NFL Week 3 overreactions
USA Today’s Lorenzo Reyes breaks down the biggest NFL storylines from Week 3.
Sports Seriously
A potential Super Bowl 60 preview comes your way on “Monday Night Football” in Week 3 when the Detroit Lions travel to M&T Bank Stadium to take on the Baltimore Ravens.
Through three weeks, it’s been something of an adjustment period for Dan Campbell and his new coordinators, John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard. Detroit suffered a Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers but bounced back in a big way against the Chicago Bears in Week 2 with a 52-21 throttling of their NFC North rival.
Detroit will face, arguably, its toughest task yet in the 2025 season when it takes on Baltimore tonight. The Ravens have looked every bit a contender in the AFC, even with their brutal Week 2 loss to Buffalo late.
It’s the beginning of a critical early-season stretch for Baltimore. With games against the Lions, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams, the Ravens are facing several playoff hopefuls looking to test Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and their mettle.
It all starts tonight with a matchup versus the Lions on “Monday Night Football.” USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the matchup below.
What time does Ravens-Lions Monday Night Football game start?
The Ravens and Lions game will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 22. It’s the final game of the week from M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Ravens.
TV channel: ESPN | ABC | ESPN2 (ManningCast)
The Baltimore Ravens vs. Detroit Lions game will be simulcast on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 on Monday night.
Watch Ravens vs. Lions on “Monday Night Football” with Fubo (free trial)
Baltimore Ravens vs. Detroit Lions live stream
Fans can stream the game using either ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming platform, ESPN Unlimited, or ESPN Select, which is a rebrand of the network’s ESPN+ service.
Fans can also turn to Fubo. Fubo carries the ESPN family of networks, as well as ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and NFL Network, meaning you can catch NFL action all through the 2025 season. Fubo also offers a free trial.
Ravens vs. Lions prediction
It’s going to be a slugfest between the Ravens and the Lions. Baltimore has put up 81 points in its first two matchups of the 2025 season, while Detroit just hung 52 on a division rival. Tonight will be the first true litmus test for the Lions’ two new coordinators and Dan Campbell against a relatively leaky defense but a high-powered offense. The Ravens, though, will defend home turf in a high-scoring affair.
Prediction: Ravens 34, Lions 30
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RB Keaton MitchellCB Jaire AlexanderOT Carson VinsonDT Nnamdi MadubuikeOLB Kyle Van NoyTE Isaiah LikelyFB Patrick Ricard
Baltimore’s inactives for “Monday Night Football” in Week 3 include four Pro Bowl players.
The home of the Baltimore Ravens – M&T Bank Stadium – is the setting for Week 3’s “Monday Night Football” game.
Cincinnati Bengals 2-1Pittsburgh Steelers 2-1Baltimore Ravens 1-1Cleveland Browns 1-1Green Bay Packers 2-1Minnesota Vikings 2-1Detroit Lions 1-1Chicago Bears 1-21. Buffalo Bills (+425)2. Baltimore Ravens (+500)3. Philadelphia Eagles (+700)4. Green Bay Packers (+750)5. Detroit Lions (+1300)6. Kansas City Chiefs (+1400)7. Los Angeles Chargers (+1500)8. San Francisco 49ers (+1600)9. Los Angeles Rams (+2000)10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+2200)
The Steelers are tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl wins with six.Â
Pittsburgh and Dallas have the unique distinction of playing each other more than any other team combination in Super Bowl history with three matchups.Â
Ryan Clark, a former NFL player and current ESPN analyst, is on the field during pregame warmups, having a light catch with running back Jahmyr Gibbs while Stephen A. Smith stands by and spectates.
Thursday, Sept. 18
Buffalo Bills 31, Miami Dolphins 21
Sunday, Sept. 21Carolina Panthers 30, Atlanta Falcons 0Cleveland Browns 13, Green Bay Packers 10Jacksonville Jaguars 17, Houston Texans 10Minnesota Vikings 48, Cincinnati Bengals 10Pittsburgh Steelers 21, New England Patriots 14Philadelphia Eagles 33, Los Angeles Rams 26Tampa Bay Buccaneers 29, New York Jets 27Indianapolis Colts 41, Tennessee Titans 20Washington Commanders 41, Las Vegas Raiders 24Seattle Seahawks 44, New Orleans Saints 13Los Angeles Chargers 23, Denver Broncos 20San Francisco 49ers 16, Arizona Cardinals 15Kansas City Chiefs 22, New York Giants 9
The two-time NFL MVP has arrived at M&T Bank Stadium for the Ravens’ Week 3 game.
King Henry has arrived for the Ravens’ Week 3 matchup with the Lions, sporting a noticeable pair of jorts.
Analysis of four player prop bets for “Monday Night Football” – from Jacob Camenker
1. QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (+250)2. QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (+275)3. QB Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (+600)4. QB Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (+1400)5. QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (+1700)6. QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (+1800)7. QB Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (+1800)8. QB Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+2000)9. QB Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (+2500)10. QB Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (+5000)
The ManningCast goes on the air at the same time as the game, except on ESPN2 at 8:15 p.m. ET, as Peyton and Eli Manning give in-depth analysis during the action, while also hosting celebrity guests during the broadcast.
Week 3 (Sept. 22):Â Ravens vs. LionsWeek 5 (Oct. 6):Â Jaguars vs. ChiefsWeek 8 (Oct. 27):Â Chiefs vs. CommandersWeek 9 (Nov. 3):Â Cowboys vs CardinalsWeek 10 (Nov. 10):Â Packers vs EaglesWeek 11 (Nov. 17):Â Raiders vs CowboysWeek 12 (Nov. 24):Â 49ers vs. PanthersWeek 13 (Dec. 1):Â Patriots vs. GiantsWeek 15 (Dec. 15):Â Steelers vs. DolphinsWeek 18 :Â TBDWild Card:Â TBD
The former Philadelphia Eagle joined the Ravens’ marching band during the pregame in another display of his versatility off the football field.
Joe Buck (play-by-play) and Troy Aikman (analyst) will be in the broadcast booth for ESPN, with Lisa Salters (sideline) and Laura Rutledge (sideline) and John Perry (rules analyst) providing additional coverage. Â
While nicknames can often be ironic in the sense that a smaller person might be called “biggie” the same way that a bigger person is often called “tiny,” the duo’s nickname, which is inspired by 1990s video game characters, should be taken literally.
The 23-year-old Gibbs is known for being a speedster, which is the reason he’s now also known as, “Sonic,” while the 28-year-old Montgomery brings a physical style, making him worthy of being known as, “Knuckles.”
“Sonic and Knuckles,” the nickname, was born in October in what has become a fun sideshow to a magical Lions season. Gibbs and Montgomery have a noticeable bond on and off the field, as one typically is not seen without the other. Both of them arrived in the Motor City ahead of the 2023 season, with Gibbs being drafted and Montgomery signing via free agency. – Nick Brinkerhoff