Another Week, Another Loss to a Harbaugh for Vegas?

The Ravens welcome the 0-1 Las Vegas Raiders to town for their home opener in Week 2. Antonio Pierce’s squad got a taste of Ravens West in their Week 1 loss, as Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers dealt them a 22-10 defeat. Now they face the genuine article, a Ravens squad coming off a mini-bye hungry for their first win of the season.

The Ravens are 20-8 all-time, in home openers, sporting a 13-3 mark with head coach John Harbaugh at the helm. Baltimore holds an 8-4 regular season series lead vs. the Raiders, including a 6-1 mark at home. Under Harbaugh, the Ravens are 5-3 against the Raiders, producing a 3-1 record in Charm City.

Currently the Ravens are listed as 8 ½ point favorites with an over of 41 ½.

The weather forecast for the 1PM kickoff calls for 79 degrees, winds out of the east at 8 MPH, 24% cloud cover and 0% chance of precipitation.

Here’s how we see it going down…(spoiler: break out the puffy pants, because it’s hammer time)

Tony Lombardi

The Ravens will commit to getting the run game untracked and it won’t be pretty early on during the game as the Ravens take a 10-6 lead into the half. After intermission, things will change.

• Derrick Henry runs for 140 yards on 22 carries and scores twice
• Lamar Jackson will have fewer than 30 pass attempts and he’ll run the ball just 8 times
• Kyle Hamilton gets a sack and an interception
• Rashod Bateman has the most explosive play of the day with a TD from 50+ yards

In the end, it will be a step in the right direction, particularly after the Steelers, Bengals and Browns all chalk one up in the “L” column.

Ravens 27, Raiders 13

Darin McCann

I was initially a little wary of this one, but after watching the Ravens show some actual grit last week in their opener against the Chiefs, and seeing the Raiders attempt to tackle JK Dobbins last Sunday, I’m changing my tune.

I think the Ravens win this one in a walk.

It’s only one game, but the Raiders’ offense was a bit of a disaster last week, as well. Gardner Minshew is… well, Gardner Minshew is Gardner Minshew. He seems born to be the subject of a wild “30 for 30” episode down the road, and until then, well… Gardner Minshew is Gardner Minshew. He can move around a little, he’s accurate on short passes, and that’s pretty much the end of the story.

I see the Ravens’ defense frustrating this Raiders attack, and the offense just being too much for Las Vegas to handle.

Here’s what I see:

• Kyle Hamilton grabs a pick, and gets two tackles for loss;
• Roquan Smith rebounds with 10-plus tackles;
• Lamar Jackson goes for 300 in the air, and 45 on the ground, with three touchdowns;
• Rashod Bateman goes deep for a 60-plus yard score;
• Mark Andrews paces the tight ends with seven catches;

Ravens 33 Raiders 13

Rob Shields

The Raiders are going to be very bad this year, so this should be an easy win. This is a classic trap game though. Sandwiched in between 4 very tough games, the Ravens can’t afford to overlook the Raiders. We saw it with Cinci last week. You can lose to bad teams if you aren’t up for it.

Lamar is reportedly sore from all the contact he took (and initiated at times) against KC. The game plan this week should be to give the ball to Henry and Hill a lot and limit Lamar’s hits.

The biggest obstacle this week will be Maxx Crosby and how the right side of the line handles him. Let’s see if Monken comes out with a competent game play to adjust for that this week. Quicker passes, screens, etc…Second week or not, the offense should look very good this week and the defense should dominate. Getting the young guys more and more snaps this week should also be a goal.

I think Henry has a big week.

Ravens 34 Raiders 13

Tanner George

The Raiders didn’t look too good last week against the LA Chargers, a performance that doesn’t bode well for their chances of going 1-for-2 against the Harbaugh brothers this year. Travel is no small factor, either, and the Ravens will be significantly more well-rested.

I see the Ravens running away with this one pretty quickly. Outside of Maxx Crosby, the Raiders’ defense doesn’t scare me too much, and I bet Todd Monken expands the playbook in Week 2 because of that. Expect Lamar to have more opportunities to throw the ball downfield in the first half, with the good guys going up three scores heading into the break. In the second half, Derrick Henry will simply take over as the offense looks to drain the clock. Jackson goes for over 250 yards through the air with touchdown passes to Flowers and Likely, while the King cracks 100 yards and nabs a pair of scores in his first home game at the Bank.

