Ravens vs. Jets scouting report for Week 15: Who has the edge?

RAVENS PASSING GAME: Lamar Jackson has passed for just 250 yards over the last two weeks, though he did complete 11 of 15 in an impressive second half Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. That performance included a 61-yard touchdown pass to tight end Hayden Hurst, who became his top target with Mark Andrews sidelined by a leg injury. Andrews, who leads the Ravens in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, did not practice Monday but could play Thursday. Jackson has struggled to get the ball to his wide receivers all season, and that problem has worsened over the last two weeks. Rookie Marquise Brown, the team’s most productive wide receiver, caught four passes for -1 yard in those two victories. What Jackson has lacked in volume, he’s made up for in efficiency, with a 109.2 passer rating that ranks fourth in the NFL. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley has been one of the best pass blockers in the league, and if he misses Thursday’s game because of a concussion, the negative impact could be significant.

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In Madden 20's most recent update, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson gained a boost in speed. Madden set the record straight and improved Jackson's speed rating to 96, making him the fastest quarterback in Madden history. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

JETS PASSING GAME: The Jets rank 30th in passing and 29th in yards per attempt behind quarterback Sam Darnold, who’s played unevenly in his second season. Darnold, who was picked 29 slots above Jackson in the 2018 draft, has completed 62.2% of his passes and thrown 11 interceptions in 10 starts. He’s played better of late, with nine touchdown passes against two interceptions over the last five games. Jamison Crowder has been the Jets’ top possession receiver, with 60 catches on 93 targets. Robby Anderson has been the top deep threat, averaging 15.4 yards on 43 receptions. Le’Veon Bell remains one of the NFL’s top receivers out of the backfield, with 55 catches on 67 targets for 403 yards. Ryan Griffin has been New York’s best receiving tight end with 34 catches on 41 targets and five touchdowns, but he missed practice Monday and Tuesday with an ankle injury.

EDGE: Ravens

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RAVENS RUNNING GAME: The Ravens suffered through their most difficult rushing day of the season against the Bills, gaining just 118 yards on 33 carries. Buffalo played exceptionally disciplined defense, limiting Jackson to 40 yards on 11 carries. He nonetheless passed the 1,000-yard mark and moved within 22 yards of Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record for a quarterback. The Bills also stifled No. 1 running back Mark Ingram II, who gained 50 yards on 15 carries. Despite the tough afternoon in Buffalo, the Ravens still lead the NFL in rushing by more than 50 yards per game. They also easily lead in yards per carry at 5.5.

JETS RUNNING GAME: Bell missed Sunday’s one-point victory over the Miami Dolphins with the flu but could play against the Ravens, an old nemesis from his days with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The former All-Pro has not been an effective runner this season, averaging 49 yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry. The Jets’ offensive line, which includes former Ravens guard Alex Lewis, is partially to blame, with none of the starters grading as above-average run blockers, according to Pro Football Focus. The Jets rank 31st in the league in both yards per game and yards per carry and have run for more than 100 yards just twice all season.

EDGE: Ravens

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The Ravens signed running back Mark Ingram, who spent his first eight NFL seasons with the New Orleans Saints, before the 2019 NFL season. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

RAVENS RUSH DEFENSE: The Ravens again showed vulnerability against outside runs in Buffalo, where running back Devin Singletary (17 carries, 89 yards) was easily the Bills’ most effective offensive player. The previous week, San Francisco’s Raheem Mostert attacked the edges of their defense with great efficiency. With Bell struggling, the Jets don’t have a similar weapon. The Ravens rank sixth in run defense but allow 4.5 yards per carry, 10th worst in the league. Middle linebacker Josh Bynes and defensive tackles Brandon Williams and Michael Pierce have been their most effective run defenders.

