Football season is finally here. It is time to dust off the jerseys, break out the good luck charms, and get the stress relievers ready because all signs point to another heart stopping season from the Ravens because why not?
The Ravens will play their rival Bengals in what promises to be an exciting game as the Ravens break out their brand new defense with all the new shiny toys in the form of Marlon Humphrey, Tyus Bowser, and Tim Williams. Offensively, the Ravens and fans alike will be incredibly anxious to see how Joe Flacco plays after missing the entire preseason. Will he continue to throw off his back foot and shy away from pressure? Will he take full advantage of Danny Woodhead and Jeremy Maclin as his new weapons and take advantage of what looks to be the best offensive supporting cast Joe has ever had? There are so many questions to be answered and so many new players to see. The anticipation almost makes this wait too difficult to bear. Behind only a Ravens Super Bowl appearance, this might be my favorite day of the football season
On paper, the Ravens would appear to have a clear advantage. The Bengals lost key starters on their offensive line in the form of Kevin Zeitler and Andrew Whitworth, they have all rookies as backups behind their starting linebackers, and they will be without Pacman Jones and Vontaze Burficht due to suspension. Still, while things look heavily tilted in favor of the Ravens, the games never go according to plan and this should be another incredibly close game where fans will need to keep defibrillators close by.
Without further ado, let us take a look at the match ups that should define this game.
Three Key Match Ups for a Ravens Victory
The Offensive Lines vs the Defensive Fronts: For me personally, I could not narrow it down to one team’s offensive line against the other’s defensive line because both offensive lines come in with such big question marks against defensive lines that look stout.
For the Bengals, the losses of the aforementioned Whitworth and Zeitler cannot be overstated. Along the line, Cedric Ogbeuhi looks every bit the part of a franchise left tackle and Clint Boling is a solid, if unspectacular, left guard, but past those two, Clint Boling is below replacement level at center and Jake Fisher and Trey Hopkins provide huge unknowns at right tackle and right guard respectively. With recently re-signed Brandon Williams, big Michael Pierce, and a Brent Urban that is finding his groove leading the charge for the Ravens with linebackers Terrell Suggs and CJ Mosley behind them, can the Bengals offensive line hold off the Ravens defensive front seven?
For the Ravens, this is a major toss up in the worst way. Ravens fans are all too familiar with what happened in 2013 when Joe Flacco was afforded shoddy protection. News flash: It did not go well. The Ravens will be starting to stalwarts in the form of the league’s best guard in Marshall Yanda and the up and coming Ronnie Stanley at left tackle. However, past that, the Ravens have a cloudy picture. Ryan Jensen looked the part of a starting center during preseason, but that is just preseason and it will be more difficult in live action. At left guard, can James Hurst shed the most hated lineman label and become serviceable? Will Austin Howard be able to get into shape and show any signs of mobility and the ability to block at a decent level when the bullets come flying? With a nasty four-man front that features Gino Atkins, Carlos Dunlap, and Michael Johnson, the Bengals will be all too happy to pin their ears back if the Ravens cannot hold up on the offensive line.
Joe Flacco vs Cinci’s Secondary: This match up has me absolutely terrified for the outcome of the game. Historically, Joe Flacco is abysmally bad against the Bengals. He owns a whole 16 touchdowns to 21 interceptions in 17 career games to go along with 35 sacks and a blistering 6.2 yards per attempt. The Bengals absolutely own Joe Flacco and have since the days of Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph. New faces, same results- poor play from Joe Flacco on a consistent basis.
For his first game back, Flacco gets to play against the one team he has struggled the most against. What could go wrong?
Baltimore’s Secondary vs Cinci’s Passing Attack: “A New Look Secondary vs Weapons Galore” is what this really should be called because this Bengals team has weapons for days for Andy Dalton. Lead by two of the premiere players at their respective positions in AJ Green and Tyler Eifert, the Bengals passing attack also features familiar faces in Tyler Boyd, Tyler Kroft, and Brandon LaFell, plus new blood in the form of John Ross. Simply put, this group will be a true handful for the Ravens.
Fortunately for the Ravens, they did not stand pat and upgraded their own secondary to keep pace with the offensive firepower of the league. New faces in the form of Brandon Carr, Tony Jefferson, and Marlon Humphrey should pair with Eric Weddle, Lardarius Webb, and Jimmy Smith to form possibly the best secondary in the league. Can this new look secondary slow down the Ravens killer in AJ Green? Can the Ravens slow down the secondary supporting cast when all the attention is thrown at AJ Green?
This might be the most difficult and biggest deciding factor in who wins the game.
