The Baltimore Ravens are looking for a division crown and the Detroit Lions want the same and now the two teams will battle on Monday night football in Week 15 with playoff spots on the line and a loss here could be a big hit to their postseason chances and the matchup will be on ESPN from Ford Field starting up at 8:30 pm and the game will be streaming online from the WatchESPN website for the battle between Joe Flacco and Matthew Stafford.
The Lions are coming into the game after losing in the snow to the Philadelphia Eagles and that gamer saw a ton of turnovers and fumbles for the team and now they go into the game against the Ravens with a looming home matchup against the pathetic New York Giants, who scored zero points this weekend. The Lions allowed over 200 yards to LeSean McCoy last week and they will have to watch out for Ray Rice and with the Bears winning with Jay Cutler on Sunday, the team has to win just to keep pace in the NFC North and they better, as they won both games against Chicago this season but would lose out if they finish just one game better in the standings and that would be disastrous for the Lions.
The team has a lead over Green Bay, but with a tie in the mix anything can happen and after the amazing comeback win by the Packers against the Dallas Cowboys, the team now can get into things and that should make the north battle very interesting as the season comes to a close. Stafford has been excellent with nearly 4,000 yards passing this season and 27 touchdowns and the team has gotten some amazing production from Reggie Bush and Joique Bell in the rushing game, as they have a combined 10 touchdowns and tons of receiving yards this season. Calvin Johnson has been fantastic again with 1,251 yards and 12 touchdowns and he will need to have a big performance on Monday night football.
The Ravens have been having an up and down season, but coming down the stretch they are a team no one wants to face and their defense has been playing better and the addition of Dennis Pitta back into the lineup is very valuable for Joe Flacco and the offense. The Lions had to deal with the elements last week and they now have lost three of the past four games after winning the same amount previously and with two games left against the Giants and Vikings, Detroit can't afford another clip up, as that will give the Bears control in the division race. The Lions come in ranked fifth against the run and third in passing yards per game and that is where the focus will be on Monday for Jim Schwartz.
The Ravens now have an opening after the Bengals lost on Sunday night football and they could end up as the division champions after the huge win they got over the Vikings last week and they have a huge game against the Patriots next Sunday. The Lions will be a tough team to stop, but the Ravens are ranked in the top 15 in both defensive categories by yards per game and the matchup on Monday night should be an exciting on ESPN before the MNF finale next week.
