The Vikings got right back into the thick of the NFC North by winning in Detroit, and this week they face another big challenge: Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens are on a two game winning streak after a very uncharacteristic start to the season, and have just gotten Lamar Jackson back in the lineup after an injury. Now, they're hoping to get on a run for a playoff push.
"Like I said, we've been locked in for the last couple of weeks, and we got to stay that way," says Jackson heading into U.S. Bank Stadium this Sunday. "You know, I believe we turned a new leaf. I believe so."
There is perhaps no tougher matchup for a defense than Jackson, a two-time NFL MVP who can run it just as well as he can throw it, and give defensive coordinators like the Vikings' Brian Flores fits trying to figure out how to contain him.
"I mean he one of the most dynamic in the NFL so I mean he's been in (the) MVP race I think the last four or five years so we know we're up for a big challenge," says Viking defensive tackle Javon Hargrave.
The challenge falls on the Viking linebackers as much as anyone. They need to quickly diagnose run versus pass, all while keeping an eye on Jackson who is as fast as anyone in the league - let alone for a QB.
"I feel like we've been playing a lot of all mobile quarterbacks for the most part this season, so we've had our work cut out," says linebacker Blake Cashman, who gets the play calls from Flores and helps communicate where to go for the defense - and that's a big job this week.
"Whether it's pass rushers or blitzers, that everybody's on the same plan," Cashman describes. "Because if you have one side of the pass rusher, blitzer taking inside moves, you need somebody to cover, to keep that contained. But, you know, Lamar's got a unique and special skill set. He's gonna make plays, he's gonna make those hero plays, but it's about limiting those and causing duress."
Last week against the Detroit, the Vikings got edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel back from concussion protocols and a neck injury, and his presence is key for the defensive scheme and can create havoc for the offense.
"We have Gink on the on the field, we're a better football team," says Cashman. "I don't think he gets enough credit for how smart of a player he is, but, you know, it just there's a calmness when we got all our guys out there and we're healthy. You know you can trust that everybody's gonna be in the right spot, as it pertains to your assignment on the play."
Baltimore (3-5) at Minnesota (4-4)
Sunday, 12 p.m. on Fox.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Ravens by 4½.
Against the spread: Ravens 3-5, Vikings 4-4.
Series record: Ravens lead 4-3.
Last meeting: Ravens beat Vikings 34-31 in OT in Baltimore on Nov. 7, 2021.
Last week: Ravens beat Dolphins 28-6 in Miami on Thursday; Vikings beat Lions 27-24 in Detroit on Sunday.
Ravens offense: overall (20), rush (6), pass (28), scoring (12).
Ravens defense: overall (27), rush (21), pass (28), scoring (26).
Vikings offense: overall (26), rush (23), pass (26), scoring (18).
Vikings defense: overall (14), rush (20), pass (8), scoring (20).
Turnover differential: Ravens minus-3, Vikings minus-4.
Ravens player to watch
RB Derrick Henry. The five-time Pro Bowl pick had 119 yards on 19 carries against the Dolphins for a season-best average of 6.3 yards per attempt as the Ravens won their second straight game after a 1-5 start. Henry is the eighth player in league history with 12,000-plus rushing yards and 100-plus touchdowns. The Vikings have allowed 200-plus rushing yards twice this season, but last week they held Jahmyr Gibbs and the Lions to a net of 65 yards on 20 carries and three weeks ago against Saquon Barkley and the Eagles they allowed only 45 yards on 23 yards.
Vikings player to watch
LB Blake Cashman. Having missed four games earlier this season with a hamstring injury, Cashman has provided another reminder of how impactful his smarts, toughness and speed in the middle of the defense can be. He had 14 tackles against the Lions, his most in two years with his hometown team, including one for loss and one that forced a fumble recovered by the Vikings to set up a third-quarter touchdown. Cashman will likely be on spy duty against Lamar Jackson, whose running ability among NFL QBs is second to none.
