6 stats and facts to know for Rams vs. Ravens in Week 17

[theramswire.usatoday.com] 6 stats and facts to know for Rams vs. Ravens in Week 17


Cameron DaSilva
December 29, 2021 11:02 am PT

The Los Angeles Rams have already secured a playoff berth, but they haven’t yet clinched the division. They can do so on Sunday by beating the Baltimore Ravens on the road and watching the Arizona Cardinals lose to the Dallas Cowboys.

Beating the Ravens in Baltimore is easier said than done, especially given the Rams’ recent history against this franchise. Here are six stats and facts to know for Sunday’s matchup, which was added to the schedule when the NFL expanded the season to 17 games.

1
Ravens are 5-2 against Rams and have won four straight
The Rams have not had much success against the Ravens in their history, particularly in the last 15 years. Baltimore is 5-2 all-time against the Rams and has won the last four meetings dating back to 2007. The Ravens have outscored the Rams 120-29 in those four games, winning three of them by at least 19 points.

Their most recent meeting is a game Rams fans would prefer to forget. The Ravens put an absolute beatdown on the Rams, 45-6, in Los Angeles in what was undoubtedly the worst game of Sean McVay’s coaching career thus far.


2
Rams are 8-2 in East Coast games at 1 p.m. ET
The NFL moved this game up from 4:25 p.m. ET to the early 1 p.m. window, which isn’t exactly insignificant. It’s especially difficult for the Rams, who are a West Coast team that now must play a game at 10 a.m. PT on the East Coast.

McVay doesn’t mind, and actually prefers to play in the early window when traveling to the Eastern Time Zone. That’s probably because the Rams are 8-2 in such games since 2017, with their only two losses coming last season to the Bills and Dolphins.

McVay says his players wake up with a good look in their eye when they play early in the day, and hopefully that’s the case on Sunday afternoon in Baltimore.


3
Cooper Kupp has almost as many yards as Ravens’ top 3 WRs combined
By now you’ve probably heard that Kupp is having a good season with the Rams. He leads the league in receptions, yards and touchdown catches, going for the triple crown. He’s been almost as productive as the Ravens’ top three wide receivers combined this year.

Marquise Brown has 953 yards, Rashod Bateman has 435 and Sammy Watkins has 394, combining for 1,782 yards. Kupp has 1,734 yards on his own and has scored 14 touchdowns – nearly twice as many as those three receivers combined (8).

Mark Andrews leads the Ravens with 1,187 yards at tight end, but their wide receivers haven’t been terribly productive.


4
Ravens have 2nd-best red zone offense
The Ravens have reached the red zone 51 times in 15 games so far, and more often than not, they punch it into the end zone. They’ve scored touchdowns on 66.7% of their red zone trips, which ranks second in the NFL. They’re also the third-best team on fourth down (63.6% conversion rate) and allow teams to convert just 34.9% of the time on third down, also third-best.

This is a team that usually steps up in key situations, which is why they’ve remained competitive despite being without Lamar Jackson for most of the last three games. The Rams must convert on third down and hold the Ravens to field goals in order to win this game.

5
Baltimore has allowed most passing yards, fewest rushing yards in NFL
It’s been a tale of two stories for the Ravens defense this season. They’ve allowed the most passing yards in the NFL, giving up 4,207 yards and 28 touchdowns through the air. They rank last in yards allowed per pass attempt (7.3), too, so it’s not simply a volume thing.

Conversely, the Ravens have been good against the run. They’ve allowed the fewest rushing yards in the NFL (1,284) and allow just 3.9 yards per carry, fifth-best in football. Teams have resorted to throwing it often against Baltimore, especially with the recent rash of injuries that have hit the secondary.

6
Rams and Ravens have the two best kickers in the league
There haven’t been two kickers better than Matt Gay and Justin Tucker in 2021. Gay has made 31 of his 32 field goal attempts, good for 96.9% accuracy. Tucker isn’t far behind, making 29 of his 31 attempts, or 93.5%. Those are the two highest made-field goal rates in the NFL.

Furthermore, neither player has missed from 50-plus yards: Gay is 4-for-4 and Tucker is 6-for-6. They’re also perfect from inside 39 yards, combining to go 34-for-34. Don’t expect to see many missed field goals at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon, if any at all. These two kickers are as clutch as they come.