Zach Orr will show progress in his second game as a play caller and, aside from a couple of chunk plays, it’ll be a near-dominant day for the defense. Marlon Humphrey rebounds from a tougher outing last week in KC with an interception, and Trenton Simpson has another solid showing, getting his first sack of 2024. Nate Wiggins will see the field a bit more, coming away with a PD.

Ravens 31 Raiders 10

Chris Schisler

I see the trap that this game could be, but I look at the matchups and I see a big win. The Raiders should struggle to stop the run. This keeps Derrick Henry involved in the offense and sets everything up for Todd Monken as a play-caller. I expect Henry to have his first game with 100 rushing yards wearing the purple and black. This will alleviate the Ravens’ problems with pass protection and keep the Ravens’ offense efficient. That means points on the board. Give me 34 points to be exact.

Defensively, I see this as a game of catharsis. Look for Gardner Minshew to be sacked five times – just like he was last year with the Colts. Put the Ravens down for two interceptions and a fumble. This game could be a trap but I’m holding the Ravens to the expectations they merit.

Ravens 34 Raiders 17

Kevin McNelis

The Raiders make a cross-country trip to face off against a Ravens team playing their home opener, and one that comes in pissed off about how last week went down. That’s not a great combination for Vegas.

-The last time Gardner Minshew faced off against the Ravens, his Colts team did secure a remarkable and unlikely upset in Baltimore, but he also got sacked three times by Kyle Hamilton. Minshew continues to see #14 in his nightmares as he once again takes a sack from Hamilton, and then later throws a pick to him while targeting Brock Bowers.

-Speaking of Bowers, he looked pretty comfortable last week, and he’ll end up leading Vegas in receiving yards on the day. That said, he won’t be too comfortable, as no Raiders player exceeds 60 receiving yards on the day. The ground game doesn’t fare much better, as Zamir White is smothered for fewer than 40 rushing yards.

-On the flip side, the Ravens will get back to basics with their run game. They’ll have an uphill battle against a formidable front 4 headlined by Maxx Crosby, but this’ll be the first game that we get to see Derrick Henry look like The King. If I’m Derrick Henry this week, I’ve got some choice words for the coaching staff about how I felt about my role being downplayed, but they’re not suitable for publication here. Henry rips a TD run of longer than 25 yards, en route to two touchdowns and 100+ yards on the day.

-Let’s speak it into existence: this one becomes a Rashod Bateman truther game, too. Bate gets a catch-and-run TD that reminds us all why so many are still optimistic for him.

Ravens 31 Raiders 13

Colin Russell

The Ravens enter a game that feels about as ‘must win’ as any week 2 game could feel. On paper, the Ravens should dominate this game as they are much better than Vegas in just about every facet of the game. But the New England Patriots proved last week that this is the NFL for a reason, and anything could happen on any given Sunday.

I believe the Ravens enter Sunday ready to take care of business, getting out to an early lead and not taking their foot off the gas. Zachary Orr’s defense will feed off the crowd noise and put out a dominant effort while Lamar and the offense will have an efficient outing. The strong suit of this Vegas team is without a doubt their defensive line, so Todd Monken will have to be prepared to counter that with quick passes and option runs to keep them off balance. I’m expecting Isaiah Likely and Zay Flowers to once again be the focal point of this passing game. Until proven otherwise, they are two of the best weapons Lamar has been gifted since he arrived here in Baltimore.

Derrick Henry should also see more action as last week the Ravens were playing from behind for most of the game. If the Ravens come out the gates hot, that will allow them to utilize Henry to wear the defense out in the latter half of the game and shut the door.

Ravens 34 Raiders 13

Jared Pinder

The Raiders are hurting and bad. Most of the secondary is hurt, and nearly the entire line didn’t practice on Wednesday. They couldn’t stop the run last week, and now they face Derrick Henry, who is not a recipe for success.

This is a big week for the Tackles for the Ravens. While Crosby got shut out last week, this is a massive test for Stanley and the rotation on the Right side. Add in the threat of Wilkins on the interior, and this needs to be the main focus this week.

• Lamar and Henry light up the Raider’s Defense on the ground as Henry goes for two-plus touchdowns.
• Defense gets two plus turnovers on the Raider’s Offense which lead to more points
• Raider’s Offense does manage to do some work through the air as they also have two-plus touchdowns.
• Trenton Simpsons and Nate Wiggins have a big day, with both making impact plays.

