BOLD PREDICTIONS: Will The Bucs Cannons Thunder?

Or Will The Ravens Plunder the Dub?

Baker Mayfield got his groove back with the Bucs. The swagger, the confidence, the cockiness are all on full display wherever the camera finds him, whenever the microphone stands before him. Mayfield’s rekindled bravado harkens back to his days with the Browns when he boldly proclaimed:

“We score and we (expletive) make him (Lamar) throw…it’s our (expletive) game”.

Missed this gem from Baker on Sunday #Browns

“Real important drive, right here. We score and we (expletive) make him (Lamar) throw…it’s our (expletive) game”. pic.twitter.com/0c4we087py

— Nick Shepherd (@nickshep7777) October 3, 2019

Things haven’t always work out so well when Mayfield faces the Ravens. In 9 games against John Harbaugh & Co., the former Progressive Insurance peddler is (3-6) with 13 TD’s and 11 INT’s to go with a passer rating of 80.4. But after a (4-2) start in 2024 in Tampa, and a 109.4 passer rating, Baker just can’t help himself. He’s on top of the world now, with a resurrected career, a big fat contract, a new home that embraces him and another that misses him in Cleveland. And so, he’s back to talking sh*t again.

Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield calls best friend and former OU teammate Mark Andrews (whom he’ll see Monday night) a “weirdo” and says “he can’t exactly separate friendship and football.” He also believes “he’s changed” because he “has a very serious girlfriend.” pic.twitter.com/LFpLBA2irE

— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) October 17, 2024

Mark Andrews took the high road and opted not to feed Baker’s massive ego, diffusing Mayfield’s tongue-in-cheek bluster, as if to politely say, “Talk is cheap! Let’s play the game!”

Mark Andrews’ response to close friend Baker Mayfield joking that he’s “gone soft.” pic.twitter.com/N9LE8HiVer

— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) October 18, 2024

So, let’s get to it…

The Ravens and Bucs will square off on Monday Night Football from Raymond James Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET kickoff). Baltimore enters the contest riding a four-game winning streak, while Tampa Bay is coming off a 51-27 win at New Orleans.

The NFL’s No. 1 offense (453.7 YPG) is led by two-time MVP QB who’s been superb both passing (1,529 yards,10 TDs, 2 INTs, 108.4 rating) and rushing (403 yards & 2 TDs). Baltimore’s No. 1-ranked rushing attack (205.3 YPG) is fueled by RB Derrick Henry, who leads the league in rushing yards (704) and total TDs (9 – 8 rushing & 1 receiving).

Some numbers to consider…

The Ravens are (13-7) on Monday Night Football under head coach John Harbaugh, including 10-6 on the road. They are (17-5) during primetime games started when Lamar starts including a (5-2) mark on Monday Night Football (4-1 on the road). Lamar is a staggering (22-1) in games started against the NFC. This mark stands as the best by a QB vs. an opposing conference in NFL history. (Jackson is 2-0 against Tampa Bay.)

• Betting Line: Ravens are favored over the Bucs by 3 ½; over/under at 49 ½
• Forecast: Mostly clear, temperature at 78 degrees, 0% chance of rain, wind NE 8 MPH with gusts to 21 MPH
• Officiating Crew: Alex Kemp (chief); Kemp’s crew calls and average of 18 penalties per game of which 15 are accepted for an average of 135.2 YPG. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of the accepted penalties go against visiting teams. Rut-roh!
• On The Call: Joe Buck (PBP); Troy Aikman (analyst)
• Special Note: Joe Flacco and Ed Reed will be guests during the ManningCast featured on ESPN2

Tony Lombardi

Per usual the Ravens will try to establish the run with Derrick Henry from the jump. And per usual, they will struggle to get things going early against a Tampa defense that gives up just 113 yards on the ground per game. So, expect a slow offensive start from the Ravens.

Tampa on the other hand, will look to carve up a Ravens secondary that is putrid between the numbers and in front of the safeties who are almost always set up in East BF. And they’ll have some early success. But eventually, the tide will begin to shift thanks to a former member of the Crimson Tide.

• Lamar Jackson is a very efficient 20 for 25 passing with 225 yards and 2 TD’s. The first goes to Isaiah Likely from inside the 5-yard line; the second to Rashod Bateman from 40+ yards out. Most of his yardage totals will be on crossers to Zay Flowers and Bateman. The pair combine for 130 yards receiving.

