Chargers at Baltimore Ravens: Who has the edge?

Chargers (4-1) at Baltimore Ravens (4-1)

When: Sunday, 10 a.m.

Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore

TV/Radio: CBS (Ch. 2); 98.7 FM; 105.5 FM/94.3 FM (Spanish); Sirius 108

Line: Ravens by 2½ points

Notable injury designations: Chargers: WR Mike Williams (questionable; knee), S Nasir Adderley (questionable; hip), LB Drue Tranquill (out; chest)

Ravens: LT Ronnie Stanley (out; ankle), WR Sammy Watkins (out; thigh), S DeShon Elliott (questionable; quad), OT Alejandro Villanueva (questionable; knee)

What’s at stake? A near-perfect record for the Chargers before the bye week. The first six games of the season, with four games against playoff teams from last season, were expected to be the Chargers’ toughest stretch of the 2021 schedule. But the Chargers are 4-1 and 3-0 against playoff teams from last season with wins against Washington, Kansas City and Cleveland. The Chargers have exceeded expectations, but they have an opportunity to go into the bye week with a 5-1 record if they’re able to beat the Ravens (4-1), a playoff team from last year. The Chargers’ schedule after the Week 7 bye gets easier judging from their opponents’ records. Their three games after the bye week are against the New England Patriots (2-3), Philadelphia Eagles (2-4) and Minnesota Vikings (2-4).

Who’s better? Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson are two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, but Herbert has more weapons around him with wide receivers Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, running back Austin Ekeler and tight end Jared Cook. Jackson has a bigger workload because of the season-ending injuries to running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, but he’s made it work with speedy wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and productive tight end Mark Andrews. The Chargers are averaging 28.4 points per game and the Ravens are at 27.2, marks that rank sixth and ninth in the NFL, respectively. The Chargers probably have more talent on their roster, but they’ve had plenty of issues on defense. They’re coming off a game in which they allowed the Browns to rush for 230 yards and they’re giving up a league-worst 157.6 rushing yards per game. The Ravens’ defense allows only 93.2 rushing yards per game, the seventh-best mark in the league.

Matchup to watch: Chargers rookie left tackle Rashawn Slater against Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell, a six-time Pro Bowler. Last week, Slater had his hands full with Browns star edge rusher Myles Garrett, but Slater did enough to keep him from disrupting the game. Slater is making a strong case to be the Offensive Rookie of the Year with stellar performances in the first five games of the season. Campbell has been one of the most productive defensive ends in the NFL since he entered the league in 2008 because of his power and 6-foot-8, 300-pound frame.

Chargers win if: … The focus is on the Chargers’ struggling run defense against Jackson’s dynamic athleticism, but the Ravens haven’t been winning games solely because of the former MVP’s mobility. Jackson is completing passes at a record-setting pace and he’s consistently hitting downfield shots with Brown. The Chargers will need to be aware of Brown at all times and limit Jackson’s downfield completions if they want to extend their winning streak to four games.

Fantasy sleeper: It’s time to take Chargers tight end Donald Parham Jr. seriously. He’s more than a red-zone and jump-ball threat. The 6-8 tight end had his second touchdown reception in two weeks against the Browns, when he caught a screen pass and ran for a 22-yard score in the first quarter. Parham is splitting targets and snaps with Cook, but Chargers offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi is scheming more plays for Parham each week.

Prediction: This is probably the toughest game to predict so far this season. Both teams are playing well with MVP-candidate quarterbacks. But the Chargers’ offense will be too much for the Ravens. Last week, Herbert and the Chargers dropped 47 points on a Browns defense that had allowed only 20 points in its previous 10 quarters. The Chargers have been one of the best scoring teams in the fourth quarter this season and that trend will continue Sunday with a 33-27 victory over the Ravens.