Late for Work: What Pundits Expect in Ravens-Bills Opener

Majority of Pundits Pick Ravens to Win at Buffalo

The wait is finally over.

Week 1 of the NFL season has arrived, and the game between the Ravens and Bills in Buffalo on "Sunday Night Football" is the marquee matchup.

It's a clash of titans featuring two Super Bowl favorites and the most recent MVPs in Lamar Jackson and Bills quarterback Josh Allen.

The Ravens will be looking for a measure of revenge against the team that eliminated them in the AFC divisional round last January. A majority of the pundits we sampled (34 of 51) believe they will get it.

Here's what pundits are saying about the game:

The Ravens need to send a message in Week 1.

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky: "This is a team that has a Super Bowl-winning head coach, that has the best roster in football, their starting secondary is all first-round picks, and they have a quarterback that has multiple MVPs. At some point, you have to go win the whole thing. … I understand it's Week 1, [but] this game is massive for Baltimore. I'm not going to the extreme of if you lose, your season's over, but there's no team under more pressure to finally get this done."

The Ravens beat themselves in the playoffs. That won't happen again.

NBC Sports’ Chris Simms: "I just do not think this is a good matchup for [Buffalo]. The Ravens killed them in the regular season. … The Bills defense never stopped the Ravens in the playoff game. The Ravens stopped themselves. I don't think they're going to do that this time around."

The Ringer’s Anthony Dabbundo: "Buffalo retooled its defense to try to improve its down-to-down consistency after the Bills became too reliant on generating turnovers. If you remove the plays in which they forced turnovers last year, the Bills were 28th in EPA allowed. It was an opportunistic defense, but that's hard to sustain year over year and is not a formula for beating elite teams. … The Ravens will have Zay Flowers and backup scatback Keaton Mitchell healthy after both missed the playoff game. Baltimore outplayed Buffalo on a play-to-play basis both times these teams met last season. The difference between the Ravens' win in the regular season and the playoff loss was costly turnovers (stop me if you've heard that before) and miscues. This time, I think Baltimore gets revenge for the playoffs."

The Ravens must continue their third-down dominance to win.

Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame: "Last year, Baltimore ranked third in the category at 48.2%, trailing only the Buccaneers and Chiefs. Against the Bills, they were a combined 12-of-19 (63.1%) against a defense tied for 28th on third down (43.8%). Of course, the big difference in the playoff win for Buffalo was the turnover ratio. The Bills were plus-3 that night with two fumble recoveries and an interception of Lamar Jackson. … If the Ravens can maintain their excellence on third down and protect the football, they will likely win. But if Sean McDermott's defense can find a few more stops and perhaps steal a possession, the Bills could start 1–0."

The Ravens' passing game could thrive against a banged-up Bills secondary.

The Baltimore Sun’s Sam Cohn: "Tre'Davious White, a former Raven and the Bills' No. 2 cornerback, is rehabbing from injury. First-round pick Maxwell Hairston is on injured reserve to start the year. And Christian Benford was limited in practice this week, which raises the question whether Buffalo believes that fielding him is worth the risk. Most teams are tight-lipped on that stuff as long as they're able. There's a chance Jackson is served some combination of a second-year role player, a sixth-round draft pick and a practice squad veteran on a silver platter."

Bold prediction: Ravens TE Mark Andrews catches a touchdown.

ESPN’s Seth Walder: "Given how much lower the stakes are, it won't quite erase his dropped 2-point conversion in the divisional round against Buffalo – but it's something. With Isaiah Likely's status in question due to the fractured foot injury he suffered, Andrews should be in line for plenty of snaps, too."

Ravens rookie could be a difference-maker.

The Athletic’s Vic Tafur: "The Ravens have probably been talking about avenging their playoff loss in Buffalo all offseason, and they have an under-the-radar addition who could be a game-changer. You still have time to get down on pass rusher Mike Green to win Defensive Rookie of the Year at 12-1. You're welcome."

Whether tight end Isaiah Likely (foot) and fullback Patrick Ricard (calf) are available could have a huge impact.