• The King scores again but his yards per carry will be a sluggish (for him) 4.6. He’ll carry it 22 times for 101 yards.

• Justice Hill grabs a couple of passes and has a few productive runs, mostly delays. He’ll chip in with 45 all-purpose yards.

• The Ravens register 4 sacks of Mayfield with one each to Yannick Ngakoue, Nnamdi Madubuike, Odafe Oweh and Kyle Hamilton.

• Mayfield will be picked off twice; once after a Travis Jones tip that lands in the arms of Roquan Smith; the second is courtesy of Marcus Williams who after spending the first half in Siesta Key, baits Mayfield and toe-taps the sideline for a pick in the fourth quarter.

• Calvert Hall grad and Owings Mills native Sean Tucker scores in the redzone for the Bucs, but it won’t be enough.

Ravens advance to (5-2) on the season; Lamar moves to (23-1) v. the NFC and the Ravens improve to (14-7) on MNF under Harbs. Oh, and a side bar – of the Ravens 21 Monday Night games on Harbaugh’s watch, only 4 have been at The Bank. FOUR!

Ravens 27, Bucs 23

[Related Article: Daniel Faalele Rewrites The Laws of Physics]

Kevin McNelis

Baltimore is riding high based on how they’ve performed the last few weeks, but make no mistake about it: the Bucs are a legitimately good team. They’re coming off of a walloping of the Saints that saw them put up 51 points, and they handed a solid Lions team their only loss of the season. Primetime games tend to favor the Ravens, but a road trip to Tampa is no joke with the way they’ve been playing.

— Looking at that chart, you probably notice the eye-popping disparity that I think makes the difference in this game. Tampa Bay has struggled to contain opponents defensively, and given how smooth Baltimore’s offense has been the last few weeks, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Ravens mix up the attack pretty much any way they want to. Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman each register touchdowns.

— That said, Tampa Bay’s top-ten offense has largely come from their top receiving duo in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Evans and Godwin each have five touchdown catches on the season, and we saw how mightily Baltimore’s secondary struggled when facing a top receiving duo in Cincy. The Ravens surrender over 300 passing yards on the day, and Chris Godwin scores a TD of 25+ yards.

— This game strikes me as one that comes down to whichever team can make the fewest mistakes. Baltimore hasn’t benefited much from the turnover battle this year, and I think they’re due. KVN notches a strip sack, and Brandon Stephens picks one off in tight coverage.

I foresee a tough contest ahead for Baltimore. That said, if you want to take history into account, the Buccaneers haven’t beaten the Ravens since 2002, having dropped five straight games to the good guys. Here’s hoping the Ravens can make it six.

Ravens 34, Bucs 31

Nick Polinsky

This should be a fun one, with Tampa Bay’s scoring offense, tied for second in the NFL, facing off with Baltimore 4th-best scoring offense.

Baker Mayfield’s career rejuvenation has been a special thing, and he has turned this offense into a serious juggernaut currently tied atop the NFC South at 4-2.

Baltimore has struggled to contain the league’s elite receivers; Davante Adams, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Terry McLaurin have all given Baltimore major problems. Now, the Ravens will be faced with two of the league’s top pass-catching studs. Chris Godwin is one of the NFL’s most dangerous operators out of the slot, and he’s on pace to smash his season highs. Mike Evans has been the epitome of consistency, with 10+ 1,000+ yard seasons.

On the other side the Ravens offense has been nearly unstoppable, scoring 33.5 points per game over their last 4 games. Derrick Henry is on pace for nearly 2,000 yards on the ground and Lamar is set to throw for over 4,000 yards for the first time in his career. A key part of this offense has been the progression of Zay Flowers. He looks nearly unguardable and has the ability to simply outrun the defensive back to beat coverage. We are also seeing rookie year Rashod Bateman return. The guy who’s always open, and as sure handed as anyone.

• Rashod Bateman goes for 50+ yards and a touchdown
• A week after Baker Mayfield threw 3 interceptions, he throws 1 this Monday, it’ll be Marcus Williams
• Mike Evans will find the endzone for the 6th time this year
• Derrick Henry will run for 100+ yards and a touchdown, as the king does

Ravens 34 Buccaneers 23

Ben Dackiw

As a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, I have a soft spot for Baker Mayfield. Love the guy. I root for him every week.