Final Score Prediction:
Baltimore Ravens: 24, Cincinnati Bengals: 10
I really cannot see the Ravens losing this game. The defense looks astoundingly good and Joe Flacco has the best group of weapons he has ever had in his career, including the 2014 season. Given how depleted the Bengals are due to suspension and free agent losses, this should be the perfect game to break Flacco and the new defense in.
Lost_In_Translation- Who are you taking?
Lost In Translation: I have the Ravens winning this game in a close one. Going off of your 3 key matchups I will add my input on the situation.
The Offensive Lines vs the Defensive Fronts: I have expressed serious concerns for the state of the Raven’s offensive line. However, my concerns primarily lie with the run blocking rather than the pass blocking. With regards to Cincinatti, they have an impressive group of pass rushers with Dunlap, Atkins, and rookie additions of Willis and Lawson. I am worried with my questions about how the offensive line can handle this impressive front seven.
However, The Bengals have a lot of significant question marks among their offensive line as well. They looked solid in the preseason, but once we start mixing in new plays not showcased in the preseason we will get an idea if the Bengals have a formidable unit or not. Nonetheless, with the insane amount of depth we contain in our front seven, we should be able to keep the unit fresh and provide a consistent rush. I also have little doubts that we can stop Joe Mixon and the running game.
Overall, if the Bengals offensive line is as bad as one thinks on paper, it is very unlikely that their offensive line has a chance of getting a good start. However, I feel as if the pass blocking will be serviceable enough to get the passing game going. I feel as if Dalton is going to have a rough time this game.
Baltimore’s Secondary vs Cinci’s Passing Attack: Both of these units have been bolstered during the offseason. The Bengals added a speedster in John Ross who can score on any play he touches the ball. But their receiving corps was still impressive before. AJ Green has always given our defense trouble and is a star wide receiver. Tyler Eifert(when healthy) is one of the three best TEs in football and is a mismatch nightmare similar to Travis Kelce. Tyler Boyd has great hands, and is a very good route runner.
But our secondary is no longer going to be a weakness. During the offseason we added the likes of Tony Jefferson. Arguably the most underrated defensive back in all of football, he’s played at a consistent pro bowl caliber level for the majority of his career and will help provide a much-needed identity boost of the defense. He will knock you in the mouth and step on your unconscious body to make you suffer. The middle of the field is going to be a nightmare to pass over just because he is there. We have also added the veteran presence of Brandon Carr via Free Agency. Although he is only a slight upgrade over Shareece Wright, he is still an upgrade nonetheless. He may have struggled in the preseason, but with a bolstered pass rush and safety help, he should be a solid corner. In the draft we drafted Marlon Humphrey, a defensive back who was tailor made for this defense and should shut down the short pass, and similar to Jefferson will help set the tone and solidify an identity as a hard hitting defense who will knock you in the mouth. And those were just acquisitions. Our secondary also has Jimmy Smith, a clear-cut #1 corner who can adequately cover just about anyone. We have arguably the best free safety in football in Eric Weddle quarterbacking the secondary. Having him will help mask the struggles of the other two. And we also have the pure luxury of having Ladarius Webb being our third safety/ nickel corner. Webb graded out in the top 15 last year of safeties per PFF(which is really impressive as there are 64 starting safeties in the NFL).
Overall, our secondary should hold up very well to their weapons. Especially since Ross appears to be out with an injury. We are very deep with defensive backs and I have a lot of confidence.
Joe Flacco vs Cinci’s Secondary: As stated previously, I think that the offensive line will do a decent job holding up in pass protection. Flacco has struggled against the Bengals in the past, but he’s never had a supporting cast of skill position players as good as this before. New faces include Jeremy Maclin, who was released from the Kansas City Cheifs… for some reason. Maclin is a clear cut #1 WR at the NFL level, having really good hands, a good route runner, and good yards after the catch ability. He commands the attention of every #1 corner in the NFL. Nonetheless, he’s really good in a west coast offense and should be able to help convert a good portion of third downs. Speaking of third downs, we acquired one of the best checkdown backs in the league with Danny Woodhead. I feel as if he’s going to be a security blanket for Joe on third down, and since he is clearly more skilled than Pitta was, he should also help us far more on third downs.
