Seahawks vs. Ravens: What's the Game Plan for Baltimore?

Baltimore won't be playing in the Super Bowl this season, but the Seattle Seahawks won't be either if the Ravens have their way. 

Sitting at 4-8 and out of the playoff mix, the Ravens will now look to play the role of spoiler in their final four games this season. They'll get plenty of chances with three playoff contenders on deck, which begins with the Seahawks this Sunday.

Now 7-5 after a 2-4 start had their season in jeopardy, the Seahawks need to win out just to ensure they make the playoffs. That's after going to two straight Super Bowls the past two seasons, but they've looked very vulnerable at times this year. 

Are they vulnerable enough that an undermanned Ravens team can beat them? Here's what the game plan for Baltimore needs to be this week. 

Defensive Game Plan

Stopping the Seahawks offense starts with containing quarterback Russell Wilson. Arguably the best dual-threat quarterback in the NFL, Wilson has actually focused on becoming a better passer this season while relying less on his legs.

Through 12 games, Wilson is completing 68.5 percent of his passes for 249 yards per game to go with 8.51 yards per pass attempt. All of those would be career highs if the season ended today.

That's bad news for a Ravens secondary that's struggled against the pass. The good news is the Seahawks have a terrible offensive line that's allowing Wilson to get brutalized this season. 

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Through 12 games, Seattle is in a tie for the second-most sacks allowed this season (39). When they're not passing the ball, rookie running back Thomas Rawls has been an effective runner, but it's more because defenses focus more on stopping Wilson.

That's what the Ravens must do this week, and they may have the front seven to do it. They're going to have to play with a loaded box throughout this game and keep eight to nine men in the box for much of this game to win.

Not only does that put them in good position to stop the run, but it also keeps more potential blitzers near the line of scrimmage and makes it harder for offensive linemen to know whom to block. This will help expose the Seahawks' struggles in pass protection, but it will leave Baltimore's defensive backs on an island with Seattle receivers.

That's a risk Baltimore is going to have to take to win this game, though. Wilson is too good a quarterback to let him sit back there and pick apart the Baltimore defense. The Ravens must bring the heat this entire game to keep him off balance and hopefully keep this a low-scoring affair.  

Offensive Game Plan

Trying to build an effective game plan against the Seahawks is no easy task. They rank second in total defense coming into Week 14, but they've been prone to have breakdowns and give up big plays this season.

On the other side, the Baltimore offense has been decimated this season, but it still has enough left to put points on the board against this defense. It won't be easy, but the offensive game plan has to feature a lot of runs to take the ball out of Matt Schaub's or Jimmy Clausen's hands, depending on who starts.

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Rookie running back Javorius "Buck" Allen has shown flashes of becoming a star for the Ravens this season. He's also exactly the kind of back who can have success against the Seattle defense.

Allen is more of a versatile threat who can make big plays on the ground and through the air. He's a similar type of player to Pittsburgh Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams, who found success against Seattle two weeks ago.

During the Steelers' 39-30 loss in Seattle, Williams only mustered up 29 rushing yards but had 88 yards through the air on seven catches. While his team didn't win, his production helped the Steelers put up 30 points and have a great shot to win the game. 

Allen will have to have a similar type of game for the Ravens offense to be successful. During last week's loss to the Miami Dolphins, Allen totaled 63 rushing yards, but his 12 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown were what kept Baltimore within striking distance of Miami.

That's the kind of game Allen must have this week if the Ravens offense is going to have any success against Seattle's vaunted defense. 

Matchup to Watch

James Hurst vs. Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett

The Ravens offensive line has done well this season given the number of injuries it has had. However, second-year left tackle James Hurst has been a liability when he's been in the lineup. 

Though Eugene Monroe is the normal starting left tackle, Hurst has ended up playing much of this season as Monroe has dealt with multiple injuries. Monroe has been ruled out this week because of a shoulder injury, leaving Hurst to start against a stout Seahawks defense.

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

That's bad news as Seattle features a tough defensive end duo in Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril. Those two will switch the sides they rush the passer from in order to make sure a team's worst offensive linemen gets exposed. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Bennett and Avril have combined for 18 sacks and 81 QB hurries this season. On the other side, Hurst has allowed a team-high four sacks and six QB hits to go with 28 QB hurries, per PFF.  

This is an area where the Seattle defense can wreak havoc in this game and destroy Baltimore's offensive game plan. Hurst is going to need the game of his life in order to keep those two at bay enough for the Baltimore offense to put points on the board. 

Prediction

The Ravens are running out of players and won't be able to field a competitive team at the rate they're going. All of their injuries and losses finally catch up to them against a hungry Seahawks team that's going to approach this like it's a playoff game. 

That's a recipe for disaster, but the Ravens will do enough to make the final score respectable and keep within striking distance for much of the contest. In the end, they just don't have the horses to ride with the Seahawks for four quarters.

Final Score: Seahawks 27, Ravens 13