Four Storylines for Ravens' Primetime Matchup vs. Lions

Coming off a commanding home-opening win, the Baltimore Ravens will be back at M&T Bank Stadium to close out Week 3 of the 2025 season. They will be facing the formidable Detroit Lions in primetime on Monday Night Football. There are several intriguing storylines surrounding this matchup of two teams with Super Bowl aspirations. Here are the top four, to name a few:

Will Historical Trends Continue to Tilt in Ravens' Favor?

In addition to having home-field advantage as the hosting team, the Ravens also have history on their side. They've had a lot of success going up against the particular team and quarterback that they'll be facing in this game. They lead the Lions 6-1 in the all-time series and have won each of the last five. The last meeting was a 38-6 shellacking in Week 7 of the 2023 season. Detroit star signal caller Jared Goff had an especially rough outing in that matchup. He is 0-3 in his career against the Ravens, including a 2019 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. In those meetings, he did not throw a touchdown or reach 300 passing yards. The Ravens picked him off three times and sacked him nine times.

The Ravens are also nearly unbeatable versus NFC opponents with Lamar Jackson under center with a record of 24-2 since 2018. Under head coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens have dominated in primetime games with a staggering record of 43-19 dating back to his inaugural season in 2008.

Battle Between Precision Passers

Despite a favorable history, this matchup features two of the league’s most efficient passers in a nationally televised game. Jackson became the NFL’s all-time leader in career passer rating last week and leads the league in passer rating (136.6) and QBR (83.6) through two games. Goff is close behind with the second-best QBR (81.7) and third in passer rating (125.1) in the same span. With both teams dealing with injuries and inconsistency, a shootout is a possibility as their quarterbacks tied for the most passing touchdowns through Week 2 with 6 and are coming off games where they each threw four or more.

How Will Ravens Pass Rush Fare Without Veteran Leaders?

Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (15) is pressured by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Odafe Oweh (99) in Week 2. — Sep 14, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (15) is pressured by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Odafe Oweh (99) during the third quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Although the defense will be going up against another traditional pocket passer with little-to-no mobility for the second week in a row, with Goff coming to town, they'll be without their two Pro Bowl pass rushers. Both outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy (hamstring) and defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) were ruled out for this game with injuries and could be out for even longer. In their absence, the Ravens will need their young pass rushers to step up and fill those massive voids.

On the edge, fifth-year veteran Odafe Oweh and third-year pro Tavius Robinson will likely see the bulk of snaps with a heavy dose of promising rookie Mike Green. Up the middle, fourth-year pro Travis Jones will get a chance to show he can anchor a defensive line in a contract year, while late-round rookie Aeneas 'Fub' Peebles is in store for a large uptick in snaps after flashing in rotational over the first two weeks.

Will Rushing Attack Bounce Back?

After being held to their lowest yardage total on the ground since Week 16 of the 2021 season, the Ravens and five-time running back Derrick Henry will be determined to get back on track against the Lions. Establishing the run will help the Ravens dictate the pace of the game and win time of possession. This will help avoid getting into a potential shootout by keeping their banged up defensive front on the sideline as much as possible. Running the ball well would also create more favorable single-coverage matchups. It would open up more space for the Ravens' pass catchers because Detroit would be devoting more bodies in the box to combat Henry and Jackson.

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