Our returning players include Mike Wallace, still one of the faster wide receivers in the entire league. A threat on every passing down to run past the defense, and with Flacco’s cannon of an arm, he automatically commands safety attention. He is a very capable #2 WR in the league who could a huge game any given week. Otherwise, we have a lot of young talent that’s unproven, but has high upside. Breshad Perriman is the most physically gifted WR Flacco has ever worked with, and he is going to go against #3 corners on a pretty decent basis. His route running looked far improved during OTAs, and he is also skilled on contested balls. He’s got the potential to have a huge year for the team and emerge as a #1. With regards to the Tight Ends, we have two young and really talented players in Maxx Williams, and Nick Boyle(both should be receiving decent playing time). We also have seasoned veteran Benjamin Watson on the team. I feel as if Williams and Boyle will both garner significant playing time as both are also good blockers. Boyle is your classic catch and turn TE and a huge target. Maxx has better hands, and is better after the catch. With the Bengals missing key players in Burfict and Jones, the middle should be more open than normal Boyle and/or Maxx could have big games because of this.
The Bengals don’t have a secondary that’s a pushover either. But not everyone is available. Adam “Pacman” Jones may be a number one corner, but is suspended. Vontaze Burfict may be a good LB all around, but is also suspended. Shawn Williams is a quality safety, but he might miss the game due to injury. William Jackson III may be a super talented corner prospect, and will have to go against seasoned veterans in Maclin and Wallace in his first outing. Dre Kirkpatrick is a decent corner as well, but will likely have to cover Maclin, something I could see him struggle with.
Overall I think with the Bengals suspensions/injuries, our options to help out Flacco are numerous, and capable. Possibly the best WR corps he’s ever had in his career. The middle should be pretty open, and we have two proven pros that excel with passes in the middle of the field in Woodhead and Maclin. Likewise, Boyle and Maxx, and possibly Watson could also have good days over the middle as well. We also have Wallace, who proved to be effective on crossing routes on times last year with his speed, and Perriman who could also do damage. Wallace’s presence alone will help take the top off of a defense, but Maclin can take a play 40+ yards if he wants to, and Perriman is a massive threat himself. We have a good advantage by having a lot of capable pass catchers. We can kill them with the deep ball(if Flacco connects), the dink and dunk, and with security blankets we should be able to convert more third downs.
Verdict: Ravens win 17-6. I fully expect this to be an ugly defensive battle, but our passing offense might have two strong drives for scores against them. Our front 7 and new look secondary should fare well against Andy Dalton and his strong corp of weapons. There is also a strong possibility that we get a few key turnovers and get into good position to kick a field goal or two. I see us winning the game, but it’s not easy at all.
The Ravens will play their rival Bengals in what promises to be an exciting game as the Ravens break out their brand new defense with all the new shiny toys in the form of Marlon Humphrey, Tyus Bowser, and Tim Williams. Offensively, the Ravens and fans alike will be incredibly anxious to see how Joe Flacco plays after missing the entire preseason. Will he continue to throw off his back foot and shy away from pressure? Will he take full advantage of Danny Woodhead and Jeremy Maclin as his new weapons and take advantage of what looks to be the best offensive supporting cast Joe has ever had? There are so many questions to be answered and so many new players to see. The anticipation almost makes this wait too difficult to bear. Behind only a Ravens Super Bowl appearance, this might be my favorite day of the football season
On paper, the Ravens would appear to have a clear advantage. The Bengals lost key starters on their offensive line in the form of Kevin Zeitler and Andrew Whitworth, they have all rookies as backups behind their starting linebackers, and they will be without Pacman Jones and Vontaze Burficht due to suspension. Still, while things look heavily tilted in favor of the Ravens, the games never go according to plan and this should be another incredibly close game where fans will need to keep defibrillators close by.
Without further ado, let us take a look at the match ups that should define this game.
Three Key Match Ups for a Ravens Victory
The Offensive Lines vs the Defensive Fronts: For me personally, I could not narrow it down to one team’s offensive line against the other’s defensive line because both offensive lines come in with such big question marks against defensive lines that look stout.
For the Bengals, the losses of the aforementioned Whitworth and Zeitler cannot be overstated. Along the line, Cedric Ogbeuhi looks every bit the part of a franchise left tackle and Clint Boling is a solid, if unspectacular, left guard, but past those two, Clint Boling is below replacement level at center and Jake Fisher and Trey Hopkins provide huge unknowns at right tackle and right guard respectively. With recently re-signed Brandon Williams, big Michael Pierce, and a Brent Urban that is finding his groove leading the charge for the Ravens with linebackers Terrell Suggs and CJ Mosley behind them, can the Bengals offensive line hold off the Ravens defensive front seven?
