Another East Coast trip is on the horizon for the Rams, this time heading to Baltimore to take on the Ravens in Week 6. Kickoff from M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday is scheduled for 10 a.m. pacific time on FOX.
In advance of the contest, here is your First Look at Rams-Ravens:
Notable Ravens additions
- Signed free agent quarterback Cooper Rush to a two-year deal on March 18. Baltimore was in the market for a backup to Lamar Jackson after 39-year-old Josh Johnson became a free agent. With Jackson sidelined by a hamstring injury, Rush made his first start of the season last week against the Texans.
- Selected Arizona kicker Tyler Loop in the sixth round (No. 186 overall) in this year's draft. The addition of Loop marked the first time in franchise history that the Ravens drafted a placekicker. A little over a week later, they released veteran Justin Tucker, who had held the role since 2012.
Top performers in Week 5
Rush completed 14 of 20 pass attempts for 179 yards with three interceptions in Baltimore's 44-10 home loss to the Houston Texans.
Running back Derrick Henry carried the Ravens backfield with 15 rushing attempts for 33 yards and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Zay Flowers led Baltimore receivers with five receptions for 72 yards.
Inside linebacker Trenton Simpson paced the Ravens defense with 10 total tackles (one for loss), one sack and one QB hit.
On special teams, Loop made 1 of 2 field goal attempts (missed a 55-yarder), while punter Jordan Stout averaged 45.5 yards per punt across four punts.
Early storylines to watch, and what they mean for the Rams
One of Rams head coach Sean McVay's frequent sayings is that humility is only a day or a week away in the NFL. The contrast of the team's results from Week 4 to 5 certainly reinforced that.
For the second-consecutive week, L.A. gets a team decimated by injury at multiple key positions on both sides of the ball. In Week 5 alone, between inactive players and those on Injured Reserve, Baltimore had roughly 42-43% of its salary cap sidelined. And more unpredictability could be in store for the Rams this week.
In wake of that blowout loss to the Texans, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told Baltimore reporters Monday that "everything is on the table," whether that be scheme or lineup changes, or both. For example, when asked about Rush, he didn't rule out the possibility of Tyler Huntley seeing action at quarterback. Harbaugh also told reporters he does not expect the Ravens to be as shorthanded as they were last week health-wise.
Meanwhile, the Rams could have their own adapting to do, depending on the final designation for inside linebacker Omar Speights, who McVay on Monday said will likely be doubtful for Sunday's game.
When the Rams suffered their first loss of the season – Week 3 against the Eagles – they responded with a resilient performance against the Colts. Which leads to another familiar McVay mantra: Not letting an opponent beat them twice.
Let's see if they can repeat that formula in Week 6.
