BALTIMORE — The Detroit Lions face a challenging test Monday night as they travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, carrying both confidence from their recent success and the weight of a poor historical record against their opponents.
WATCH: WXYZ sports anchor Brad Galli gives insight on Lions mentality heading into MNF
WMAR-2 News sat down with WXYZ sports anchor Brad Galli, who gave insight into how Lions fans were probably feeling when they saw Baltimore was on the schedule.
"When the schedule came out in May, Xavier, I think this was one that Lions fans definitely looked at and said, 'Oh, on the road, in Baltimore, against Lamar Jackson and a Ravens team that's annually a contender?' A little bit scary, but also, let's go take care of business," Galli said.
The Lions are still haunted by their last visit to Baltimore two years ago, a game that went poorly from the start. Lions quarterback Jared Goff acknowledged the previous matchup but emphasized how both teams have evolved since then.
"We've gotten another 36, 40 games or so under our belts since then, and they're a different team, we're a different team," Goff said. "I don't know if that game speaks much to this game other than maybe provides a little bit of extra juice for us."
Per Galli, head coach Dan Campbell noted that the previous game was essentially decided in the first quarter, highlighting the Lions' historically poor performance against Baltimore. The team is determined to change that narrative.
Defensive end Aiden Hutchinson emphasized the importance of establishing physicality early in the game.
"We got to be ready physically, and we know that they want to establish the line of scrimmage and get Derrick going and Lamar going, and so we understand that, and we're gonna be ready," Hutchinson said.
Galli also spoke on the Lions wanting the ball first in their dominant win over the Chicago Bears, establishing a mentality they want to go in with for this primetime showdown.
"They wanted to show, 'Give us the ball; we're gonna go on offense.' It wouldn't surprise me at all if they win the coin toss this week, defer, and try to punch Baltimore in the mouth on defense and basically say, "We're not afraid of the big bad Lamar," said Galli.
Despite the Ravens' impressive 22-8 record in primetime home games during the John Harbaugh era, there are reasons for optimism in Detroit. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who was considered an MVP-caliber player last season, has yet to have his breakout performance through the first two weeks of the season.
The Lions have built their identity around controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and their success in the trenches could be the key to victory in Baltimore.
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