Lions look to shake Baltimore blues against better Ravens roster than one that ran over Detroit in 2023

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Allen Park — If the Detroit Lions required a reminder to stay grounded after dropping 52 points on the Chicago Bears last Sunday, they need not look further than the last time the schedule took them to Baltimore.

Detroit was surely flying high heading into that 2023 matchup. A young team finally meeting expectations following another arduous rebuild, the Lions were 5-1, having knocked off the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs in a nationally televised season opener, and were winners of four straight ahead of the Week 7 matchup with the Ravens.

The Lions had never won in Baltimore, at least not against the Ravens, so the game provided an opportunity to exorcise a demon. Instead, the possession continues. The Ravens didn’t just beat the Lions that afternoon; they sent the upstarts back to the kiddy table.

Ugly is an understatement. It's probably the worst loss of the Dan Campbell era, factoring in expectations coming into the game. The Ravens scored touchdowns on each of their first four possession, averaging 79 yards on those drives, to seize a commanding 28-0 lead into the half.

Pouring Old Bay into Detroit's gaping wound, the Ravens went 94 yards in four plays with their first possession in the third quarter, punctuating the 38-6 eviseration.

In many ways, the story coming into this week’s matchup is similar. Detroit's roster is unquestionably more battle-tested, but it’s once again a compelling, early-season showdown between two Super Bowl-caliber rosters with explosive offenses.

Hopefully, for the primetime audience tuning in Monday night, this one is more competitive.

The Lions are the only team to score 50 in a game this season. However, the Ravens have topped 40 twice and lead the league in points. They dropped a heartbreaker in the opener, coughing up a 15-point lead to Buffalo in the fourth quarter, but rebounded with a 21-point surge in the final frame last Sunday to bury the lowly Browns, 41-17.

There’s plenty of carryover from the last time the Lions played the Ravens, led by perennial MVP candidate Lamar Jackson. The dynamic quarterback won the award in 2019 and 2023. He probably deserved it last year, too, after leading the league in passer rating, touchdown rate and yards per attempt while rushing for 915 yards, his most in four years.

Zay Flowers, a rookie in 2023, remains the team’s leading receiver. He’s complemented by a different former All-Pro past his prime. Previously, it was Odell Beckham Jr. Now, it’s DeAndre Hopkins. Plus, Rashod Bateman (nine touchdowns in 2024) and three-time Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews remain in the mix, although the latter is off to a slow start to the current campaign, tallying just two catches for 7 yards through two games.

The biggest change for the Baltimore offense has been the addition of running back Derrick Henry, who signed with the team ahead of last season. The age-defying backfield hulk racked up 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground last season, averaging a career-best 5.9 yards per carry. He’s at it again this year, averaging 6.6 per pop, adding to the extraordinary challenge of defending Jackson’s legs and deep ball.

Defensively, a new coordinator has been leading the Ravens since the last meeting with the Lions. The former maestro, Mike McDonald, got hired to be Seattle’s head coach. Taking his place is Zach Orr, the Ravens' former All-Pro linebacker who retired after three seasons due to a spinal condition.

Coach John Harbaugh kept Orr in the fold, adding him to the coaching staff as a defensive analyst in 2017. He left for one season to work as a linebackers coach in Jacksonville before returning to the Ravens as a position coach, eventually leading to his promotion to coordinator in 2024.

In his first year in the role, the team ranked top-10 in scoring and was No. 1 against the run, both in yards allowed per game and per carry.

From a personnel standpoint, Orr has new pieces at every level, most notably the back end, contrasted against the collective of talent that shut down the Lions' high-octane attack in 2023.

Importantly, they’ve retained some of their studs, including Nnamdi Madubuike, Roquan Smith, Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton.

Baltimore’s two most recent first-round draft picks headline changes in the secondary. Nate Wiggins and Malaki Starks are starting at cornerback and safety, respectively. Rounding out the defensive backfield is cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, an offseason free-agent addition who is with his third team in as many seasons.

Arguably, the biggest change outside Henry is at kicker. The team moved on from five-time All-Pro Justin Tucker this offseason, amidst a string a sexual misconduct allegations. He was also coming off his worst season.

Lions fans certainly won’t miss him. Tucker delivered two devastating game-winners against the franchise. In 2013, he hit a 61-yarder that effectively ended Detroit’s playoff aspirations and led to the firing of Jim Schwartz.

And four years ago, when the Lions were hunting for their first win under Dan Campbell, Tucker converted the longest field goal in NFL history, banging home a 66-yarder off the crossbar to secure a 19-17 Ravens win at Ford Field.

Tyler Loop, a sixth-round draft pick out of Arizona, replaces Tucker. The strong-legged kicker made a school-record 62-yarder for the Wildcats. Loop is a perfect four-for-four on field goals and five-for-five on extra points to begin his NFL career.