HOWEVER, my allegiance to the Baltimore Ravens trumps everything. This pass defense needs to figure it out. The Bucs have a very good offense. They can go score for score with just about anybody.

Once again, it falls to the Ravens offense to lead this team to victory. This Tampa defense just doesn’t scare me. If Tampa can slow down Derrick Henry – big IF there – then Lamar can just drop back and dice them up with his arm. The offense is just so lethal and versatile and it’s not even at full strength yet.

I think we’re in for a high-scoring contest on Monday Night Football with the good guys moving to 5-2.

Ravens 38 Tampa Bay 27

Rob Shields

The Ravens are not going to go undefeated the rest of the way, and this is a game they can definitely lose.

TB is not a great matchup for them. The Ravens pass defense lets up a ton of big plays and TB is one of the best at getting big plays.  Tampa also uses RBs in the pass game a lot and will exploit the middle of the field with Godwin.  The Ravens may catch a break and not see Mike Evans, as he didn’t practice Thursday or Friday, and just did light work Saturday (though is said to be expected to play). Bowles called him a game time decision. Even if he plays, you wonder how well he can do out there.

Just as the Ravens D gives up a lot of big plays, so does TB and the Ravens offense is also elite at getting chunk plays.

Ultimately, I think the Ravens do just enough to win this game but I think it’s a close game and we don’t want to rely on the defense to stop that offense at the end of the game.

Force Baker into some turnovers and score a lot. I think that’s the formula.

Ravens 34 Bucs 27

John Hughey

Week 7 brings another battle between two explosive offenses as the Ravens head to Tampa Bay looking for their fifth consecutive win. Baker Mayfield is having a career season and firing on all cylinders with the Buccaneers, entering Week 7 as the NFL leader in Passing TDs (15). The Bucs are averaging 29.7 PPG, tied for 2nd best in the league, and riding high after a 51-27 win over the Saints last week. It’s the 5th straight test for the Ravens who have turned the page following their 0-2 start to the season. The Ravens secondary has struggled, due in part to their success against the run – teams don’t even try to move the ball on the ground. Rachaad White was limited this week as was wideout Mike Evans, leaving people wondering where the Buccaneers will find success. With wins over Prescott, Allen, Burrow, and Daniels, the Ravens look to shut down another potential MVP candidate in Baker Mayfield and leave Tampa 5-2.

— Lamar Jackson is coming off back-to-back 300-yard passing games. Jackson leaves Raymond James Stadium on Monday with three straight 300-yard performances, a first in his already Hall of Fame-worthy career.

— Derrick Henry keeps the streak alive, finding the end zone on the ground and in the receiving game

— Baker Mayfield and Chris Godwin continue to be effective in the YAC game, combining for 80+ and a TD

— Rashod Bateman builds off his best performance of the season against the Commanders, finding the endzone for the 3rd time this season

Ravens 31 Buccaneers 21

Chris Schisler

The Ravens win streak will certainly be tested, but Baltimore will come out on top. The Ravens have a habit of showing up for games like this. The Ravens have the most efficient and productive offense in the NFL. Put them down for another great performance on Monday night.

The Ravens can do it more than one way this year. The Buccaneers will be determined to not let Derrick Henry beat them. Expect the play-action game to be on point. Expect this to lead to a few big plays for Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews in the first quarter. The more the Buccaneers get burned by it, the more they set themselves up for Henry to run all over them. The Ravens rinse, wash, and don’t mess with what’s working here.

The Ravens will limit the amount of chances the Buccaneers get. Then a mistake by Tampa Bay will boost the Ravens into complete control… Let’s say Kyle Hamilton will score a defensive touchdown that sinks the Bucs.

— Lamar Jackson has 290 passing yards for two touchdowns.

— Jackson rushes for 75 yards and a touchdown.

— Derrick Henry has 102 yards on the ground with three 20+ yard runs.

— Zay Flowers has 7 grabs for 88 yards and a touchdown

— Rashod Bateman takes it the distance on a shallow crossing route.

— Kyle Hamilton pick 6

— Mike Evans has 6 receptions and 2 touchdowns

— Baker Mayfield throws for 330 but has a fumble and a pick.

Ravens 31 Bucs 21

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