The Lions know they'll have their hands full Sunday. So do the Ravens. It's a battle in Baltimore between two first-place teams, an up-and-comer and a card-carrying member of the NFL's elite.
"You just know you’re going to get your best shot from them," said Ravens safety Geno Stone, who's tied for the NFL lead in picks. "This is a team that’s been rolling since the end of last year."
The Ravens have the second most wins in the NFL over the last six seasons. The Lions have the third most wins since midway through last season, a 13-3 stretch that continued with a road thumping of the first-place Bucs last week. They head to Baltimore as one of only four teams ranked in the top 10 in both total offense and total defense. The others? The Chiefs, 49ers and Eagles.
"Obviously, they’re very good," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday. "They’ve got one loss, they’re leading their division, they’ve won recent games by large margins. They haven’t even been in a close game since early in the season. They’re tough, they’re physical, they’re legit."
The Lions haven't just won four in a row; they've won all four by at least two touchdowns. They don't have just have the No. 3 offense in the NFL. They also have the No. 4 passing offense despite having played four of the top-10 passing defenses. They don't just have a quarterback playing at a high level; they have an early MVP candidate in Jared Goff.
The Ravens boast the NFL's No. 2 defense. Asked if the Lions are the best offense they've seen so far, after games against the Texans, Bengals, Colts, Browns, Steelers and Titans, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney said, "Yeah, by far. Jared Goff makes them go."
"I think Jared Goff makes some of the smartest passes and smartest plays," Clowney said. "He's out there calling the shots. And the offensive line, that's a good group. They've put together a lot of first-round draft picks up there, a lot of guys that can move the defensive line. It's going to come down to that in this game: their front vs. our front. Who's going to dominate the line of scrimmage, and that's what we're going to have to do."
That's what they've done to date. The Ravens are tied for the NFL lead with 24 sacks, 14.5 from Clowney, defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, linebacker Patrick Queen and safety Kyle Hamilton. They come at you from all angles and levels. It will be another test for the Lions' loaded offensive line, which held up well against the heavy-blitzing Bucs without guards Jonah Jackson and Halapoulivaati Vaitai. The Ravens will be intent on getting Goff off his spot.
"The picture is clear for him," said All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith. "He makes a lot of good throws in the intermediate game, and he takes his shots when he needs them. They have the team playing to his strengths."
Goff has thrived in play-action this season. Harbaugh said the Lions' offense is "a system that (Goff) has basically grown up in, the system he learned right from the first year he started off with Sean McVay." To throw him off course, said Clowney, the Ravens need to stop the run and force the Lions "to get in shotgun on third and long so they can’t just play-action up under center and do what they want to do."
"He just knows how to run those plays really well, the timing is really good, the receivers are on the same page," said Harbaugh. "They’ve been in it for a few years now and they’re just executing at a high level."
Same could be said of the Lions on the other side of the ball, where they tout the top run defense in the NFL. Lamar Jackson remembers Detroit's defense being tough a couple years ago when the Ravens needed a record-breaking, last-second field goal by Justin Tucker to escape Ford Field with a 19-17 win.
"That was a good team then, they got a couple new guys and we gotta come in ready," said Jackson.
The defense Jackson saw in 2021 didn't have Aidan Hutchinson flying off the edge. Alim McNeill was far from the interior force he is now. It didn't have Cam Sutton, Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch (who's trending toward a return from his ankle injury) in the secondary. It's a deeper, more talented unit that ranks seventh in the NFL.
The Ravens are a different offense themselves, with a more traditional drop-back passing game. But they're still running the ball more than anyone in the NFL and Jackson is on pace for close to 1,000 yards on the ground.
"Believe me," said Dan Campbell, "he’s still dangerous. He is very dangerous. It’s just a different style of what they do."
Sunday should be a show. Even Jim Harbaugh was giddy talking about the game this week. The Ravens opened as 2.5-point favorites, which doesn't scare the Lions. They beat a first-place team on the road last week and were 4.5-point dogs when they beat the defending champs in Arrowhead to open the season. They've come a long way from when they last played the Ravens in their third game under Campbell.
"We’ll be ready to welcome those guys here," said Smith. "They're playing good ball, but hey, I’m from the ‘Show Me’ business. So you have to show me."
Take it from a guy who's played in a lot of big games, including the Super Bowl. Ravens receiver Odell Beckham Jr. says Sunday has a big-game feel to it. Not long ago, this would have been a one-sided affair, like the beatdown in Baltimore the Lions suffered in 2017. Not anymore.
"I love the stories when teams have just been down for long and they’re like, ‘No more. Enough is enough,'" Beckham Jr. said. "I think Dan Campbell over there has done a great job. With the players that they have surrounding them, they’ve created a great atmosphere, energy and team ... Knowing that this is one of the top teams in the league, it’s going to be a great game."