Super Bowl preview, here we come? Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season is set to wrap up on Monday night, and the final prime-time slot on the docket features two of this year’s most explosive contenders in the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions, who combined to score 93 points the last time they separately took the field.
Baltimore is the league’s top-scoring offense entering “Monday Night Football,” dropping 40 in a tight shootout loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, then hitting 41 in a blowout win over the rival Cleveland Browns last Sunday. The real magic of that feat, however, is the fact the Ravens lit up the scoreboard in two different ways: Week 1 was a rushing showcase, with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry cruising up and down the field, while Week 2 was a passing clinic, with Jackson sending the ball downfield for one deep strike after another.
The Lions looked equally as dynamic in their last game, a 52-21 shellacking of the Chicago Bears in which Jared Goff easily played point guard, tossing five scores while both Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams stretched the field. Their Week 2 breakout only came after a dispiriting start to the season, though, as coach Dan Campbell needed to rally the troops following a disjointed Week 1 loss at the hands of the rival Green Bay Packers.
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Which high-octane attack is due for victory on Monday night? Only time will tell, but this matchup is must-see TV. We’ve got everything you need to know right here, including how to tune in and which players to monitor.
Where to watch Ravens vs. Lions live
Date: Monday, Sept. 22 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore, Maryland)
TV: ABC, ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Ravens -4.5; O/U 53.5 (via DraftKings Sportsbook)
Key questions
Can the Lions get push in the ground game? It’s been a tale of two weeks for Detroit when it comes to running the ball. The electric Jahmyr Gibbs was bottled up for just 19 yards on nine carries in the season-opening loss to Green Bay, only to break out with close to 8 yards per carry against the Bears. The Ravens, meanwhile, will be missing their top interior defender in Nnamdi Madubuike (neck injury), potentially clearing the way for easier rushing lanes up front. David Montgomery should also be set for a sizable role as Gibbs’ more physical counterpart, fresh off back-to-back outings with 11 carries.
Will Lamar Jackson test the Detroit secondary? The Ravens are an adaptable attack, pivoting to more of a run-heavy approach when able or required, but Jackson can sling it deep with the best of them, as evidenced by his four-touchdown showcase against the Browns in Week 2. And he might have added reason to try pushing the rock at home, with several key players banged up in the Lions’ defensive backfield, including ball-hawking safety Kerby Joseph (knee) and top cover corner D.J. Reed (knee). Even if both are able to suit up, they may not be at full speed, putting more pressure on Lions Swiss Army knife Brian Branch.
Can the Ravens generate a pass rush? The Lions have left tackle Taylor Decker nursing an injury, but Baltimore isn’t exactly overflowing with proven edge defenders. Madubuike leads the club with two sacks through two games but will be sidelined Monday night, and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy (hamstring), who led the Ravens with 12.5 sacks a year ago, has also been ruled out. That leaves Odafe Oweh, Tavius Robinson and rookie Mike Green as the top candidates to get after Jared Goff. And getting after him is key, because when he’s got time to operate, Goff excels at quickly distributing the ball to his playmakers.
X factor to watch
When Hopkins joined the Ravens this year, plenty of reasonably minded folks waved off the acquisition as another low-risk, low-reward gamble on an aging, declining pass catcher — a Baltimore special. But Hopkins has already proven remarkably clutch as a deep-ball artist for Lamar Jackson, scoring twice on just four catches and securing all four of his targets. He may be best served as a situational option at age 33, but D-Hop also just looks refreshed while operating downfield. Working against a bruised Lions secondary, he could have more opportunities to serve as a sort of closer for Baltimore’s passing attack, whether on third down or in the red zone.
Ravens vs. Lions prediction, pick
Two years ago, these two heavyweights met in a late-October clash in Baltimore, and the Ravens ran away with it, rolling to a 38-6 victory that had many questioning whether Dan Campbell’s Lions were really on the ascent. Jackson was near-perfect in that matchup, tossing three scores and rushing for a fourth, while Goff hurled a whopping 53 passes while trying — and failing — to keep up.
We’re not counting on that kind of lopsided affair this time around. That’s mostly due to the remaining questions on Baltimore’s defense, which was ill-prepared to hold a Week 1 lead against Buffalo and is now without a pair of front-seven tentpoles in Madubuike and Van Noy. Their absences alone should enable the Lions to properly establish the run and set up Goff’s play-action shots to St. Brown, Williams and tight end Sam LaPorta.