ExtremeRavens Posted Friday at 03:03 PM Posted Friday at 03:03 PM Here’s how The Baltimore Sun sports staff views the outcome of Sunday’s Week 1 game between the Ravens and Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York: Brian Wacker, reporter Ravens 24, Bills 23: Upstate New York in September is a much different place than upstate New York in January. The Bills’ secondary is also banged up and the Ravens, simply put, have a more talented roster on both sides of the ball. Zooming in a little closer, there’s been a particular level of seething bubbling under the surface within Baltimore’s defense, which not only didn’t force any turnovers the last time these two met but barely breathed on quarterback Josh Allen. The Ravens’ offense, meanwhile, has been intentional about not being turnover-prone and likely won’t be in the rematch. Still, this one will have its share of theatrics and likely come down to the end. Sam Cohn, reporter Ravens 24, Bills 17: Buffalo’s secondary is on life support, with several front-end cornerbacks missing because of injuries. Perhaps after a quarter or so of shedding rust, Lamar Jackson should take full advantage in upstate New York. The real test for Baltimore’s defense will be stopping the run, a regular-season strength that was an overshadowed hitch in the playoffs. Seven months later, running back James Cook’s name has come up as an MVP dark horse playing behind the reigning MVP Josh Allen. But a healthy Ravens front should temper the Bills’ ground game, even if it doesn’t completely shut it down. The Ravens’ secondary was concocted to win games like this, boasting movable parts to keep Allen guessing. Baltimore likely splits road games at Buffalo and at Kansas City in Week 4. This Sunday, with all its haunting bulletin board material, should be the one it gets. Mike Preston, columnist Ravens 28, Bills 23: The key for the Ravens, as it will be all season, is to run the football. Buffalo stacked the line of scrimmage in the Ravens’ 27-25 loss in the AFC divisional round playoff game last season, but that game was played in the cold and windy conditions in Buffalo. It’s early September, so the decent weather will help Baltimore. Also, I’m still not sold on the Bills’ defensive line of ends Greg Rousseau and Joey Bosa and tackles Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones. Defensively, if the Ravens can shut down running back James Cook, they might win by at least 10 points. Josh Allen is a great quarterback, but receivers Joshua Palmer, Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman won’t put fear in the Ravens’ secondary. The Bills, though, do have a very good and athletic offensive line. Josh Tolentino, columnist Ravens 31, Bills 24: Baltimore heads back to Buffalo with January’s playoff collapse burned into its memory, and that hunger should show from the opening drive. The Ravens and their leadership group believe they’re built to finish the job this time, armed with one of the league’s deepest rosters and a defense eager to rewrite the script. Lamar Jackson should find opportunities against a depleted, banged-up secondary, while a retooled front seven is better equipped to disrupt Josh Allen. On the back end, rookie Malaki Starks has matched the first-round pedigree attached to his name throughout the summer, while veteran cornerback Jaire Alexander, who was upgraded to a full participant in Thursday’s practice after dealing with a knee injury in training camp, should be a welcome addition to Zach Orr’s defense. Buffalo went undefeated at home last season, so it won’t come easy in front of an expected rowdy Bills crowd, but the Ravens’ talent and urgency should prove decisive late Sunday night. C.J. Doon, editor Bills 23, Ravens 20: Buffalo is projected to score the most points in the league this season, just ahead of Baltimore, so it will be a fascinating first test for a Ravens defense that wants to be feared again. There are still some players who need to prove they can hold up their end of the bargain, though, namely linebacker Trenton Simpson and rookie safety Malaki Starks. We’ve yet to see rookie Tyler Loop make a pressure kick in an NFL game yet, either. But like his 2018 draftmate and fellow NFL MVP Award winner in Baltimore, Josh Allen is too good to keep under wraps for an entire game, no matter how well Zach Orr’s unit plays. With the home crowd behind them, the Bills once again do just enough to pull out a late victory over their AFC rivals. Bennett Conlin, editor Ravens 31, Bills 20: The Ravens played the Bills twice last season, outscoring them, 60-37. Of course, nobody cares about the 35-10 win in Week 4 because of the heartbreaking 27-25 defeat in the postseason. Even in that game, though, Baltimore put up 416 yards of total offense compared with Buffalo’s 273. The Ravens were the better team in both games — outside of a dreadful turnover margin of minus-3 in the playoff failure. The Ravens are still the better team, and without the pressure of the playoffs, they should avoid the sloppy mistakes that let Buffalo off the hook in January. Tim Schwartz, editor Ravens 28, Bills 24: What an exciting Week 1 matchup. Baltimore enters the game with high expectations and few holes, but we have seen several early-season lapses from this team in the past few years, so it’s hard to know what we’ll get. If the Ravens can rely on Derrick Henry to churn out yards and keep the offense on schedule and they can get timely first downs in the passing game, I don’t think the Bills will be able to slow them down. Josh Allen is the MVP for a reason, but I predict the Ravens’ secondary will be up to the task. Patrice Sanders, FOX45 Morning News anchor Ravens 27, Bills 20: This will be a close game. The Bills left a sour taste in the Ravens’ mouth all offseason, so there’s no better way to start the season then with a win against the team that ended their season last year. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13. View the full article Quote
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