Chargers at Baltimore Ravens: Who has the edge?

Chargers (4-1) astatine Baltimore Ravens (4-1)

When: Sunday, 10 a.m.

Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore

TV/Radio: CBS (Ch. 2); 98.7 FM; 105.5 FM/94.3 FM (Spanish); Sirius 108

Line: Ravens by 2½ points

Notable wounded designations: Chargers: WR Mike Williams (questionable; knee), S Nasir Adderley (questionable; hip), LB Drue Tranquill (out; chest)

Ravens: LT Ronnie Stanley (out; ankle), WR Sammy Watkins (out; thigh), S DeShon Elliott (questionable; quad), OT Alejandro Villanueva (questionable; knee)

What’s astatine stake? A near-perfect grounds for the Chargers earlier the bye week. The archetypal six games of the season, with 4 games against playoff teams from past season, were expected to beryllium the Chargers’ toughest agelong of the 2021 schedule. But the Chargers are 4-1 and 3-0 against playoff teams from past play with wins against Washington, Kansas City and Cleveland. The Chargers person exceeded expectations, but they person an accidental to spell into the bye week with a 5-1 grounds if they’re capable to bushed the Ravens (4-1), a playoff squad from past year. The Chargers’ docket aft the Week 7 bye gets easier judging from their opponents’ records. Their 3 games aft the bye week are against the New England Patriots (2-3), Philadelphia Eagles (2-4) and Minnesota Vikings (2-4).

Who’s better? Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson are 2 of the champion quarterbacks successful the NFL, but Herbert has much weapons astir him with wide receivers Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, moving backmost Austin Ekeler and choky extremity Jared Cook. Jackson has a bigger workload due to the fact that of the season-ending injuries to moving backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, but he’s made it enactment with speedy wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and productive choky extremity Mark Andrews. The Chargers are averaging 28.4 points per crippled and the Ravens are astatine 27.2, marks that fertile sixth and ninth successful the NFL, respectively. The Chargers astir apt person much endowment connected their roster, but they’ve had plentifulness of issues connected defense. They’re coming disconnected a crippled successful which they allowed the Browns to unreserved for 230 yards and they’re giving up a league-worst 157.6 rushing yards per game. The Ravens’ defence allows lone 93.2 rushing yards per game, the seventh-best people successful the league.

Matchup to watch: Chargers rookie near tackle Rashawn Slater against Ravens antiaircraft extremity Calais Campbell, a six-time Pro Bowler. Last week, Slater had his hands afloat with Browns prima borderline rusher Myles Garrett, but Slater did capable to support him from disrupting the game. Slater is making a beardown lawsuit to beryllium the Offensive Rookie of the Year with stellar performances successful the archetypal 5 games of the season. Campbell has been 1 of the astir productive antiaircraft ends successful the NFL since helium entered the league successful 2008 due to the fact that of his powerfulness and 6-foot-8, 300-pound frame.

Chargers triumph if: … The absorption is connected the Chargers’ struggling tally defence against Jackson’s dynamic athleticism, but the Ravens haven’t been winning games solely due to the fact that of the erstwhile MVP’s mobility. Jackson is completing passes astatine a record-setting gait and he’s consistently hitting downfield shots with Brown. The Chargers volition request to beryllium alert of Brown astatine each times and bounds Jackson’s downfield completions if they privation to widen their winning streak to 4 games.

Fantasy sleeper: It’s clip to instrumentality Chargers choky extremity Donald Parham Jr. seriously. He’s much than a red-zone and jump-ball threat. The 6-8 choky extremity had his 2nd touchdown reception successful 2 weeks against the Browns, erstwhile helium caught a surface walk and ran for a 22-yard people successful the archetypal quarter. Parham is splitting targets and snaps with Cook, but Chargers violative coordinator Joe Lombardi is scheming much plays for Parham each week.

Prediction: This is astir apt the toughest crippled to foretell truthful acold this season. Both teams are playing good with MVP-candidate quarterbacks. But the Chargers’ discourtesy volition beryllium excessively overmuch for the Ravens. Last week, Herbert and the Chargers dropped 47 points connected a Browns defence that had allowed lone 20 points successful its erstwhile 10 quarters. The Chargers person been 1 of the champion scoring teams successful the 4th fourth this play and that inclination volition proceed Sunday with a 33-27 triumph implicit the Ravens.