Ravens Three Keys to Victory vs. Falcons

The Baltimore Ravens will give themselves the best chance to emerge victorious over their NFC foe if they achieve these goals.

Oct 4, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) scores a touchdown during the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Baltimore Ravens are slight underdogs to come out on top in their road interconference matchup against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5 of the 2026 regular season.

Coming off the team's first regular-season home victory under new head coach Jesse Minter, they'll be playing in primetime for the first time on Sunday Night Football. With a win, they'll improve to 4-1 before hitting the road for their first primetime game against the Atlanta Falcons next week.

In this showdown between two teams looking to take control of the top spot in the standings of their respective divisions, the Ravens can emerge victorious if they follow these keys.

Dominate at point of attack

The Ravens are going up against a Falcons team that has the top-ranked run defense and the second-ranked rushing offense through the first four weeks of the season. However, some of those figures are a little inflated because of how the last two weeks transpired, as they can against Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints defensive fronts that were missing multiple key starters and banged-up offensive lines on the other side of the ball.

To pull off an upset despite being without their highest-paid and most integral players on both offense and defense, quarterback Lamar Jackson and outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson, the Ravens will have to own the line of scrimmage in the trenches. Defensively, they can't get blown off the ball along the defensive line and provide unimpeded paths to the second level for star running back Bijan Robinson. On the offensive line, they need to be able to impose their will and open lanes in the ground game for Derrick Henry and provide backup quarterback Tyler Huntley with ample time to throw in key moments.

Avoid unforced errors

Oct 4, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter reacts after a touchdown during the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With Jackson under center, the Ravens were able to dig themselves out of moderate to long down-and-distances because of his uncanny ability to extend and make plays downfield. They won't have that kind of leeway, as their margin of error with Huntley is much smaller because, while he's an impressive dual-threat in his own right, it's not to the same electrifying and seemingly inevitable degree as the two-time league MVP, who is truly one-of-one.

This means the Ravens need to turn their discipline sliders all the way up and try not to get in their own way to the same or even a similarly high rate that they've been doing as one of the most penalized teams in the league over four weeks, especially on offense. A Huntley-led offense can't operate from a negative game script or afford to fall behind the sticks consistently because he's at his best throwing at the short and intermediate levels of the field.

Trigger on outbreaking routes

Oct 5, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) passes against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Falcons third-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has been a big catalyst for the renewed success of their offense, not because he hands the ball off better to Robinson than Cooper Rush, but for his ability to deliver an accurate ball in rhythm and push it downfield. Most of the time, when the former goes deep, it's on passes outside the numbers and hashes and rarely over the middle of the field unless he has a target streaking wide open.

This tendency could lead to opportunities for the Ravens' defensive backs to jump and undercut some of those intended passes for clutch turnovers on interceptions, maybe even a pick-six if they catch it in stride with nothing but green grass in front of them. With a trio of Georgia natives in the secondary, it'll be especially meaningful if either cornerback Nate Wiggins or safeties Kyle Hamilton or Malaki Starks makes one of those big plays in this game.