The Detroit Lions (1-1) hit the road again for a major matchup with the Baltimore Ravens (1-1) on Monday night where two potential Super Bowl contenders will meet in an exciting early-season game.
After both teams lost feature matchups in Week 1, the Lions and Ravens each rebounded with lopsided victories in Week 2 against divisional opponents.
Both teams have been in the top five for scoring offense over the past two seasons and are among the top units early this season.
This will be the eighth all-time meeting between the organizations with the Ravens holding a 6-1 advantage and have five straight victories over the Lions dating back to 2009.
Here are score predictions for Detroit’s Monday-night showdown with Baltimore from MLive’s beat writers:
Ben Raven
This will not be a repeat of 2023, when the Lions were blown out from start to finish in Baltimore.
But this might be the toughest challenge on their schedule and I think the Ravens are operating on a different level across the board. Lamar Jackson is just different. Derrick Henry is still a tank, and that defense is loaded with playmakers. Shootout time — Prediction: Ravens 38, Lions 35
Kory Woods
This game will be the true test of whether the Lions have fixed their communication issues. I expect them to play better than they did in Week 1 against Green Bay and keep things competitive. But Baltimore, led by Lamar Jackson, is on a different tier of opponent—possibly too much for a Lions team still finding its rhythm.
In the end, I have Jackson leading the Ravens on a game-winning drive in the final minutes to seal it. Prediction: Ravens 30, Lions 24
Jacob Richman
I’m so tempted to pick the Lions to go in and pull the upset because they still have a massive chip on their shoulders between the 2023 loss to the Ravens and having two very different results in the first two weeks this season.
The difference in talent is marginal and I don’t expect an offensive dud like Detroit’s first road trip of the season against the Packers.
Baltimore is very good at home in prime-time games and I think the Lions’ O-line is still meshing and has to contend with another one of the toughest road environments in the league and that might be just enough to keep them on the wrong side of what should be a great game. Prediction: Ravens 31, Lions 28
Here are some additional predictions from national media for the Lions-Ravens game:
CBS Sports
Pick: Ravens
“This will be fun as both teams can score. The Lions scored 52 last week, while the Ravens scored 41. I don’t think either will come close to those numbers, but they will get into the 30s. Look for the Ravens at home to win a fun shootout.”
ESPN
Pick: Ravens (majority)
NFL.com
Pick: Ravens (unanimous)
“One of these two juggernauts will be 1-2 next week. I don’t love that. What I do love is the fact that we get to watch these two explosive offenses on the same field.Jared Goff and Lamar Jackson are tied for the most TD passes (six) this season, while Goff leads the league in completion percentage (80.6) and Jackson in passer rating (136.6). There are matchups and storylines galore here.
But I’ll keep it rather simple. Home-field advantage should play a major role. The Ravens have the highest win percentage (.763) in home prime-time games among all NFL franchises since 1970. Not to mention, their two-time league MVP is 7-2 with 22 pass TDs and zero(!) interceptions in Monday night games — that’s the most pass TDs without a pick by any player on a single day of the week all time. Shoutout to the NFL Research team. I can’t go against a stat like that.”
Arizona Republic
Pick: Ravens
“The loser of this game will be 1-2 on the season. Both teams impressed in Week 2 wins after rough Week 1 losses. This game has the highest over/under point total in NFL Week 3 odds this week. The NFL Week 3 schedule will end with a classic.”
The Sporting News
Pick: Ravens
“The Detroit Lions are intent on making up for the 38-6 defeat they suffered in Baltimore in October 2023. They were motivated last week to explode with their offense to run away from the Bears and former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. The Baltimore Ravens will move the ball better here with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. Detroit will make its share of big plays through ground and air but it won’t be enough late.”
USA Today
Pick: Ravens (majority)
“The Lions have to be feeling great after hanging 50 on their old offensive coordinator last week. They’ll come back down to Earth against a true Super Bowl contender on Monday Night Football.”
“The Lions are just fine as they head into what could be a spectacular game on Monday night. Given Baltimore’s history in holding onto leads, this one goes to the final minute.”
NBC Sports (Pro Football Talk)
Pick: Ravens (unanimous)
“The Ravens destroyed the Lions two years ago in Baltimore. It should be closer this time around, but look for the same outcome.”
Bleacher Report
Pick: Ravens (majority)
“Baltimore’s defensive injuries should make this a very close contest, but I expect a back-and-forth battle with the Lions making just a few more mistakes and the Ravens winning on a walk-off touchdown.”
“This should be a great game. The Ravens are the better overall football team, but they’re well-documented fourth-quarter choke artists. Even if they don’t blow it, they’re incredibly susceptible to allowing a backdoor cover to a Lions offense that can score very quickly when needed.”