With the Ravens aiming to open 2025 on a high note on Sunday Night Football against a Buffalo team that ended their season last January, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. There’s no such thing as revenge in September for a heartbreaking playoff defeat. While Nnamdi Madubuike cited getting “that bad taste out of your mouth” as motivation, this one is most meaningful in the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, especially after Kansas City’s season-opening loss.
2. Mark Andrews had little to say about returning to the scene of the lowest point of his career, but you’d expect Lamar Jackson to try to get him involved early. Baltimore has a healthy Zay Flowers this time around, but Isaiah Likely’s absence makes Andrews even more important.
3. Jackson and Josh Allen squaring off marks the second straight year the last two NFL MVPs meet in Week 1. Some still haven’t gotten over Allen winning last season — the PFWA awarded Jackson with its version of the award — but it’s a blast getting to watch such special quarterbacks play.
4. Buffalo’s defense was much more aggressive against Jackson last January than in Week 4 by blitzing and playing man coverage at a higher rate. He was 3-for-9 for 39 yards and an interception against man blitzes, per Sharp Football. You have to take risks to try to slow Jackson down.
5. Then again, Derrick Henry running for an 87-yard touchdown on the Ravens’ first offensive play in that regular-season meeting set a tone they couldn’t duplicate in January when he rushed for 84 yards total. Not having Patrick Ricard compromises Baltimore’s preference to play heavy against Buffalo’s undersized front seven.
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6. Much attention will be on rookie Tyler Loop, but the Bills just placed Tyler Bass on injured reserve and will rely on the 41-year-old Matt Prater. For all the talk about the MVP quarterbacks and star power in this game, the kickers could be volatile — and pivotal — to the outcome.
7. Baltimore made Allen look mediocre last year, but you’d expect Buffalo to test Malaki Starks in coverage. The rookie safety had a strong summer, but you wonder if Zach Orr is more conservative in how he uses Kyle Hamilton in an effort to not put too much on Starks’ plate.
8. Meanwhile, Buffalo may turn to rookie sixth-round pick Dorian Strong to start opposite top cornerback Christian Benford with veteran Tre’Davious White not expected to play. Strong turned heads all summer, but Jackson and the Ravens should test the Virginia Tech product early and often if he’s out there.
9. The Ravens averaged 7.3 yards per play compared to Buffalo’s 4.6 in the divisional round. But a team that committed just 11 turnovers in the regular season had three giveaways on that night. Winning the turnover battle is a lazy weekly talking point, but that doesn’t make it less important.
10. Buffalo’s starting defense saw limited action in the preseason opener while the Ravens played only a couple starters — Starks and Trenton Simpson — in their summer exhibitions. Considering how much both offenses want to run the ball, tackling will be a more critical factor than usual for Week 1.
11. This marks the fourth time in five years Baltimore opens on the road, but John Harbaugh’s team did drop its home opener twice over that stretch. The Ravens’ challenging early-season schedule isn’t a secret, but the Bills won’t play another 2024 playoff team until Week 9. Again, this one’s important.
812. Todd Monken said it best: “It’s here. You no longer can say, ‘Well, who’s going to play in this preseason game? Where are we at? Where’s the roster at?’ No, here’s our roster, here’s our guys, here’s our opponent. … Let it rip — see where we’re at.” Let’s play a game.
Prediction: While not eager to jump on the very crowded Super Bowl prediction bandwagon after watching this team’s January story over and over, I have no problem buying the Ravens as the NFL’s best team when their season isn’t on the line. On paper, Baltimore has the more complete roster and should have the bigger chip on its shoulder, but the Bills have plenty of motivation opening their final season at Rich Ralph Wilson Highmark Stadium and hearing the same talk all offseason about their playoff failures after losing to Kansas City in the AFC championship game. You always wonder how teams will come out of the gate after starters don’t play in the preseason, but the Ravens can’t afford another slow start, especially with four of their next five games coming against 2024 playoff teams. While Jackson almost always shines on national TV, the revamped secondary will force a key second-half turnover as Baltimore wins 23-20.
