Here is how the LA Rams can make 4 in a row in Baltimore

On paper, the LA Rams face what could very likely be their most difficult challenge of the 2023 NFL season. The Baltimore Ravens are an AFC powerhouse team from the AFC Northern Division, one of if not the most competitive divisions in the NFL this season. As of Week 14, the LA Rams are 1-2 against that division, and must travel to face the king of the hill this week.

This is going to be quite a test for the young but ever improving Rams roster.

The Baltimore Ravens do not just win games, they steal the souls of their opponents. They play football the old fashioned way, running the ball down their opponent's throat until that team cries uncle, and then they run it down their throats for the rest of the game to contol the game clock. The Ravens offense is seventh best in terms of yards gained, seventh best in terms of points scored, 20th best in terms of passing yards, and the absolute best in terms of rushing yards.

Because the Ravens are so proficient at running the football, they do very well on the defensive side of the football as well. The Ravens are second best in terms of yards allowed, the very best in terms of points allowed, 11th best in terms of rushing yards allowed, and second best in terms of passing yards allowed. So it all appears to be a bleak picture doesn't it?

3 reasons to take heart in Rams schedule road contest in Baltimore

Reason III: The LA Rams offense can score once more. That's right. Since the break, the Rams offense is averaging 30 points per game. And if you factor in the return of RB Kyren Williams, the Rams average 36.6 points per game.

So don't wave the white flag just yet. The LA Rams just faced the NFL's top passing defense, and the top defense in total yards allowed in their Week 13 opponent, the Cleveland Browns, and managed to find a way to move the football and score points. In fact, the Rams had their second-highest scoring total of the 2023 NFL season last week, so where there is a will, there is certainly a way.

Reason II: Nobody expects the Rams to pull off the upset. Even staunch Rams fans who are bursting with optimism had the game against the Baltimore Ravens circled as a game that the LA Rams were likely to lose. The Ravens are that physical type of team that has given the LA Rams fits in the past. This is a team that can run at will, mix in the occasional pass to keep the defense honest and leverage the desperation of the Rams team into turnovers that create an avalanche of bad luck that quickly becomes a rout.

Of the three teams that defeated the Steelers, they had these common elements. They all ran the football with 30 or more attempts. All three teams created at least two turnovers against the Ravens, and did not lose the turnover battle. Finally, all three teams had possession of the football for more than 29 minutes of the game clock. here is the data in table formate below:

The Rams need to follow that same format of running the football, winning the turnover battle, and winning the time of possession battle.

Reason I: The Rams need this win more. If you compare the LA Rams ordering in the NFC playoff seeding, the Rams are in the thick of a playoff berth, and cannot afford to lose any games right now. But the Baltimore Ravens, at a record of 9-3, are comfortably perched atop the AFC Northern Division with a two-game buffer over all other opponents, and is merely jockeying with the Miami Dolphins for the top-seed in the AFC. Unless the Ravens lose all of the remaining games on their schedule, they are heading to the playoffs this season.

But the LA Rams may need to finish their season by winning four of their remaining five games, and the Rams know that they face the San Francisco 49ers to close out 2023, a team that has a long-running regular season winning streak against the Rams.

It's the same formula that almost everyone has been preaching about this Rams team all season. But there is one exception. The Rams are playing very well right now, and could just pull off this upset win.