passing for 1,489 yards and a league-high 15 touchdowns with five interceptions entering Week 7.
Mayfield has had two of the NFL’s elite playmaking wide receivers at his disposal in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. The Buccaneers rank 11th in averaging 230.3 yards passing per game.
Godwin and Evans entered Week 7 tied for the league lead with five receiving touchdowns apiece. However, Evans was held out of practice Thursday as a precaution because of a hamstring injury, according to the team’s injury report. Tampa Bay All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is limited with a foot injury.
The Buccaneers’ running attack is led by rookie Bucky Irving, who has 328 rushing yards. However, second-year player Sean Tucker is also emerging as a playmaker and amassed 192 yards of total offense — 136 rushing and 56 receiving — with two touchdowns in a 51-27 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
However, no team has been able to effectively run against the Ravens this season. Baltimore is ranked No. 1, allowing 59.0 yards rushing per game. The team’s stout defensive front seven, led by linemen Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones and Michael Pierce, have been fierce tacklers and dominated opposing offensive lines.
