The Ravens need Mark Ingram to be a consistent presence against the Jets

The Baltimore Ravens will need a consistent presence from running back Mark Ingram when they take on the New York Jets in Week 15.

The Baltimore Ravens just keep on winning. They picked up their ninth straight win in Week 14 when they defeated the Buffalo Bills. The Ravens will be playing on a short week in another winnable game.

Baltimore will take on the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football in Week 15. This should be the Ravens' 10th win in a row to get them to 12-2 on the season. Mark Ingram will be an X-Factor in this game. The former Saint has been a consistent runner for the Ravens all season long. Ingram has carried the ball exactly 15 times in each of the last three games but has yet to carry the ball 20 times in a game and has gone under 10 just once. The Ravens have a plan for their veteran back and they have been executing it perfectly.

On the season, Ingram has 887 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Ingram, along with Lamar Jackson, has led the Ravens to 200.9 rushing yards per game. Something has to give in this matchup. The Jets are second in the league allowing just 78.8 yards on the ground. Not much has gone right for the Jets but their front seven has been strong and their defense as a whole is starting to come together.

Ingram Must Get Going vs. Jets

This is another game where the Ravens will have to execute their game plan, beginning with Ingram. Establishing the ground game is important for the Ravens. It is a reason they have won nine in a row. The league has not yet figured out how to stop their rushing attack from the backfield or from the quarterback.

The Jets have stopped the run all season. There is no doubt that this will be their plan heading into this game as well. So the Ravens will need to establish Ingram. This will also take some pressure off Jackson in terms of throwing the ball. He is not a polished passer just yet. The Ravens have not asked him to win a game using his arm and this week should be no different.

Ingram is a bulldog. He is a proven, tough runner who wants to punish defenders. Adding Ingram in the offseason brought a certain toughness and attitude to the Ravens. His leadership will bode well for Baltimore come playoff time. They are still in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the AFC and games like this one against the Jets will go a long way to achieve that goal.