The Baltimore Ravens are 2-1 through three weeks of NFL action and will look to get to 3-1 when they take on the Carolina Panthers at home in Week 4. Carolina enters Baltimore having just gotten absolutely crushed by Baltimore’s AFC North rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Carolina broke down on both sides of the ball in Week 3, as Cam Newton struggled with timing behind a shaky offensive line and a Panthers defense routinely put in bad spots got gashed by Pittsburgh’s rushing offense.
In what could be a gritty defensive battle, fans will be paying the biggest premium as Ravens vs Panthers tickets have an average price of $208.34 on the secondary market, while fans have to pay just $74 to get into this contest. Prices are also down 3% this week and 11% above the home average for Baltimore Ravens tickets in 2014. That average makes it the most expensive home game in Baltimore for the remainder of the season. If Baltimore can get the upper hand, though, they’ll have to play smart football and take advantage of mismatches on both sides of the ball. Heading into this tough matchup, Baltimore would be wise to follow Pittsburgh’s blueprint here and try to dominate the trenches with their effective rushing attack. Regardless of whether or not Bernard Pierce is healthy enough to return, Baltimore should still boast a healthy ground game with a nice rotation of Justin Forsett and Lorenzo Taliaferro.
While the ground game is clearly key for Baltimore’s success, it’s possible the only storyline or bullet point anyone cares about is wide receiver Steve Smith facing his former team for the first time ever. Smith and the Panthers parted ways this past off-season, yet the seemingly over the hill deep threat has gone nuts for Baltimore, catching 18 passes for nearly 300 receiving yards and a score. How Carolina deals with their former star wide receiver will be a major factor in how this game plays out. However, this one should ultimately come down to which defense holds up and who makes less mistakes. Considering Carolina is banged up and on the road, the slight edge appears to be in the Ravens’ favor this week.
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