Game by Game Regular Season Predictions Thread

[allblackraven]

@Bengals: L
Vs. Browns: W
Vs. Jaguars: W
Vs. Steelers: L
@ Raiders: L
Vs. Chicago: W
@ Vikings: W
Vs. Dolphins: W
@ Titans: L
@ Packers: L
Vs. Texans: W
Vs. Lions: W
@ Steelers: L
@ Browns: W
Vs. Colts: W
Vs. Bengals. W

That's my optimistic prediction. If I was little more realistic, I'd say we are going to drop 1-2 between Vikings, Texans and Jaguars games, so we can go between another 8-8 season and 10-6, making it as a WC.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

I'll be honest. I think the game we have the LEAST chance of winning on this schedule is the Texans and I don't think it's close. Their front should thoroughly dominate us and make us look every bit as bad as we looked against them in 2012. Minnesota is another but they simply aren't as stacked up front, not even close, but they should be able to work over our line quite a bit, and depending on the qb situation their offense could be better than Houston but neither offense scares me in the slightest, their defenses should have their way with us though

 

[ThatsMyJoeTerback]

I'll be honest. I think the game we have the LEAST chance of winning on this schedule is the Texans and I don't think it's close. Their front should thoroughly dominate us and make us look every bit as bad as we looked against them in 2012. Minnesota is another but they simply aren't as stacked up front, not even close, but they should be able to work over our line quite a bit, and depending on the qb situation their offense could be better than Houston but neither offense scares me in the slightest, their defenses should have their way with us though

I think that title belongs to the Green Bay game. There's no way we're going into Lambeau and winning.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

I think that title belongs to the Green Bay game. There's no way we're going into Lambeau and winning.

I very strongly disagree there. Out of 31 other teams in the league, I think we are best built to beat a team like GB. Health willing it is a beautiful matchup for us. Rodgers will obviously keep any sane person from pencilling a W for that week, but let's look at the matchups..

-Our secondary > their wr corps, healthy jimmy I think gives Nelson one of his worst games of the year
-our pass rush > their OL if guys like Judon and Tim williams are playing like they're capable
-they don't have the firepower in the front seven to exploit the OL, which I'm guessing would be the recipe to beating the ravens this year
-aside from HHCD they have a pretty average secondary and our WRs should exploit their corners

Honestly Rodgers would need to have a lights out perfect game and the rest of the team would have to elevate their play a ton for it to be as easy as you say

 

[Truth]

I very strongly disagree there. Out of 31 other teams in the league, I think we are best built to beat a team like GB. Health willing it is a beautiful matchup for us. Rodgers will obviously keep any sane person from pencilling a W for that week, but let's look at the matchups..

-Our secondary > their wr corps, healthy jimmy I think gives Nelson one of his worst games of the year
-our pass rush > their OL if guys like Judon and Tim williams are playing like they're capable
-they don't have the firepower in the front seven to exploit the OL, which I'm guessing would be the recipe to beating the ravens this year
-aside from HHCD they have a pretty average secondary and our WRs should exploit their corners

Honestly Rodgers would need to have a lights out perfect game and the rest of the team would have to elevate their play a ton for it to be as easy as you say

I wouldn't give our outside pass rush the nod over their OTs based on Judon and Williams. The duo absolutely oozes potential, but David Bakhtiari was just selected as second-team All-Pro and Bryan Bulaga was an objectively outstanding pass blocker this season as well. Each of their two were in the Top 5 at their positions in least combined pressure allowed per snap, and they were the 2nd and 4th highest graded pass blockers per PFF among all OTs. If anything, it looks like a steep challenge for our OLBs on paper.

