Week 1 started off with a game that reminded me of Ravens games past, complete with a low score, poor offensive debuts and bored fans. This is anomalous for the usual high-octane Eagles and Falcons. Does this represent a regression in both Matt Ryan and the Wentzless Eagles? Perhaps, but that’s not what we’re here to discuss.
I spent the majority of last weekend with a lifelong Bills fan at a wedding. Sadly, he is not part of the Bills Mafia. We talked shop most of the weekend. He mentioned that he was nervous about Nathan Peterman starting, but was optimistic because of how he had played during the preseason. He felt like this was the right choice moving forward and wasn’t too concerned about trading of A.J. McCarron ahead of the season.
He shared that the Bills defense is looking forward to playing the Ravens as they are hoping to show that making the playoffs last year wasn’t an aberration (lmfao) and that they can beat mid-tier teams like the Ravens.
That being said, it’s almost time for Ravens football. Can you believe it? We’ve waited all of these long months full of non-stories and reckless hot takes, and weathered a seemingly endless barrage of skeptical, and misguided, analysts.
All of that is in the rear-view mirror, now. It’s time for the regular season.
The Ravens launch their 2018 campaign at home against the Buffalo Bills. The Bills, as we all might recall, eked into the playoffs on a Ravens defensive collapse against Cincinnati. It still gets my blood-pressure up thinking about how they cheered and thanked Andy Dalton for beating us and propelling their middling team into the playoffs. But, as the Klingons from Star Trek would say, “revenge is a dish best served cold,” and boy am I hungry.
[Related: Bold Predictions for Ravens-Bills]
This needs to be a statement game for the Ravens, point blank. Beyond the practical implications of reminding the Bills to stay in their lane, we have the opportunity to set the tone for the start of the season. Le’Veon Bell hasn’t returned to the Steelers, Andy Dalton has a reckoning a-coming, Jarvis Landry will remember why he hated playing the AFC North.
A statement. The Ravens play their entire division within the first five weeks of the season. Annihilating the Bills in week one can act as the catalyst which propels the Ravens to a rare 5-0 and outlines the rest of their season. (I would predict a 4-1 start because even without Bell, the Steelers still have one of the best offenses in the league and a surging James Conner could be something of concern…)
The Bills, juxtaposed to the Ravens, have suffered from a middling quarterback controversy since sending McCarron to the Raiders, trading Tyrod Taylor to the Browns this off season and drafting Josh Allen out of Wyoming. Peterman, the presumed starter, outplayed Allen while still having a very turbulent preseason. He showed flashes of poise and good decision-making but also continued to make poor choices and look skittish in the pocket when he felt pressure.
Speaking of pressure, the Bills gave up 16 sacks over the four games of their preseason. McCarron and Allen were each sacked seven times and Peterman, who was mostly behind the starters, was only sacked twice. This is significant because the Ravens have been eating plenty this preseason racking up 21 sacks over five games. Not all 21 were by starters so it will be an interesting battle to watch on Sunday.
[Related: Bold Predictions for the 2018 Ravens Season]
While most pundits have the Ravens winning this game, it will require them to play a great game on both sides of the ball, obviously. But some key aspects of the game that need to step up from their preseason performances are the offensive line play and linebacking pass coverage. Kenny Young coming back from tweaking his knee should shore up that unit a bit.
The offensive line is an area of concern, as I had mentioned in my overall season preview. That unit gave up 18 sacks over five games in the preseason. Again not all of those were from the starting line and Joe Flacco was only sacked once, but that is a concerning amount of sacks as we move into the regular season. The return of Marshal Yanda will help this unit immensely. I will be watching the offensive line play closely.
Things to watch:
Ravens
— Potential Lamar Jackson packages
— Defensive dominance
— Second-year secondary play
— Offensive line play
— Flacco’s chemistry with new WRs
— Martindale’s defensive scheme
Bills
— Offensive line play
— Defensive secondary vs new-look wide receiver corps
— Defensive front vs Alex Collins
— Offense vs veteran defense
— Peterman vs Eric Weddle
Prediction
Ravens win 26 – 17
While the Ravens come out hot, it’s entirely evident that the passing game is going to be overshadowed by the resurgence of Collins. Speaking of Collins, he is on a mission; in week one he explodes for his first 100+ yard game of the season behind an excellent Greg Roman scheme. The Martindale pressure works and the Ravens come away with a multi-sack game. As good as the defense looks, LeSean McCoy beats (lol this was an unintended pun) the weak linebacker coverage for a score through the air but doesn’t get anything going on the ground. Peterman finishes with 250 yards passing and two interceptions.
Ravens win, and the score is closer than the game is.