JETS RUSH DEFENSE: This is easily the strength of the team; the Jets allow the fewest yards per carry and second fewest yards per game in the league. They gave up 122 yards to the Dolphins Sunday but in the five games before that, had not allowed more than 68. Interior linemen Folorunso Fatukasi and Steve McLendon have both played outstanding run defense. Pro-Bowl safety Jamal Adams is the team’s leading tackler and routinely makes plays behind the line of scrimmage, but he missed Sunday’s game and both practices this week with an ankle injury.

EDGE: Jets

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RAVENS PASS DEFENSE: The Ravens harassed Bills quarterback Josh Allen into a 17-for-39 afternoon with a blitz-happy performance that produced six sacks and 12 quarterback hits. After a disappointing start, they’ve risen to No. 9 in pass defense and have held opponents below 200 passing yards in each of their last five games. Safeties Earl Thomas III and Chuck Clark and cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey all have top-20 coverage grades at their positions, according to Pro Football Focus. Peters batted away three passes in the Bills game, including a game-clinching break-up against former Ravens wide receiver John Brown. Outside linebacker Matthew Judon delivered another big game in Buffalo, with 1 ½ sacks and a tackle for loss. He leads the team with 8 ½ sacks, 28 quarterback hits and three forced fumbles.

JETS PASS DEFENSE: The Ravens blitz more than any other team in the league, but the Jets rank fourth, and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams seems likely to call an aggressive game against an offensive line that might be without Stanley. Despite blitzing on almost 40 percent of dropbacks, the Jets rank just 23rd in sacks and 18th in pass defense. They lack an elite edge rusher; outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins leads the team with seven sacks. If they have to play without Adams, they would be missing not only their best coverage safety but one of their best pass rushers. The Jets could also be without their best cover cornerback, Brian Poole, who missed Week 14 with a concussion.

EDGE: Ravens

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Ravens' Lamar Jackson, left, celebrates his 61-yards touchdown pass against the Bills with Patrick Ricard (#42), center, as Marshal Yanda looks on in the fourth quarter. The Ravens defeated the Bills by score of 24 to 17 at New Era Field. Photo by: Kenneth K. Lam (Kenneth K. Lam/Baltimore Sun)

RAVENS SPECIAL TEAMS: Justin Tucker has made 23 of 24 field goal attempts on the season and ranks as the most accurate kicker in NFL history by almost three percentage points. Sam Koch finally had a busy day against the Bills, averaging 44.7 yards on seven punts. Koch has put 51.6% of his punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, which would tie him for the league lead if he had enough kicks to qualify. Kickoffs have remained the Ravens’ weakness on special teams. They’ve allowed opponents 22.1 yards per kickoff return while averaging just 17.9 themselves.

JETS SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker Sam Ficken has missed two extra points and has made just seven of 12 field-goal attempts from 40 yards or beyond. Lachlan Edwards ranks 18th in the league with a 41.4-yard net punting average and has put 30.6 percent of his punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. The Jets have been solid on punt and kickoff coverage, and Braxton Berrios has averaged 10.2 yards on 16 punt returns.

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EDGE: Ravens

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RAVENS INTANGIBLES: The Ravens (11-2) are the hottest team in the league, coming off their ninth-straight win and closing in on both a second-straight AFC North title and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. They’re 5-1 at home and have lost just one Thursday night game at M&T Bank Stadium. They also know that if they win their next two games, they could rest their starters in Week 17 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

JETS INTANGIBLES: Despite poor injury luck, the Jets (5-8) have played their best football of late, winning four of five games behind outstanding run defense and improved performance from Darnold. They have not quit on Adam Gase in his first season as head coach. The Jets are 1-5 on the road, with their only win coming against the Washington Redskins.

EDGE: Ravens

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PREDICTION: The Jets aren’t quite the pushover many presume them to be. They’ve won four of their last five games and scored more than 30 points in three of those (albeit against poor competition). They’ll also test the Ravens with one of the league’s best run defenses. They don’t have the offensive weapons to keep up with the NFL’s best team over 60 minutes, but don’t be surprised if this game is uncomfortably close going into the fourth quarter.. Ravens 30, Jets 17.