The New York Jets (2-8) will visit the Baltimore Ravens (5-5) at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday.
Let's take a deeper look at what to expect from the Jets' next opponent.
Surviving a 1-5 Start
The Ravens will host New York following their fourth consecutive win, a thrilling come-from behind victory against the Browns, 23-16, that helped them reach .500 and put them in the thick of the playoff race after a 1-5 start.
Baltimore got off to a slow start due to multiple injures to QB Lamar Jackson, who missed 3 games (Weeks 5-8), and a plethora of other injuries to notable starters, including All-Pro S Kyle Hamilton (2 missed games) and Pro Bowl TE Mark Andrews (3 missed).
Since Jackson returned to the field in Week 9, though, it has been smooth sailing for Baltimore. Jackson has led the Ravens to victories in each of his last 3 starts while completing 64% of his passes for 5 TDs and 2 interceptions.
"Lamar is a great player," Browns HC Kevin Stefanski said postgame. "He made life hard on our defense, both from the pocket, making throws and out of the pocket and just making plays."
Offensive Surge
Unsurprisingly, the Ravens offense has thrived with Jackson in the lineup in recent weeks and has begun to look like the Super Bowl contender the league expected them to be when the year began.
Without Jackson in the lineup this season (3 games), the Ravens averaged 14.3 points per game and turned the ball over 2.7 times per game. With Jackson (7 games), Baltimore's offense has posted 29.9 points per game and given the ball away just 5 times in total.
Jackson, despite dealing with knee soreness the past 4 weeks, is expected to start against the Jets.
And for as good as Jackson has been, their offense has gotten significant contributions from several talented players this season -- headlined by the recent play of RB Derrick Henry and WR Zay Flowers.
Flowers leads the team with 703 yards receiving, 13th-most in the NFL, and Henry is tops on the team in rushing yards with 807 and 7 scores on the ground.
The combination of Jackson and Henry has made Baltimore the No. 4 ranked rushing team in the NFL this season (142 yards per game). The Ravens have run for at least 150 yards in each of their last 4 games and averaged 165.6 yards per game over that span.
"Their offense is littered with weapons," Stefanski said. "Great challenges are posed by defending Lamar and Derrick Henry plus they have fast receivers and are big up front. They will pose a lot of challenges for any football team."
Defensive Revival
The Ravens' defense ranked among the worst in points, yards allowed and takeaways the first 6 weeks of the season, but since their Week 7 bye, Baltimore ranks third in points (14.3), 10th in yards and fourth takeaways (8).
The unit is led by its stingy secondary, which features All-Pros CB Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton, and promising young defenders S Malaki Starks and CB Nate Wiggins, who leads the team with 3 interceptions.
Up front, Baltimore has had a rotating cast of pass rushers as HC John Harbaugh searches for more consistency from the group with the loss of Pro Bowl DL Nnamdi Madubuike for the year two games into the season.
Edge rushers Kyle Van Noy and Tavius Robinson are tied for the team lead with 2 sacks each, and rookie edge Mike Green, a second-round pick out of Marshall, is among the league's best rookies with 18 pressures and 7 QB hits this season.
Baltimore's defense is still in search of its identity since its uneven start to the season, but has begun to find consistency in the past month.