For the Ravens, this is a major toss up in the worst way. Ravens fans are all too familiar with what happened in 2013 when Joe Flacco was afforded shoddy protection. News flash: It did not go well. The Ravens will be starting to stalwarts in the form of the league’s best guard in Marshall Yanda and the up and coming Ronnie Stanley at left tackle. However, past that, the Ravens have a cloudy picture. Ryan Jensen looked the part of a starting center during preseason, but that is just preseason and it will be more difficult in live action. At left guard, can James Hurst shed the most hated lineman label and become serviceable? Will Austin Howard be able to get into shape and show any signs of mobility and the ability to block at a decent level when the bullets come flying? With a nasty four-man front that features Gino Atkins, Carlos Dunlap, and Michael Johnson, the Bengals will be all too happy to pin their ears back if the Ravens cannot hold up on the offensive line.
Joe Flacco vs Cinci’s Secondary: This match up has me absolutely terrified for the outcome of the game. Historically, Joe Flacco is abysmally bad against the Bengals. He owns a whole 16 touchdowns to 21 interceptions in 17 career games to go along with 35 sacks and a blistering 6.2 yards per attempt. The Bengals absolutely own Joe Flacco and have since the days of Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph. New faces, same results- poor play from Joe Flacco on a consistent basis.
For his first game back, Flacco gets to play against the one team he has struggled the most against. What could go wrong?
Baltimore’s Secondary vs Cinci’s Passing Attack: “A New Look Secondary vs Weapons Galore” is what this really should be called because this Bengals team has weapons for days for Andy Dalton. Lead by two of the premiere players at their respective positions in AJ Green and Tyler Eifert, the Bengals passing attack also features familiar faces in Tyler Boyd, Tyler Kroft, and Brandon LaFell, plus new blood in the form of John Ross. Simply put, this group will be a true handful for the Ravens.
Fortunately for the Ravens, they did not stand pat and upgraded their own secondary to keep pace with the offensive firepower of the league. New faces in the form of Brandon Carr, Tony Jefferson, and Marlon Humphrey should pair with Eric Weddle, Lardarius Webb, and Jimmy Smith to form possibly the best secondary in the league. Can this new look secondary slow down the Ravens killer in AJ Green? Can the Ravens slow down the secondary supporting cast when all the attention is thrown at AJ Green?
This might be the most difficult and biggest deciding factor in who wins the game.
Final Score Prediction:
Baltimore Ravens: 24, Cincinnati Bengals: 10
I really cannot see the Ravens losing this game. The defense looks astoundingly good and Joe Flacco has the best group of weapons he has ever had in his career, including the 2014 season. Given how depleted the Bengals are due to suspension and free agent losses, this should be the perfect game to break Flacco and the new defense in.
Lost_In_Translation- Who are you taking?
Lost In Translation: I have the Ravens winning this game in a close one. Going off of your 3 key matchups I will add my input on the situation.
The Offensive Lines vs the Defensive Fronts: I have expressed serious concerns for the state of the Raven’s offensive line. However, my concerns primarily lie with the run blocking rather than the pass blocking. With regards to Cincinatti, they have an impressive group of pass rushers with Dunlap, Atkins, and rookie additions of Willis and Lawson. I am worried with my questions about how the offensive line can handle this impressive front seven.
However, The Bengals have a lot of significant question marks among their offensive line as well. They looked solid in the preseason, but once we start mixing in new plays not showcased in the preseason we will get an idea if the Bengals have a formidable unit or not. Nonetheless, with the insane amount of depth we contain in our front seven, we should be able to keep the unit fresh and provide a consistent rush. I also have little doubts that we can stop Joe Mixon and the running game.
Overall, if the Bengals offensive line is as bad as one thinks on paper, it is very unlikely that their offensive line has a chance of getting a good start. However, I feel as if the pass blocking will be serviceable enough to get the passing game going. I feel as if Dalton is going to have a rough time this game.
Baltimore’s Secondary vs Cinci’s Passing Attack: Both of these units have been bolstered during the offseason. The Bengals added a speedster in John Ross who can score on any play he touches the ball. But their receiving corps was still impressive before. AJ Green has always given our defense trouble and is a star wide receiver. Tyler Eifert(when healthy) is one of the three best TEs in football and is a mismatch nightmare similar to Travis Kelce. Tyler Boyd has great hands, and is a very good route runner.
