John Harbaugh Prepares Thoroughly for Upcoming Matchup Against Los Angeles Rams at M&T Bank Stadium
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is leaving no stone unturned as he prepares his team for their next big game against the Los Angeles Rams on October 12 at M&T Bank Stadium. With high stakes and an eager fanbase, Harbaugh is focused on ensuring the Ravens are fully prepared to take on the tough challenge posed by the Rams.
“We’ve had a solid week of preparation, and we know the Rams are a tough team,” Harbaugh said in a recent press conference. “We’ve been working on all aspects of our game — offensively, defensively, and special teams — to make sure we’re ready for everything they throw at us.”
The Ravens are coming off a series of solid performances, and Harbaugh is determined to build on their momentum. He emphasized the importance of staying focused and executing the game plan against a Rams team that has been solid both offensively and defensively this season.
“It’s all about attention to detail,” Harbaugh continued. “We’ve studied the Rams, and we know their strengths and weaknesses. Now it’s about executing our game plan and staying disciplined throughout the game.”
With M&T Bank Stadium set to host the highly anticipated matchup, the Ravens will be relying on the energy of their home crowd to fuel their performance. Harbaugh’s leadership will be key to guiding the team through the pressure of such an important game, with the goal of keeping their momentum and pushing for a victory.
As the Ravens look ahead to the clash with the Rams, Harbaugh’s strategic approach and preparation are setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting and crucial contest.
Latest NFL news potentially opens the door for the Minnesota Vikings to fix their run defense with one simple move
The run defense for the Minnesota Vikings has been an issue so far this season.
Through five games, the Vikings have allowed 132.2 yards per game on the ground, which ranks them 25th in the NFL. However, they are only allowing 289.8 yards per game, which ranks sixth in the NFL. They are still first in the league in EPA/play on defense at -0.12, but that drops to 25th in EPA/rush, which is positive at 0.008.
Many will look at the trade of Harrison Phillips as the catalyst for these issues, and there is a possibility the Vikings could find his replacement, making a move that fits general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Vikings could trade for Travis Jones to fix their run defense
Tuesday afternoon saw a couple of trades across the NFL, and one of them stood out in a big way. The Baltimore Ravens traded a promising young edge rusher in Odafe Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers.
This is a little bit surprising on the surface with the issues on the defense the Ravens have, but they likely believed that Oweh either wasn't going to re-sign or they didn't have him in their long-term plans. They do have some young players at edge rusher in Mike Green and David Ojabo, who can step in for Oweh, and they can have Gilman help out their pass defense on the back end.
That leads to the all important question: are the Ravens going to be having a fire sale now that they are 1-4? If they do, the Vikings should inquire about nose tackle Travis Jones.
A third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Jones has been a constant on the defensive front for the Ravens. It isn't just about stopping the run with Jones; he can do a little bit of everything. You don't want him to be a designated pass rusher, but he can push the pocket and absorb multiple blockers with his 6-4, 338 lb frame. He can also do a nice hump move that would make him and Jonathan Allen friends.
So far this season, Jones has played 175 snaps, including a whopping 63 against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, where he posted season-high Pro Football Focus grades of 81.1 overall and 84.4 against the run.
The nice part about Jones is that he is a free agent after the season, so you can move on from him if you want, or the Vikings can extend him to be a long-term constant on the defensive front. It would be redundant to bring in Jones when they just traded away Phillips, but there is one thing that would eliminate that: money.
Phillips was set to make a base salary of $7.5 million next season, all of which is now off the books. Giving Jones a contract would allow them to continue to be smart about how they structure the money moving forward.
The cost wouldn't be a lot since he's a nose tackle, likely something like a fifth-round pick, which the Vikings currently have one from the Eagles, plus the possibility of up to three compensatory picks coming for the 2026 NFL Draft.
It would be both an admission that the trade was a mistake, but also a positive since they got younger and more athletic at the position.
Would the Vikings make this move? They may want to wait for Blake Cashman's return to see how the run defense looks with him back in the fold. Even so, Jones could make a major impact on the run defense right now.
