Baltimore (4-2) at Tampa Bay (4-2)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN
BetMGM NFL Odds: Ravens by 3 1/2.
Series record: Ravens 5-2
Against the spread: Ravens 3-2-1, Buccaneers 4-2
Last meeting: Ravens beat Buccaneers 27-22 in Tampa on Oct. 27, 2022.
Last week: Ravens beat Commanders 30-23; Buccaneers beat Saints 51-27.
Ravens offense: overall (1), rush (1), pass (8), scoring (4)
Ravens defense: overall (16), rush (1), pass (31), scoring (24)
Buccaneers offense: overall (9), rush (8), pass (11), scoring (2)
Buccaneers defense: overall (26), rush (t11), pass (28), scoring (t19)
Turnover differential: Ravens, 0; Buccaneers, plus 2.
Ravens player to watch
QB Lamar Jackson has thrown for 1,529 yards and 10 touchdowns vs. two interceptions. The Ravens are No. 1 in total offense at 453.7 yards per game, including a league-leading 205.3 yards per game rushing.
Bucs player to watch
QB Baker Mayfield has thrown for 1,489 yards and a NFL-best 15 TD passes. He is second in the league with a 109.4 passer rating, just ahead of Jackson’s 108.4. He’s coming off throwing for four TDs in last week’s 51-point effort against New Orleans.
Key matchup
Baltimore’s relentless rushing attack vs. a Bucs defense that hasn’t been as stout against the run as usual. RB Derrick Henry leads the NFL with 704 yards and eight TDs rushing. Jackson has run for 403 yards and two more TDs. Tampa Bay has been among the best at stopping the run since coach Todd Bowles joined the team as defensive coordinator in 2019. The Bucs enter Week 7 tied for 11th in rushing defense, allowing 113.3 yards per game.
Key injuries
The Ravens should be healthy for the game. None of the key starters missed practice on Thursday and CB Arthur Maulet could make his season debut against the Bucs after dealing with knee and hamstring injuries. Returner Deonte Harty is sidelined with a knee injury but running back Justice Hill and wide receiver Tylan Wallace are capable of returning punts and kickoffs. The Bucs are monitoring the progress of four starters: WR Mike Evans (hamstring), RB Rachaad White (foot), C Graham Barton (hamstring) and CB Jamel Dean (hamstring). Evans and Dean did not practice Thursday. White, Barton, S Antoine Winfield Jr. (foot) and No. 3 receiver Trey Palmer (concussion) were limited.
Series notes
The Ravens have won the past five meetings. Jackson is 2-0 with three TD passes vs. zero interceptions in two starts against Tampa Bay.
Stats and stuff
Jackson is 22-1 against NFC opponents, the best mark by a quarterback against an opposing conference in NFL history. … RB Derrick Henry is the first player since Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005 with a rushing touchdown in each of his team’s first six games. … Baltimore leads the league with 1,232 rushing yards and is the fifth team since 1980 with at least 1,200 rushing yards through its first six games of a season. The 2006 Atlanta Falcons (1,333), 1984 Chicago Bears (1,330), 1980 Detroit Lions (1,299) and 2019 Ravens (1,230) are the others. … The Ravens are 13-7 on “Monday Night Football” under head coach John Harbaugh, including 10-6 on the road. … The Ravens defense has at least 1 sack in 44 consecutive games. That’s the NFL’s longest active streak. Kansas City is second at 42. … Jackson (5,661) moved ahead of Cam Newton (5,628) for the second-most career rushing yards by a QB behind Michael Vick (6,109). … The Ravens’ offense is averaging a league-high 6.93 yards per play. … The Ravens’ five-game winning streak against the Bucs matches their longest active streak vs. any opponent. They’ve also won five straight against Detroit. … The Ravens have averaged 140.3 rushing yards per game in their seven matchups against the Bucs. … The Bucs have a top 10 offense of their own, climbing to ninth in the rankings after gaining a franchise single-game record 594 yards in last week’s win at New Orleans. They’re averaging 29.7 points per game, up from 20.4 last season. … Mayfield has thrown for three or more TDs in a game three times this season, including the past two weeks against Atlanta and New Orleans. … WR Chris Godwin leads the NFL with 43 receptions. He’s third with 511 yards receiving and enters Week 7 tied — along with teammate Mike Evans, Ja’Marr Chase, George Kittle and Allen Lazard — for the league lead in TD receptions with five. … Evans has 99 TD receptions. His next one will make him the fifth player in NFL history to reach 100 in his first 11 seasons. The others are Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Marvin Harrison and Terrell Owens. … RB Sean Tucker filled in for the injured Rachaad White rushed for 136 yards and one TD. He also scored on a 36-yard reception and finished with 192 yards from scrimmage. The second-year pro had 30 career rushing yards before that outing. … The Bucs averaged 7.9 per carry in gaining 277 yards on the ground against the Saints. They’ve eighth in rushing (136.8 yards) after ranking last the past two seasons.
Fantasy tip
With Bucs RB Rachaad White slowed by a foot injury that sidelined him last week, rookie Bucky Irving likely will make his second career start and share playing time again with Sean Tucker against Baltimore’s No. 1 ranked rushing defense.
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