But our secondary is no longer going to be a weakness. During the offseason we added the likes of Tony Jefferson. Arguably the most underrated defensive back in all of football, he’s played at a consistent pro bowl caliber level for the majority of his career and will help provide a much-needed identity boost of the defense. He will knock you in the mouth and step on your unconscious body to make you suffer. The middle of the field is going to be a nightmare to pass over just because he is there. We have also added the veteran presence of Brandon Carr via Free Agency. Although he is only a slight upgrade over Shareece Wright, he is still an upgrade nonetheless. He may have struggled in the preseason, but with a bolstered pass rush and safety help, he should be a solid corner. In the draft we drafted Marlon Humphrey, a defensive back who was tailor made for this defense and should shut down the short pass, and similar to Jefferson will help set the tone and solidify an identity as a hard hitting defense who will knock you in the mouth. And those were just acquisitions. Our secondary also has Jimmy Smith, a clear-cut #1 corner who can adequately cover just about anyone. We have arguably the best free safety in football in Eric Weddle quarterbacking the secondary. Having him will help mask the struggles of the other two. And we also have the pure luxury of having Ladarius Webb being our third safety/ nickel corner. Webb graded out in the top 15 last year of safeties per PFF(which is really impressive as there are 64 starting safeties in the NFL).
Overall, our secondary should hold up very well to their weapons. Especially since Ross appears to be out with an injury. We are very deep with defensive backs and I have a lot of confidence.
Joe Flacco vs Cinci’s Secondary: As stated previously, I think that the offensive line will do a decent job holding up in pass protection. Flacco has struggled against the Bengals in the past, but he’s never had a supporting cast of skill position players as good as this before. New faces include Jeremy Maclin, who was released from the Kansas City Cheifs… for some reason. Maclin is a clear cut #1 WR at the NFL level, having really good hands, a good route runner, and good yards after the catch ability. He commands the attention of every #1 corner in the NFL. Nonetheless, he’s really good in a west coast offense and should be able to help convert a good portion of third downs. Speaking of third downs, we acquired one of the best checkdown backs in the league with Danny Woodhead. I feel as if he’s going to be a security blanket for Joe on third down, and since he is clearly more skilled than Pitta was, he should also help us far more on third downs.
Our returning players include Mike Wallace, still one of the faster wide receivers in the entire league. A threat on every passing down to run past the defense, and with Flacco’s cannon of an arm, he automatically commands safety attention. He is a very capable #2 WR in the league who could a huge game any given week. Otherwise, we have a lot of young talent that’s unproven, but has high upside. Breshad Perriman is the most physically gifted WR Flacco has ever worked with, and he is going to go against #3 corners on a pretty decent basis. His route running looked far improved during OTAs, and he is also skilled on contested balls. He’s got the potential to have a huge year for the team and emerge as a #1. With regards to the Tight Ends, we have two young and really talented players in Maxx Williams, and Nick Boyle(both should be receiving decent playing time). We also have seasoned veteran Benjamin Watson on the team. I feel as if Williams and Boyle will both garner significant playing time as both are also good blockers. Boyle is your classic catch and turn TE and a huge target. Maxx has better hands, and is better after the catch. With the Bengals missing key players in Burfict and Jones, the middle should be more open than normal Boyle and/or Maxx could have big games because of this.
The Bengals don’t have a secondary that’s a pushover either. But not everyone is available. Adam “Pacman” Jones may be a number one corner, but is suspended. Vontaze Burfict may be a good LB all around, but is also suspended. Shawn Williams is a quality safety, but he might miss the game due to injury. William Jackson III may be a super talented corner prospect, and will have to go against seasoned veterans in Maclin and Wallace in his first outing. Dre Kirkpatrick is a decent corner as well, but will likely have to cover Maclin, something I could see him struggle with.
Overall I think with the Bengals suspensions/injuries, our options to help out Flacco are numerous, and capable. Possibly the best WR corps he’s ever had in his career. The middle should be pretty open, and we have two proven pros that excel with passes in the middle of the field in Woodhead and Maclin. Likewise, Boyle and Maxx, and possibly Watson could also have good days over the middle as well. We also have Wallace, who proved to be effective on crossing routes on times last year with his speed, and Perriman who could also do damage. Wallace’s presence alone will help take the top off of a defense, but Maclin can take a play 40+ yards if he wants to, and Perriman is a massive threat himself. We have a good advantage by having a lot of capable pass catchers. We can kill them with the deep ball(if Flacco connects), the dink and dunk, and with security blankets we should be able to convert more third downs.
Verdict: Ravens win 17-6. I fully expect this to be an ugly defensive battle, but our passing offense might have two strong drives for scores against them. Our front 7 and new look secondary should fare well against Andy Dalton and his strong corp of weapons. There is also a strong possibility that we get a few key turnovers and get into good position to kick a field goal or two. I see us winning the game, but it’s not easy at all.
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