Key matchup
Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy vs. Ravens pass defense. McCarthy returned last week after a five-game absence with a sprained ankle and showed little rust, other than a few inaccurate throws among the moments his inexperience showed. Playing at home with his offensive line as collectively healthy as it's been all season, McCarthy has a favorable opportunity to find a rhythm against a defense that has been atypically near the bottom of the league in several key statistical categories this season. The Ravens have the NFL's third-worst sacks-per-pass-attempt rate and only three interceptions, though they haven't allowed a passing touchdown in either of their past two games.
Key injuries
Ravens: Not a single player on the active 53-man roster appeared on the initial injury report on Wednesday, after the team was decimated by absences at times last month. ... OLB Tavius Robinson (foot) is on injured reserve after getting hurt three weeks ago. Two-time Pro Bowl DT Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) is done for the season. DT Broderick Washington (Achilles tendon) is also on IR and will miss his sixth straight game.
Vikings: RB Aaron Jones (shoulder/toe) didn't practice on Wednesday, along with TE Josh Oliver (foot), S Theo Jackson (concussion) and backup CB Jeff Okudah (concussion). Jones and Jackson were injured against the Lions. Oliver and Okudah were inactive for that game. ... FB C.J. Ham (hand) was a limited participant on Wednesday after missing the past two games. ... C Ryan Kelly (concussion) is on injured reserve, eligible to return but with no timetable yet.
Series notes
The Ravens, who are in their 30th season in Baltimore, will make only their third trip to Minnesota. They lost to the Vikings at the Metrodome in 2009 and at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2017. ... The home team has won the past six games in the series since the Vikings won the first matchup in Baltimore in 1998. ... Jackson, who has never played at Minnesota, ran 21 times for 120 yards in the overtime victory over the Vikings in 2021.
Stats and stuff
Jackson, who missed three games with a hamstring injury, will make his 100th regular-season start for the Ravens. His record is 72-27. ... Jackson had his seventh career game last week in his return from injury against the Dolphins with four-plus TD passes and a 140-plus passer rating. His 136.7 passer rating is the highest through Week 9 in NFL history among QBs with a qualifying amount of playing time. ... TE Mark Andrews, who had two TD catches last week, is 18 yards from passing Derrick Mason as the career leading receiver for the Ravens. ... The Ravens lead the league with 10 TDs of 20-plus yards. ... The Ravens have allowed an average of only 13 points over the past three games. They gave up 37-plus points in each of their first four losses. ... Ravens LB Roquan Smith had 12 tackles in each of the past two games. ... Jordan Stout has landed four punts inside the 5-yard line for the Ravens, tied for the most in the NFL. He leads the league in net average at 46 yards per punt. ... McCarthy is the first player in NFL history with two or more TD passes and one or more rushing TD in at least two of his first three career games. ... Jones had a season-high 98 yards from scrimmage last week. ... Vikings WR Justin Jefferson, who's fifth in the NFL with 649 receiving yards and has 8,081 for his career, will pass Torry Holt with 76 more yards for the second most in league history through a player's first six seasons. Randy Moss (8,375) has the most. ... The Vikings had a season-high five sacks last week and have the longest active streak in the league with multiple sacks in 12 straight games. ... Vikings LB Eric Wilson had two sacks last week, while playing 56 of 64 snaps on defense and 21 of 30 on special teams. ... Vikings OLB Jonathan Greenard has 10 tackles for loss, fourth most in the league. ... Will Reichard has made 14 field goals from 50-plus yards for the Vikings, tied for the second most through a player's first two seasons with Evan McPherson. Brandon Aubrey had 24.
Fantasy tip
Baltimore’s three tight ends — Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar — combined for seven catches for 105 yards and three touchdowns against the Dolphins. Lions tight end Sam LaPorta had six receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown against Minnesota last week, and Oronde Gadsden had five catches for 77 yards and a touchdown the game before that against the Vikings.