 

[Truth]

I'll be honest. I think the game we have the LEAST chance of winning on this schedule is the Texans and I don't think it's close. Their front should thoroughly dominate us and make us look every bit as bad as we looked against them in 2012. Minnesota is another but they simply aren't as stacked up front, not even close, but they should be able to work over our line quite a bit, and depending on the qb situation their offense could be better than Houston but neither offense scares me in the slightest, their defenses should have their way with us though

To your point, if James Hurst is starting at RT, I'd wager that J.J. Watt will remain on the same side as he did in 2014. Hurst's afternoon begun on the following holding penalty (Link). And here's what followed thereafter (Link1, Link2, Link3, Link4, Link5, Link6, Link7, Link8, Link9, Link10). We switched him over to LT in the last three clips after Eugene Monroe was injured late in the 4th. Now, to be fair, there wasn't much expected in having a UDFA square up against one of the best players over the last decade, likely longer. He wasn't expected to be in the line up prior to the Ricky Wagner injury, and we obviously didn't adjust given the fact that he was basically given no help and was counted on to stop Watt on his own. Even with that in mind, this was one of the most debilitating performances from a lineman that I've personally seen. I don't recall a performance that impacted an offense to this extent since Brandyn Dombrowski was railed by Kamerion Wimbley on Thursday night six years ago. To this day, Dombrowski postmarks his lunch money to Wimbley's home address. It would've been more acceptable if these were taken over the course of the entire game. But Hurst entered the contest in the middle of the 3rd quarter. He was essentially the human whylight reel. It should be mentioned that Hurst improved his technique last season, and while he still struggled, he did improve from his first two seasons. But I'm our offensive coaching staff, I would use the game tape from 2014 as a cautionary tale, especially if Hurst is our starter by that point.

 

[JoeyFlex5]

I wouldn't give our outside pass rush the nod over their OTs based on Judon and Williams. The duo absolutely oozes potential, but David Bakhtiari was just selected as second-team All-Pro and Bryan Bulaga was an objectively outstanding pass blocker this season as well. Each of their two were in the Top 5 at their positions in least combined pressure allowed per snap, and they were the 2nd and 4th highest graded pass blockers per PFF among all OTs. If anything, it looks like a steep challenge for our OLBs on paper.

Fair point. I knew Bakhtiari was excellent but I honestly forgot completely about bulaga.

I also could be vastly overrating Tim williams because he was my man crush of this years draft and I'm still giddy that we got him so late. I still think our defense overall plays well enough to keep the game well in reach for our offense who's biggest weakness won't be easily exploited by a defense that doesn't have the horses to do so.

 

[K-Dog]

@Bengals LOSS: Game one. Lots of personnel changes, starting off against a good team at their field. Not gonna happen. Close though. A few lead changes.

Browns WIN: This team continues to be a thorn in our side. I don't know why they play us so tuff. We win by 7 or less.

Jags @ London WIN: I hear we have lost of fans there and we always travel well. Harbaugh's boat trip idea pays off big time
The hype takes us our first of the season, substantial victory.

steelers LOSS: Cocky from the win, tired from the trip. Multiple lead changes. Blood and guts on the field after the two minute warning in the fourth, Ravens are gassed. Pitt takes it by six or less

@ Raiders LOSS: and an ugly one at that. Solidifies the Raiders as a hated non division rival.

BEARS WIN: reeling from an ugly loss, Ravens recoup and come out to play for this one.

@Vikings WIN: *shrugs* I dunno. I just think we will win.

Dolphins WIN: Its a Thursday game. We win.

@Titans WIN : John promises an extra day off during the bye with a win. Players like that.

@ Green Bay LOSS: Ravens partied too hard on the extra day off, John regrets the decision with a ugly loss. Plus it is already cold up there and the Ravens were not ready for it.

TEXANS WIN: MNF at home. The hype is thick. I plan on going to that one and the RAVENS are something like 35-5 on games I attend.

Lions WIN: High from a MNF win RAVENS do their thing at home again

@ Steelers LOSS: SNF at pitts-burgh ? In December? Nope. Lots of players getting beat up tonight. This rivalry becomes intense a good bit more. Play off implications for both teams. This is our biggest game of the season thus far. This is our best game of the season. Not enough.

@Browns WIN: they hate us. They want to play December spoiler. Bucha jerks. Again, a thorn in our side. We squeak out a Justin Tucker win. Three or less.

Indy WIN: December football is the best. If Indy is in the hunt, it will be a difficult game. RAVENS win.

Bengals WIN: out of contention, their mission to spoil falls short. This game will be a nail biting Tumm's taking , potty mouth using, food throwing, screaming your throat raw playoff implication game. Expect this one to come down to the wire.

