The Baltimore Ravens will continue the 2026 regular season back at home in M&T Bank Stadium, against the Tennessee Titans in Week 4, and the difference in the game could come down to how an individual player performs when it matters most or over the course of the game by capitalizing on their opportunities when presented with them.
With a win, the Ravens improve to 3-1 and could tie for the top of the AFC North division standings, but a loss would, at worst, tie them with either the already 2-2 Pittsburgh Steelers or the Cincinnati Bengals if they lose on Sunday.
Here are four players who could wind up tilting the scales in favor of the Ravens and first-year head coach Jesse Minter.
Since the Ravens will be without four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Trey Hendrickson this week after he underwent minor surgery on his injured finger , Green is the next man up on the edge opposite Tavius Robinson. The second-year pro spent most of the summer being hyped up and projected to take a big leap this season after falling short of lofty expectations as a rookie. He has one sack and two quarterback hits through the first three weeks, and all of those came in the home opener in Week 2.
After playing less than 50% of the team's total defensive snaps in each game thus far, that figure will likely jump to just north of 60%, like Hendrickson was averaging. The Ravens will need Green to make the most of his expanded role if they intend to rattle second-year quarterback Cam Ward in Week 4 and maintain a semblance of a pass rush off the edge while Hendrickson is out of commission.
Football - NFL - Baltimore Ravens v Dallas Cowboys - Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - September 27, 2026 Baltimore Ravens' Jovaughn Gwyn and John Simpson react REUTERS/Sergio Moraes | REUTERS
With both of their top two centers officially on injured reserve as of Saturday, the Ravens are set to start first-round rookie Olaivavega Ioane at the position for the first time in his fledgling professional career after starting the first three games at right guard. While this is not completely uncharted territory for the first-year pro, as he played a little center in college at Penn State and finished last week's thriller snapping the ball to Lamar Jackson, being asked to play all four quarters at an unfamiliar position is a different beast entirely. Having an experienced veteran guard like Simpson lined up next to him to help call out blitzers and either adjusting or relaying changes to the protection plan will go a long way toward easing the increased mental load that comes with Ioane's temporary position change. This line has struggled for quite some time.
Football - NFL - Baltimore Ravens v Dallas Cowboys - Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - September 27, 2026 Baltimore Ravens' Nnamdi Madubuike in action REUTERS/Brian Snyder | REUTERS
The two-time Pro Bowler is another player in the defensive trenches who the Ravens are going to need to step up in Hendrickson's absence. For Madubuike, who just made his 2026 debut last week in Brazil, they need him to be the force multiplier who commands more attention from the opposing offense, so that it frees up more favorable opportunities and matchups for his other teammates to make plays.
When healthy, the eighth-year veteran is an elite disruptive force in his own right as one of the best interior pass rushers in the league. Against the Cowboys, he logged three total tackles, generated two pressures and Pro Football Focus gave him the highest grade of any Ravens defender, with an overall grade of 90.1. They'll need him to continue his return to form in this game against one of the better pass-protecting units when it comes to keeping their quarterback clean and not under constant duress.
Football - NFL - Baltimore Ravens v Dallas Cowboys - Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - September 27, 2026 Baltimore Ravens' Matthew Hibner celebrates scoring their fourth touchdown with Mark Andrews REUTERS/Brian Snyder | REUTERS
The fourth-round rookie is coming off his first career multi-catch game in which he hauled in both of his targets for a career-high 23 receiving yards and his first career touchdown. He's already been used more as a blocker than many anticipated he would be, and now he could see his snaps in the offense increase even more as his role as a pass catcher expands. His ability to rack up yards after the catch and find the soft spots in zone coverage over the middle of the field was evident in last week's win and could be put on display in this game as well.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/ravens/onsi as Four Ravens X-Factors For Clash vs. Titans .
