Ravens Chess Match With Vikings DC Continues

Up next on the Baltimore Ravens' docket stand the Minnesota Vikings, the sort of middling NFC opponent that Lamar Jackson's swatted out of the way time and time again over his career.

Momentum remains on his side, as his finally-healthy Ravens trot into a considerably-less formidable November, and though it would be easy to base the Ravens' Week 10 prediction off of a simple quarterback matchup between the 2x MVP and Minnesota's own man in the unproven J.J. McCarthy, a lot more goes into a game than two players who'll never share the field together.

The 4-4 Vikings may have as many losses as wins, but their DNA is that of the threatening team they've generally persisted as throughout the 2020s. They've already dropped more games than they lost in last year's 14-win campaign, demonstrating their makeup with a few spoiler wins this fall.

What Makes the Vikings Unique?

They have the advantage in the coaching department, led by one of the league's brightest young leaders in Kevin O'Connell. He's one of the premier quarterback whisperers in the game, having turned Sam Darnold from a draft bust into one of the most productive signal-callers in football. And O'Connell's not alone on the sideline; defensive coordinator Brian Flores has a history of bothering the Ravens.

He's expected to play a significant role in the Ravens' attempt at stringing together three consecutive wins, and ESPN's band of experts anticipate him digging into the bag of tricks he's displayed between his stint as a one-time head coach.

"Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has a 24-3 career record against NFC teams, but the Vikings have an experienced counterbalance," Kevin Seifert wrote. "Defensive coordinator Brian Flores coached against Jackson twice when he was the [Miami] Dolphins coach. In the second matchup, during the 2021 season, Flores blitzed Jackson on 52.1% of his dropbacks and held the Ravens' offense to 10 points. But that doesn't mean he'll choose the same path Sunday. In 2025, the Vikings' worst defensive games have come with their highest blitz rates."

Which Look Should the Ravens Expect?

His colleagues were left to field an interesting question, one that the Vikings themselves have to ask. One of the highest-blitz teams will populate the pocket more often than anyone else, an intimidating factor for Jackson's questionable offensive line to field, but they may not be able to afford the downfield activity that the pinpoint passer can produce against an undermanned secondary.

"The Vikings will blitz less than usual. Minnesota's defense blitzes 39% of the time, second in the league behind Atlanta, but Jackson is second with an 85.4 QBR against blitzes since the start of last season," Aaron Schatz wagered. "Flores can switch things up to avoid Jackson's strength."

The Vikings attempts at stopping the Ravens offense, one of the most immovable forces in the sport when fully-staffed, will be closely monitored as Jackson attempts to continue building on his impressive record against cross-conference foes. He already succumbed to Minnesota's division rivals in the Detroit Lions in September, but the second-half Ravens have playoff odds to boost.