The Ravens played their best game of the season to rout the Detroit Lions, 38-6. The Cardinals fell to 1-6 with a 20-10 road loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Who will have the advantage Sunday?

Ravens passing game vs. Cardinals pass defense

Lamar Jackson played one of the best games of his career against the Lions, completing 21 of 27 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns. He made use of excellent pass protection from a healthy offensive line, patiently waiting for his receivers to pop open and finding them with pinpoint accuracy. Even when the Lions did pinch in on him, Jackson danced away from trouble and identified the right target. He used the threat of runs to draw the defense to him, then beat it with throws into abandoned spaces. Six Ravens, including fullback Patrick Ricard and running back Gus Edwards, caught passes of 20 yards or longer. For all that wondrous variety, tight end Mark Andrews (five touchdowns, 19 first downs on 28 catches) and wide receiver Zay Flowers (at least 50 receiving yards in every game) have settled in as Jackson’s most consistent targets. After a cold spell in the red zone, the Ravens scored touchdowns five of the six times they reached it. They’re also fifth in the league with a 46.3% conversion rate on third down.

The Cardinals cannot be happy to see Jackson coming to town after Seattle’s Geno Smith beat them efficiently, completing 18 of 24 for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Arizona has the league’s second worst pass defense by DVOA, allowing 6.8 yards per pass attempt. The Cardinals blitz on just 20.9% of dropbacks and rank last in pressure percentage, per Pro-Football-Reference, a bad formula against Jackson. Outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck has been their most productive pass rusher with four sacks and six quarterback hits. Marco Wilson and rookie Kei’Trel Clark grade among the most vulnerable cornerbacks in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker requested a trade earlier this year but played every snap against the Seahawks after spending the previous four weeks on injured reserve.

EDGE: Ravens

Cardinals passing game vs. Ravens pass defense

The Cardinals have slightly exceeded expectations as they wait for franchise quarterback Kyler Murray to return from a torn ACL. They activated Murray but are expected to take their time ramping him up to start. That means the Ravens will see Joshua Dobbs, who has averaged a meager 5.9 yards per attempt with six touchdown passes and three interceptions in seven starts. The Ravens will take on a familiar face in Dobbs’ top target, Marquise Brown, who leads the Cardinals with 32 catches, 383 yards and three touchdowns. Rookie Michael Wilson has been a productive complement to Brown, averaging 16.3 yards per catch. Dobbs frequently targeted veteran tight end Zach Ertz, but he went on injured reserve this week. Arizona’s offensive linemen don’t grade well as pass blockers, according to Pro Football Focus, but Dobbs has taken a modest 15 sacks.

He’ll take on a Ravens defense that leads the league with 29 sacks after piling up five more against Detroit. They succeeded in disrupting quarterback Jared Goff’s rhythm early, using the stunts and simulated pressures that have worked so well for them all season. Those 29 sacks have come from 12 players, so opponents don’t know where to look for the next rush. Defensive tackle Justin Madubuike has led the parade with 5 1/2 sacks. The Ravens were thrilled to see outside linebacker Odafe Oweh return with a sack and a forced fumble after he missed the previous four games because of an ankle sprain. Safety Geno Stone, filling in for the injured Marcus Williams, leads the league with four interceptions. The secondary has exceeded expectations, with cornerbacks Brandon Stephens, Ronald Darby and Rock Ya-Sin covering well as Marlon Humphrey works back to peak form. After their dominant performance against the Lions, the Ravens rank first in pass defense DVOA.

EDGE: Ravens

Ravens running game vs. Cardinals run defense

The Ravens also ran more efficiently against Detroit with 146 yards on 27 attempts and touchdowns from Jackson and Edwards. They rank third in the league in rushing and eighth in yards per attempt and hope those numbers will continue to point up with all five starting offensive linemen playing together. Jackson is running slightly more often than he did last season but averaging a career-low 5.3 yards per attempt. He’s as likely to use his legs to extend passing plays as he is to take off. Jackson slammed his helmet on the sideline after a botched exchange with running back Justice Hill, their third of the season, deprived the Ravens of another chance to score on the Lions.

The Cardinals don’t defend the run well either, allowing 4.4 yards per carry and ranking 29th in rush defense DVOA. Linebacker Kyzir White is their top tackler, but defensive tackles Jonathan Ledbetter and Leki Fotu have played poorly. The Cardinals gave up 179 rushing yards to the Los Angeles Rams and 185 to the Dallas Cowboys.