 

[jboy19]

@Bengals- W (1-0). Cincy was a bad team last year and didn't do anything that is going to make them much better. I expect the Bengals to have trouble moving the ball after losing their two best OL.

Browns- W (2-0) going to be an uglier game than people think. I think Greg Williams is going to work some magic with the talent on that Browns defense.

@Jaguars- W (3-0) another ugly game because the London trip is going to be a new experience and it's likely going to be difficult to keep the team focused. The new look Jags make things difficult but likely fall short in the end. Bonus points for if a Bortles pick-6 ends a nailbiter.

Steelers- W (4-0) Revenge game. I think the team is going to be laser focused going into this one and will play way over their heads to grab a close win.

@Raiders- L (4-1) The team always struggles after playing the Steelers and the Raiders are one of the best teams in the NFL. Don't even think this ones going to be close.

Bears- W (5-1) No magic from Glennon and an unremarkable defense keeps Chicago from doing much damage.

@Vikings- L (5-2) That defense is a nightmare matchup for the Ravens and the offense can't get anything going upfront. Ugly loss.

Dolphins- W (6-2) Dolphins always seem to bring the best out of the Ravens. Probably not as lop-sided as last year though.

@Titans- L (6-3) The young Titans get a statement win coming off of their bye week. We make every "What team is just a pretender?" List in existence.

@Packers- L (6-4) Ravens come out the bye week motivated but ultimately can't do enough on defense to stop A-Rod.

Texans- W (7-4) Primetime in Baltimore doesn't end well for the rookie QB. Suggs tries to actually eat him.

Lions - L (7-5) Lions get the long week, Ravens gets the short week. A worn down Ravens team has no fight left for this game. We debate if Stafford is better than Flacco for a few days, then on to...

@Steelers- L (7-6) and its going to hurt really bad.

@Browns - W (8-6) best game out of the Ravens in the late half of the season. Possibly because the Browns are 2-whatever, but still counts.

Colts- W (9-6) will Luck be playing? Will it even matter if his line plays the same as last year?

Bengals- W (10-6) hopefully locking up a wild card spot. Cincinnati is not good.

Having rolled optimistically, i think 7-9 to 9-7 is whats honestly reasonable to expect. I think theyll lose some games they shouldn't. But hopefully we get some to see the playoffs this year.

 

[RavensMania]

@Bengals- W (1-0). Bengals have lost too much on the line. They are not beating us this year

Browns- W (2-0). They are the Browns...'nuff said

@Jaguars- W (3-0) We are still realing from the extra play they received in 2015...

Steelers- W (4-0) Lots of bad memories from the Christmas Eve game last year. No way we lose this game.

@Raiders- W (5-0) Tough game, but finally things fall our way

Bears- W (6-0) They are the Bears...it won't be close

@Vikings- W (7-0) Their defense is built to stop us, but their offense is built to lose...

Dolphins- W (8-0) This will be an extension of last years game.

@Titans- W (9-0) Very tough matchup but we win in the end after recovering two fumbles and an interception

@Packers- W (10-0) We are built to beat the Pack. Once our secondary shuts the Packers WR's down, the game is over.

Texans- W (11-0) We win a very close defensive matchup with a Humphrey interception in the end zone to seal the game.

Lions - W (12-0) LOL they don't stand a chance from the opening whistle

@Steelers- W (13-0) Another tough fought rivalry game, but this time Flacco drives down the field for the winning score

@Browns - W (14-0) Again, they are the Browns

Colts- W (15-0) Williams and Judon was too much to handle

Bengals- W (16-0) No way we are losing the last game to go undefeated for the year

16-0 ---- Well it is possible!

 

[rossihunter2]

Fair point. I knew Bakhtiari was excellent but I honestly forgot completely about bulaga.

I also could be vastly overrating Tim williams because he was my man crush of this years draft and I'm still giddy that we got him so late. I still think our defense overall plays well enough to keep the game well in reach for our offense who's biggest weakness won't be easily exploited by a defense that doesn't have the horses to do so.

