With the Ravens hosting Las Vegas in their home opener and aiming to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2015 on Sunday afternoon, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. Opinions varied on the season-opening offensive line struggles with the consensus being the pass protection faring better than the run blocking. But improvement is needed, and it won’t be easy against a Raiders front led by Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins. That’ll be a significant challenge for the right side.
2. With Kyle Van Noy questionable and Adisa Isaac likely out again, Malik Harrison should see more time at outside linebacker after quite a few inside linebacker snaps last week. Trenton Simpson not playing every snap wasn’t surprising, but that figured to be an opportunity to use more dime packages instead.
3. Coming off an unimpressive Week 1 showing, Kyle Hamilton showed his leadership by taking full responsibility for the busted coverage on the Xavier Worthy touchdown catch and noting how he couldn’t sleep after his performance, citing the urgency to get to Week 2. The 23-year-old will be just fine.
4. I’d be surprised if we don’t see a heavy dose of Mark Andrews early to calm some of the discourse about his quiet Week 1. The same goes for Derrick Henry as the Ravens will aim to jump to an early lead and lean more heavily on their feature back.
5. Of the 316 yards allowed by Las Vegas last week, 134 came on three plays. Per Sharp Football, the Raiders defense had a 71.7% success rate, which was second in the league. Of course, the likes of Lamar Jackson and Henry only need a sliver of daylight to ruin you.
6. In his Raiders debut, Gardner Minshew wanted to get the ball out quickly and appeared very limited when he didn’t. His 2.64 seconds to throw was the NFL’s eighth fastest. You’d expect Baltimore to blitz more than last week (10%), but simulated pressures to confuse Minshew could be the key.
7. After blitzing Baltimore more than 40% of the time last January, Kansas City sent extra rushers just 21.2% of the time last week, per Next Gen Stats. The Raiders had a 35.7% blitz rate last week, so we’ll see how aggressive they want to be against Jackson and this line.
8. Minshew threw for 257 yards in Week 1, but it was surprising how little the Raiders used young tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer together. Especially given the Ravens’ Week 1 issues covering the middle of the field, Las Vegas should try deploying more 12 personnel.
9. Nnamdi Madubuike said he’s seeing “a whole different Travis” Jones when asked about him being the next defensive line breakout candidate. “He’s focused. He’s locked in. He’s asking me more questions than he did last year.” Jones started and registered a team-high three pressures, according to Next Gen Stats.
10. Week 1 reminded how remarkable the 2023 season was and how difficult it will be to duplicate. According to Sharp Football, the Ravens trailed for 37 plays in the second half last week after trailing for a total of 63 second-half plays last regular season when Jackson was playing. Crazy.
11. Saturday marked one month since Baltimore announced Joe D’Alessandris had been hospitalized and longtime NFL offensive line coach George Warhop had been hired. This offensive line obviously has a job to do, but the situation can’t be easy from football and simple life standpoints. Warhop’s reflections this week were thoughtful.
12. The Raiders play in his hometown, but Ronnie Stanley can’t remember the last meeting fondly after he allowed a quarterback hit and eight hurries in the 2021 opener. Stanley was shut down for the remainder of that season after that, but his play last week was promising — aside from penalties.
Prediction: As disappointing as it was to lose to Kansas City again, nothing about what we witnessed in the opener should alter regular-season expectations. The offensive line was and still is the biggest question mark, and the defense was always going to need some time to recalibrate under first-year coordinator Zach Orr. With Baltimore hosting an opponent receiving little fanfare entering 2024 and dealing with its own Week 1 defeat, this game falls into the “you better win” department much more than “must-win” territory, especially with the three contests to follow. The Raiders have enough playmakers — including six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Davante Adams — on each side of the ball to make this a very uncomfortable game if the Ravens sleepwalk or decide to kick the ball around in the home opener. The Las Vegas defensive front is a serious challenge this offensive line needs to be able to handle to a respectable degree, but the Raiders playing a second straight road game — this one starting at 1 p.m. on the East Coast — works to Baltimore’s advantage. Regardless of any other matchup considerations, the stark contrast at the quarterback position is more than enough to envision a 27-13 victory for the Ravens.