EDGE: Ravens

Cardinals running game vs. Ravens run defense

This was the Cardinals’ strength until running back James Conner went on injured reserve. Their new No. 1, rookie Emari Demercado, rushed for 58 yards on 13 carries against Seattle. Dobbs has averaged 5.7 yards on six attempts per game. They also use wide receiver Rondale Moore as a change of pace, and he has averaged 9.1 yards on 15 carries. The Cardinals have rushed for at least 100 yards six games in a row, peaking at 222 in their upset win over Dallas.

The Ravens have been more vulnerable against the run than the pass, a surprise given the excellence of linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen and the interior power provided by Michael Pierce and Travis Jones. It’s not as if they’ve been bad, allowing 4.2 yards per carry. Opponents have played from behind for most of the season, so the Ravens have not been tested by many committed ground attacks. That could change in Arizona. Smith missed practice Wednesday because of a shoulder injury.

EDGE: Even

Ravens special teams vs. Cardinals special teams

Aside from a short kickoff that did not work, the Ravens avoided special teams mishaps against the Lions. With their offense moving so efficiently, they did not have a lot of work to do on this front. Justin Tucker has made 12 of 14 field goal attempts, with his misses coming from 59 and 61 yards. They rank 18th in special teams DVOA, thanks mostly to their early-season struggles in punt coverage.

The Cardinals, also held down by inconsistent coverage, rank one spot below the Ravens. They gave up a 32-yard punt return in their loss to Seattle. Kicker Matt Prater has made 13 of 15 field goal attempts. Greg Dortch hasn’t made much impact as a returner, averaging 7.4 yards on punts and 17.6 on kickoffs.

EDGE: Ravens

Ravens intangibles vs. Cardinals intangibles

As soon as the Ravens finished off the Lions, they started with their refrain of “on to Arizona.” They know this could be a classic letdown game after their dominant win over Detroit invited a deluge of praise. Jackson, who seemed less than blown away by their performance, has rarely lost to significant underdogs. The Ravens will have to deal with another long trip two weeks after they played in London, but coach John Harbaugh joked that travel fatigue is just a state of mind.

The Cardinals have lost four in a row, all by at least 10 points, for first-year coach Jonathan Gannon, who was the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive coordinator last season. They’re waiting for Murray’s return as speculation builds that they might draft a quarterback with the high pick they’re certain to earn. They did upset the Cowboys at home, so there’s some life in them.

EDGE: Ravens

Prediction

Letdown or no letdown, the Ravens will go into Arizona with a significant talent advantage. Jackson will have plenty of time to find open targets against a defense that struggles to create pressure. The Cardinals, with just 55 points in their past four games, won’t have the firepower to keep up. Ravens 31, Cardinals 16

()

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The leader of the influential California Labor Federation rocked Sacramento’s political establishment last fall when she suggested a blacklist for consultants who run afoul of unions.

Lorena Gonzalez, a progressive powerhouse who had stepped down as a state lawmaker to head the venerated Labor Federation AFL-CIO, argued consultants can’t get paid to bust unions and take on fights against workers and then expect to benefit from members’ money. And her stance won praise from some allies in labor.

So it was a head-snapping development inside several of the unions when Gonzalez quietly tapped her own longtime political strategist, one-time Willie Brown fixer Richie Ross, to formally consult for the Labor Federation. Ross had helped some of the state’s biggest corporate employers defeat a generational union-backed push in 2020 to raise property taxes on big businesses, which would have sent billions a year to schools and local governments.

In the weeks and months since he joined the Labor Federation, no fewer than eight high-level people directly connected to the group and broader labor world aired their discomfort and frustration with the arrangement to POLITICO. Several contend Gonzalez’s decision to hire Ross smacked of hypocrisy, arguing his past work makes him a poster boy for any boycott members had contemplated.

“She has put on the Labor Federation’s payroll a guy who has worked against the Labor Federation — just because she wants him there,” said a high-ranking labor official in Sacramento, who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive topic. “And she’s doing this as she’s vilifying everybody else in town about their lack of purity.”

Gonzalez said in an interview that the Labor Federation has a formal process for placing consultants on its so-called “Do Not Patronize” list. If any of the unions want to put Ross on the list, she said, they can propose to do so.

“No one has done so,” Gonzalez added. She declined further comment.

Ross offered a three-word quote, in Spanish, to express how little the backlash mattered to him.

“No me importa,” he said.

