Ravens' highly touted rookie could be the wild card that tips the scales vs. Lions
The Baltimore Ravens brought in another strong rookie class in the 2025 NFL Draft, but are still waiting for their highly coveted selections to break out. Late round picks Teddye Buchanan and Aeneas Peebles are making a difference on the defensive side, and Tyler Loop and LaJohntay Wester are bringing life back to Baltimore’s special teams unit.
However, the team’s top two picks, Malaki Starks and Mike Green, are enduring growing pains through their first two games of NFL action. The two will play crucial roles in Week 3 against the Detroit Lions, though.
For Green, he steps foot into the spotlight with Kyle Van Noy out due to a hamstring injury. He could take the field with the starting unit. In Starks’ case, he has been starting since the season opener, but Detroit’s electric offense puts Starks in a significant spot where he must rise to the occasion.
Malaki Starks could be the wild card that tips the scales vs. Lions
Starks has been graded as a below-average defender in the early going. He ranks as the 81st-best safety, per Pro Football Focus, registering a 54.2 overall grade. These troubles are expected for a rookie expected to take on starting reps from the get-go, especially at a position like safety.
The 21-year-old will have to grow up quickly by the time Monday Night Football kicks off. Detroit’s offense thrives on attacking the middle of the field and stretching it vertically. They are known for creating explosive plays, a tendency that made them the league’s highest-scoring offense by a wide margin with 564 points in 2024.
Although former Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson is now with the Chicago Bears, the Lions' offense is still potent. They dropped 52 on the Bears in Week 2, and still are a threat to break the game open whenever the ball is snapped. Playmakers like Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Jameson Williams are just a few players who can take it the distance at any time, and Baltimore will rely heavily on Starks to diminish those splash plays.
While Starks has yet to make any highlight-reel-worthy plays, he has been doing his job. His overall PFF grade may not reflect that, but he has been the intelligent deep safety the Ravens need. He is limiting deep passing plays and is a stout run defender, thus far, posting a 71.5 run defense grade, according to PFF.
— Yuri (@Yuri_Ravens) September 16, 2025“Where has Malaki Starks been at?”
Center field. Just watched all 47 of his coverage snaps, 90% of them he was taking 10-12 yard drops as soon as it snapped. Matched Njoku well on an underneath route.
Baited Flacco a few times. No passes over his head. Good job pic.twitter.com/ngxzwNBHo5
He is playing the center field role well, but the Lions are sure to attack him. Williams is their go-to weapon on verticals, and Starks will have to help contain him over the top and limit separation. He also needs to take smart angles as a tackler when St. Brown inevitably breaks free after the catch. It is no easy task, but for a player with Starks’ potential, he is capable of it.
Red Sox Urged to Make Surprise Playoff Move on Connelly Early
The Red Sox still need to punch a ticket to the American League playoffs at this point, and while taking two out of three in a weekend series in Tampa Bay was a positive, they’re 85-71, still clinging to a one-game lead over the Astros and Guardians, who are both 84-72.
Boston will close with a three-game series in Toronto starting Tuesday, with the hope that the Blue Jays take their foot off the gas now that they’ve clinched the AL East, followed by a three-game home series against the Tigers–who, at 85-71 and one game ahead of Cleveland as well, are in danger of losing their hold on a playoff spot without a strong finish.
If things shake out in the Red Sox’s favor in the coming days, they will need to quickly assemble their plan for the playoffs, starting next Tuesday. And while there is no doubt that the team will want ace Garrett Crochet to take the ball as many times as possible, ESPN has a radical suggestion for Boston’s potential postseason run: Get rookie Connelly Early into the mix, too.
Red Sox Have Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello and Then …
As things stand, logically, the Red Sox would have Crochet as their Game 1 ace if the schedule allows it. Their second-best pitcher has been Brayan Bello, at 11-8 with a 3.34 ERA and Lucas Giolito has been a clear third (10-4, 3.46).
Early, the lefty called up by Boston to debut this month after a stellar minor-league season, has been impressive, going 1-1 with a 1.88 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 14.1 innings. As ESPN analyst Kiley McDaniel sees it, the Red Sox should move Giolito aside and ride with Early in the playoffs.
Getty ImagesFans in centerfield applaud as the 12th and final “K” is put up for pitcher Garrett Crochet #35 of the Boston Red Sox during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park on September 14, 2025 in Boston.
Red Sox Rotation Suggestion
McDaniel wrote of the Red Sox’s pitching approach: “Crochet is very clearly the kind of arm Boston needs to start three times in a seven-game series. Bello has outpitched his underlying metrics all year. … Early has continually beat my expectations, including when I thought (Payton) Tolle was the better of the two Red Sox prospect lefties with a chance to be called up.
“I think starting those three and deploying the other bulk-inning options listed above in a bullpen day (instead of a conventional fourth starter) and/or long relief to take advantage of matchups is likely the best option.”
Connelly Early Over Lucas Giolito?
The logic of using a guy who can get strikeouts in the playoffs is obvious, but still, it would be difficult to bump Giolito from the starting rotation. He was inconsistent early in the year, and had a couple of bumps down the stretch (he called his last start “trash”) but he has strung together some exceptional runs during this season.
Early allowed three runs (two earned) in 4.0 innings on Sunday. He walked two and gave up three runs in the first.
“I just didn’t do a good enough job being in the strike zone from pitch one,” Early said. “Two walks in the first is a tough start, and going down 3-0 is really tough.”
