Baltimore Ravens: Week 3 Rebound Against the St. Louis Rams

Week 3 is not often thought of as gut check time in the NFL. But for the Baltimore Ravens, it very well could be.

After dominating the Steelers in Week 1, the Ravens came out in a loss to the Titans in Week 2. They were flat offensively and could not stop the Titans passing attack when it counted most.

Their Week 1 effort had many trumpeting the Ravens as the most complete team in the AFC. Then a stinging loss at the hands of the Titans—who many expected the Ravens to roll over—ended those talks.

In Week 3, the Ravens need to dig deep and choose what kind of team they want to be this year. Playing like they did against the Titans will not get them to Indianapolis in February.

Their opponent, the struggling St. Louis Rams, gives coach John Harbaugh's team a perfect opportunity to bounce back from a surprising early season loss to the Titans.

The St. Louis Offense Is One Dimensional

Sam Bradford is one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL. Unfortunately for him, the Rams franchise running back, Steven Jackson, has not been able to stay healthy.

With Jackson out, the Rams offense becomes one dimensional. Jackson could return to the field this weekend, but do not expect him to be at 100 percent if he does.

The Ravens lost to the Titans because they could not stop Matt Hasselback and his wide receivers. Hasselback was able to be so effective because Chris Johnson forced the Ravens to at least consider the possibility that the Titans might run the football.

The Rams rushing attack will not do that. Cadillac Williams or an injured Jackson will not require the same attention Johnson did in the Titans game.

Bradford threw for 331 yards against the Giants in the Rams Week 2 loss. It took him 46 attempts to do so. Without the threat of a running game, the Ravens will be able to focus their defensive attention on stopping the pass.

The Rams Cannot Stop the Run

The Rams run defense is the worst in the NFL. They have allowed opponents to rack up over 177 yards per game on the ground.

The Titans strong front seven rendered the Ravens offense one dimensional by slamming the door on Ray Rice. Baltimore must run the ball to be effective on offense.

The 32nd ranked run defense in the NFL will not be able to hold Ray Rice to under four yards a carry. This will open up space for Joe Flacco to work the ball downfield.

Rams Receivers Will Not Scare the Secondary

Sam Bradford has been throwing the ball a lot lately. The problem is the receivers he is throwing it to are not all that great. With Steven Jackson's pass catching ability in question, the St. Louis receiving corps looks very unspectacular.

Bradford's other favorite target Danny Amendola has also been hampered by injuries. This leaves Mike Sims-Walker as the Rams top wide receiver.

Last week, the Ravens secondary was torched by Kenny Britt.

The Ravens can be had through the air, it just takes a very good receiver to do so. The Rams do not have that type of receiver.

The Ravens Are over Their Pittsburgh Hangover

It's not actually shocking that the Ravens would come out flat against the Titans since the Ravens-Steelers rivalry in the most intense in the NFL, and it can wear down the players on both sides. The toll this game took on the Ravens was a loss in the following week.

The Ravens cannot be blamed for allowing their dominance of the Steelers to go to their heads, at least a tiny bit. It is now up to Ray Lewis and John Harbaugh to get the Ravens focused on this week's game against the Rams.

The Ravens have had time to recover from the Steelers game. In the NFL, a team cannot get bogged down thinking about previous games. You must show up to play every week. The Ravens learned this last week.

Baltimore realizes the importance of this week's game against the Rams. It is as close to a must win as a Week 3 game can be. The Ravens face the Jets in Week 4. They cannot take on Rex Ryan's team at 1-2.

Ray Lewis will not let his team come out flat this week. The Steelers hangover is gone and the Ravens are ready to fire on all cylinders again.