Anxiety over Ross’ hire represents an exceedingly rare public eruption among California’s guarded labor unions. Disputes over personnel and strategy are often closely held, and several union leaders and advisers described their decision to speak out as a last resort to convey their exasperation — albeit mostly anonymously. Their moves also hint at broader tensions among leadership, and with Gonzalez, as unions collectively flex their political muscle amid another banner year in California’s Democratic-controlled statehouse.

Balding and bespectacled, Ross is the quintessential Sacramento throwback, patrolling the marble halls of the Capitol to coax, cajole and outright bully staffers and lawmakers alike into supporting his favored bills. With his unusual dual roles as lobbyist and political consultant, sometimes the legislators he is trying to influence are his own clients.

His deep institutional knowledge has yielded results for labor clients, like winning health care coverage for members of the United Farm Workers. Among his other union ties are the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFSCME, UNITE HERE, California Nurses, and several union-oriented lawmakers.

But he’s also helped lead campaigns that were on the opposite side of labor’s biggest and most expensive priorities. And his firm has lobbied against legislation supported by unions.

Ross has spent decades working on behalf of the oil industry — a divisive force in labor regarded by certain trade unions and more conservative members as a crucial partner in creating jobs but viewed by progressives and some public sector workers as out of step with their values. In 2020, the year Ross worked on the successful campaign to fight commercial real estate tax hikes in Proposition 15, he also helped to block an initiative to end cash bail, another union priority.

In both cases, Ross was taking on two labor powerhouses: Service Employees International Union and the California Teachers Association. CTA’s Issues PAC and SEIU State Council spent a combined $25.3 million in support of Proposition 15, which received another roughly $5.3 million from SEIU Local 2015 and SEIU 1021. The measure also was backed by AFSCME, UNITE HERE and the California Federation of Teachers.

“CFT has been on the opposite [side] of Richie’s firm a few times on some very primary issues of CFT’s — teacher due process and Prop. 15,” Jeffery Freitas, president of the California Federation of Teachers, said in an interview.

“Under my leadership,” Freitas added, “CFT will never hire Richie Ross.”

SEIU spent another $500,000 on the failed bail reform effort.

Another top leader in the Labor Federation summed up Ross’ involvement in the organization as akin to inviting a stranger with mixed financial motives to a seat at the table.

“Richie has experience and knows the business. He has great relationships. He’s smart. He’s strategic. He’s thoughtful. So he’s not a bad person to have on your team,” the labor leader said. “But you can’t trust somebody on your team if they’re also playing with the other side.”

Concerns over Ross coming aboard the Labor Federation had been bubbling up for months earlier this year. On June 9, the secretary of state’s filings first listed him as a lobbyist to the sprawling labor organization where Gonzalez is executive secretary-treasurer. Filings through June 30, the latest available, show Ross was paid $2,000 for the three-week period.

By the time Ross officially came on board, Gonzalez had already publicly put Democratic consultants on notice: Work for companies that run counter to organized labor’s goals could land them on a union blacklist. That she was reviewing procedures to kickstart the process as head of the influential labor organization made up of some 1,300 unions and millions of members across manufacturing, retail, construction, health care and other industries grabbed the attention of Sacramento insiders.

Recent chatter about a union blacklist reached a fever pitch after Gonzalez came into her new role in 2022. Gonzalez reiterated her point when her organization defended Assembly candidate and Alameda labor leader Liz Ortega-Toro against campaign tactics by housing industry groups. “Strong women of color are too often the targets of this type of ugly politics,” Gonzalez said at the time.

The Labor Federation news release added that those who violate the basic values upheld by the labor movement will be held accountable by any means necessary, including being placed on a “Do Not Patronize” list.

“You can’t get paid to union bust or take on fights against workers and ALL of labor & expect to turn around and benefit from our members’ money,” Gonzalez wrote on social media weeks earlier. Despite the warning, the federation has not formally blacklisted anyone under her leadership and has received no formal proposals to do so.

“Do not hire” lists sit squarely at the intersection where ideological fissures and the lucrative business of politics collide. After a string of upstarts ousted congressional incumbents in the 2018 cycle, the House Democrats’ campaign arm refused to work with any vendor that had contracted with the challengers. The committee backed away from its policy after less than two years amid backlash from the party’s progressive wing.