Green bay's tackles are good and their centre situation is ok but their interior line and their mesh as a unit dealing with interior pressure is a little overrated - their tackles get a lot of credit for dealing with some of Aaron Rodgers messing about in the pocket miracle stuff but sometimes they don't deal with the basics as well especially since they lost their better interior guys

 

[JoeyFlex5]

Green bay's tackles are good and their centre situation is ok but their interior line and their mesh as a unit dealing with interior pressure is a little overrated - their tackles get a lot of credit for dealing with some of Aaron Rodgers messing about in the pocket miracle stuff but sometimes they don't deal with the basics as well especially since they lost their better interior guys

Yeah I know their line isn't great, I knew bakhtiari was elite but I did forget about bulaga who is a very solid RT. But I know they haven't had overall good OL performance recently

 

[Truth]

Fair point. I knew Bakhtiari was excellent but I honestly forgot completely about bulaga.

I also could be vastly overrating Tim williams because he was my man crush of this years draft and I'm still giddy that we got him so late. I still think our defense overall plays well enough to keep the game well in reach for our offense who's biggest weakness won't be easily exploited by a defense that doesn't have the horses to do so.

That's understandable. I actually forgot about him myself initially.

If it helps, I was also gleeful when we selected him, especially since I didn't expect him to be available. He's probably my favorite selection. It's just that with regards to the OL, arguably the best case scenario for Williams in his first year is to be as good on his side as Bulaga currently is on his, which would make it a push. I see the game as one of our toughest ones, but I agree in that our defense could very well keep the game in reach for us.

 

[Truth]

Green bay's tackles are good and their centre situation is ok but their interior line and their mesh as a unit dealing with interior pressure is a little overrated - their tackles get a lot of credit for dealing with some of Aaron Rodgers messing about in the pocket miracle stuff but sometimes they don't deal with the basics as well especially since they lost their better interior guys

Their guard situation is definitely on the downside after the losses of Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang. They did bring in Jahri Evans, but he's in the twilight of his career. Corey Linsley has played very well in each of his only three seasons, so they're set at OT and C. Lane Taylor wasn't bad for them neither. Definitely not the level they were at with Lang, and losing J.C. Tretter hurts, but they're still a formidable unit altogether.

 

[Sooky]

This is the year I think the Ravens can actually sweep the Bengals, but I also think they can be swept by the Browns. I wouldn't be surprised if Cleveland doesn't finish 4th this season.

 

[K-Dog]

This is the year I think the Ravens can actually sweep the Bengals, but I also think they can be swept by the Browns. I wouldn't be surprised if Cleveland doesn't finish 4th this season.

Our margin of victory was less than six last season. They play us very tough.

 

[Sooky]

Our margin of victory was less than six last season. They play us very tough.

I just see Cleveland better in a lot of areas than the Bengals and I don't think the Bengals really improved too much anywhere at least as of now. They lost two pro bowl guards... Cleveland's team is young but looking promising. I do think they got a steal with Kiser in the 2nd with the other draft haul they got.

 

[Truth]

Our margin of victory was less than six last season. They play us very tough.

That they do, and it makes them almost impossible to look past. They did lose major contributors in Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler and now have one of the more questioned OL units in the AFC. But their defense is basically intact. They lost Rey Maualuga and Karlos Dansby, but brought in Kevin Minter into what is quietly a rock solid LB corps. Andrew Billings and William Jackson III are returning after losing their rookie campaigns to injury. Given that we're 2-6 against them in the post-SB span, I personally always expect to trade one for one, but of the seasons since then, I could see us winning both.

 

[rossihunter2]

I just see Cleveland better in a lot of areas than the Bengals and I don't think the Bengals really improved too much anywhere at least as of now. They lost two pro bowl guards... Cleveland's team is young but looking promising. I do think they got a steal with Kiser in the 2nd with the other draft haul they got.

Yeah it's crazy how the perception of their draft changes just because the qb was their 4th player now 2nd and arguably was just as draftable as the qbs taken in the top 12 picks

 

[Jacquouille]

https://www.fanragsports.com/nfl/ravens/need-know-ravens-heading-camp/

Didn't know where to put it but easily the most interesting read of the week.