Ravens 34 Raiders 17

Chad Racine

The Ravens are the biggest favorites to win this week according to the Vegas odds. Coming off a very close loss to the Chiefs and with 10 days rest they should be the favorites. However the Ravens tend to play down to teams level at times and the Raiders won’t just roll over. Maxx Crosby had success against the Ravens the last time and with an unsettled right tackle situation could have another game wrecking performance.

– The offensive line will have a better performance and the Ravens will be prepared for Crosby and do their best to take him out of the game. That still won’t stop him from getting one sack on Lamar.

– Derrick Henry’s load won’t be much bigger or better this week but it will increase with 16 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown.

– Lamar’s workload of carrying the ball will decrease significantly from last week but he’ll still rush for 50 yards and throw for two touchdowns.

– Isaiah Likely will once again steal the show with 90 yards and a touchdown.

– Rashod Bateman will only have 35 yards but will be the recipient of the other passing touchdown.

– Trenton Simpson will have his first career interception and come close to scoring a defensive touchdown.

– Madubuike  and Ojabo will share a sack.

Ravens 27 Raiders 16

Brennan Stewart

At first glance, this seems like an easy matchup for Baltimore. Then take into account the last time the Ravens took on the Raiders (losing 27-33 in OT in 2021) and the fact that Gardner Minshew’s Colts upset Baltimore last season… well, maybe this isn’t a game to take for granted.

After a substantial tune-up game against the former Super Bowl champs, Baltimore should enter Sunday’s game with the mindset that they’ve already played the best team in the league (excluding Houston, another AFC Championship contender who’ll come knocking on Christmas Day). Combine that attitude with the effects of Baltimore’s home crowd advantage, there should be no mental or external struggles as there may have been against Kansas City.

Las Vegas struggled offensively in its season opener against the Chargers with Gardner Minshew losing 32 yards on four sacks. Despite Minshew finishing with the eighth-most passing yards in Week 1 (257), Davante Adams, Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers all sat around 60 yards a piece. I expect none of the three receivers to even come close to 60 yards this week against a much tougher secondary, and Minshew to be sacked at least four more times.

On the other side of the ball, Baltimore’s big men up front have to worry about Maxx Crosby, who earned two sacks and six tackles in his last matchup against the Ravens. Now add Christian Wilkins to the mix, well, I’d say at least two sacks on Lamar Jackson should be expected again.

Baltimore dumps the ball off quickly and takes advantage of Las Vegas’ injured secondary to win Week 2.

Ravens 24 Raiders 14

Ben Dackiw

Let’s not overthink this one. Gardner Minshew pulled a win out of his hat for the Colts last year. It’s not happening again. I’m expecting the Ravens to feed the run game with Lamar getting banged up last week.

On defense, I think the big dogs will eat. Sacks, fumble recoveries, interceptions, you name it.

The good guys get their first win.

Ravens 38 Raiders 13

John Hughey

Despite coming in as -9.0 favorites for Sunday’s matchup, the Ravens can’t take this Raiders team lightly. Although the Raiders come in with a 0-1 start and another playoff miss in 2023, this Vegas team has serious difference-makers on both sides of the ball. Davante Adams, one of the best receivers in the league, can break open a game at any point. If he gets hot early it’s over for opposing defenses. On defense, the Raiders have two absolute game wreckers in Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins, who can destroy an offensive coordinators gameplan when given the opportunity.

Vegas comes into this matchup after allowing 176 yards on the ground a week ago. Baltimore’s success in this game relies on how well their O-Line can create holes for Derrick Henry. After only carrying the ball 13 times for 46 rushing yards, I expect a bit of an uptick in Henry’s usage in Week 2, following an absence in practice from Lamar Jackson this week due to soreness. Jackson finished Week 1 with 16 carries, his highest total since Week 12 of 2021 when he finished with 17 carries in a Ravens SNF win over the Browns. If the Ravens have any plans for success Sunday and in the weeks to come, they’ll need to put more of Jackson’s workload on their 16 million-dollar running back.

Here’s My Predictions for Sunday:

– Henry leads the team in carries, picking up 100+ yards on the ground and a TD

– Ravens defense creates two turnovers and 3 sacks

– Andrews gets less attention from the opposing defense, setting himself up for his first TD of the year

– Jackson throws for 215 YDS and a pair of Passing TDs

– Zay Flowers finishes with 8+ receptions

Ravens 31 Raiders 17