Similar blacklists have cropped up sporadically in California. In one widely-publicized 2013 spat, the Labor Federation announced it was placing six consultants on a “Do Not Hire” list for their work for two Democrats who successfully beat Assembly incumbents from their party. Among them was now-state Sen. Steve Glazer, who managed former Gov. Jerry Brown’s 2010 campaign and worked the following cycle with the Chamber of Commerce.

That blacklist, along with others enforced during recent state campaigns, ultimately fizzled out, as consultants petitioned to get back into labor’s good graces, or at least out of its proverbial doghouse. Still, the tactic has been a well-worn tool to send a message for those who deviate from the party line.

Glazer said the practice of compiling such lists is “a form of righteousness.”

“We’ve seen a demand for purity rip apart the Republicans in Congress and we continue to see it with those that underpin the Democrats’ supermajority in California,” Glazer said. “Any movement that excludes people who don’t always agree with them risks losing the broad support they need to succeed. ”

Gonzalez has been quick to register disgust when members of her party take on clients she feels undermine the workers’ cause. When the American Prospect magazine reported in August that Minyon Moore, chair of the Democratic National Convention, is a principal at a firm that did work for labor nemeses such as Lyft and Tenet Healthcare, Gonzalez reposted the article on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“This is gross,” she wrote.

Her post was later deleted, but not before it caught the eye of some California Democrats. Moore is one of the most influential Black women in the party, and it did not sit well with some observers that Gonzalez was swiping at a woman of color for the provenance of her paycheck — particularly when Ross, her political consultant, didn’t engender the same public disapproval.

A third labor official focused on the Moore tweet, saying it gave the appearance that, “If you’re a white guy, the same criticisms don’t apply than if you’re a person of color,” the official said. “And that was the dangerous part about putting that message out there.”

To Gonzalez’s detractors, the tweet about Moore put an exclamation point on the months of simmering discontent about her hiring of Ross.

The latest mass shooting to afflict the nation claimed about two dozen lives and left more than 50 others wounded Wednesday night, sending a small New England town into terror.

The carnage in Lewiston, Maine, began around 7 p.m., when the first of at least three shooting attacks was reported, according to the Lewiston Sun Journal. At least 22 were reported dead. A manhunt involving hundreds of officers was underway late Wednesday, Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said at a press conference.

Cops first received calls about a shooter at a bowling alley, the Sun Journal reported. A short time later, another shooting struck a nearby bar and grill. A children’s event was happening at the bowling alley at the time of the violence, Lewiston Councilor Robert McCarthy told CNN.

Maine State Police urged residents to shelter in place following reports of an active shooter in multiple locations.

“Please stay inside your home with the doors locked,” they wrote social media. “Law enforcement is currently investigating at two locations right now. Again please stay off the streets and allow law enforcement to diffuse the situation.”

A third shooting was reported at a Walmart Distribution Center shortly after 8 p.m. Sirens roared throughout town following reports of a possible fourth shooting around 9 p.m., according to the Sun Journal.

The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office posted a photo online of a suspect with an assault rifle wearing cargo pants and pointing a weapon. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Boston was assisting the response.

Local cops named Robert Card, 40, as a person of interest in the mass shooting, adding that he “should be considered armed and dangerous.” At the late Wednesday press conference, Sauschuck stopped short of calling him a suspect or providing any details about him.

A vehicle of interest was located in the town of Lisbon, where residents were also asked to shelter in place, according to the commissioner.

He had few details on the situation, saying, “The delay in coming here with you now is simply because we wanted to confirm information from our end.”

The violence left locals stunned.

“It was just a fun night playing cornhole … it’s the last thing you’re expecting, right?” Kathy Lebel, owner of Schemengees Bar & Grille, told the Sun Journal. “I still feel like this whole thing is a nightmare.”

Lebel wasn’t at her establishment at the time of the attack, but said a person walked in and “started shooting,” prompting staff to scramble.

The FBI field office in Boston said it was ready to assist, according to CNN.

“The FBI Boston Division continues to coordinate with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners in Maine and we stand ready to assist with any available resources they need, including evidence response, investigative and tactical support, as well as victim assistance,” the bureau said in a statement.

So far this year, the country has seen over 500 mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Vermont Sen. Angus King said he was “deeply sad” for Lewiston and “all those worried about their family, friends and neighbors.”

Rep. Chellie Pingree echoed the sentiment.

“I am closely monitoring the reports of mass shootings in Lewiston. The unfolding violence is shocking and I am holding the affected communities in my prayers,” the lawmaker said in a statement.

— Brian Niemietz / New York Daily News 

_____

©2023 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.