Sharp Football Analysis' Warren Sharp: "The Baltimore Ravens last year played the No.1 highest rate of heavy personnel, whether it was two tight end sets or a fullback out there as well. Did it matter from an efficiency perspective when they had that heavy personnel out there? Absolutely. When running the football with heavy personnel, the Ravens ranked No. 1 in EPA and No. 1 in success. But out of three-receiver sets, they dropped down to No. 11 in EPA and No. 22 in success rate. And when passing the football, the Ravens' EPA dropped sharply as well when Isaiah Likely wasn't on the field. So I think we're going to see more three-wide-receiver sets inevitably from the Ravens, and that could hurt their passing and rushing efficiency, so that's a big question mark."

The Bills will prevail at home.

CBS Sports’ John Breech: "[Allen] had one of his worst games of the season last year in a 35-10 regular-season loss to the Ravens, but that game was in Baltimore. The one thing about Allen, who's the reigning NFL MVP, is that he's been nearly unbeatable in Buffalo: He's won 11 straight home starts in the regular season and I feel like he's going to push that streak to 12 on Sunday night."

The Bills will win this one, but if the teams meet again in the playoffs …

USA Today’s Jordan Mendoza: "Lamar Jackson has had Josh Allen's number in the regular season, but that gets flipped around to start 2025. Maybe Jackson will get his chance in the playoffs?"

Why Extending Jackson Before March Is Crucial

The Ravens have several contract extension candidates, but clearly, a new deal for Jackson is the most pressing piece of business on General Manager Eric DeCosta's plate.

"The Ravens' priority has been extending quarterback Lamar Jackson, whose salary-cap number skyrockets to $74.5 million in 2026 and 2027," The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec wrote. "Suppose the Ravens aren't able to address Jackson's deal before the start of the new league year in March. In that case, they'd have virtually no financial flexibility to keep their top free agents or make notable outside signings.

"DeCosta declined to comment on the current situation with Jackson. However, he did acknowledge the Ravens 'have a lot of different things going on.'"

Likely and center Tyler Linderbaum are among other noteworthy players up for new deals.

"Likely, the 25-year-old tight end, has been the target for a contract extension, but the Ravens haven't been able to get that done," Zrebiec wrote. "DeCosta also said the team wants to extend Linderbaum, but there's been no evidence that there's any movement there."

Micah Parsons Reportedly Was 'Intrigued' by Ravens Before Trade to Packers

Before the blockbuster trade last week that sent outside linebacker Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the Ravens, Packers, and Arizona Cardinals were "teams that make sense in league circles" as suitors for the four-time Pro Bowler.

On Thursday, Fowler said that the Ravens were a team that interested Parsons.

"Multiple team execs believed that Parsons was intrigued by several teams in the process, including the Ravens and Chiefs," Fowler wrote. "This was moot – the Cowboys were focused on getting the best deal they could. And the Chiefs were never in it. But it's noteworthy nonetheless."

To land Parsons, the Packers gave up 2026 and 2027 first-round picks and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. The Packers and Parsons agreed on a four-year deal reportedly worth $188 million with $136 million guaranteed that will make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history at $47 million per year.

Ravens Voted AFC's Best Team by NFL Executives

The Athletic asked eight NFL team executives to rank the 16 AFC teams. Unsurprisingly, the Ravens, Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs were the only teams to be ranked in the top three on every ballot.

The Ravens took the No. 1 spot with four first-place votes, two second-place votes, and two third-place votes. The Bills were second, followed by the Chiefs.

"I feel like [the Ravens] were really the best team last year and are even hungrier now with the loss in the playoffs, not getting over the hump," one voter said. "I think they'll have a top-five defense, maybe even top-three. Last year, it took them a while after losing [coordinator Mike] Macdonald. They won't have the Justin Tucker struggles, either."

Another exec who ranked the Ravens No. 1 said: "I'll go Baltimore this year, because of the quarterback and then the overall roster. They have a good combination of young guys and veteran guys this year."

The Ravens' AFC North foes were ranked fourth (Cincinnati Bengals), seventh (Pittsburgh Steelers), and 16th (Cleveland Browns).

Ravens Continue to Be Popular Pick in Super Bowl Predictions

Another round of Super Bowl predictions are out, and the Ravens continue to be a popular pick. Here are the latest Super Bowl prognostications:

• Thirty of 69 ESPN NFL analysts, writers, commentators, columnists, and pundits picked the Ravens.

• Four of nine NFL writers for The Ringer picked the Ravens.

• "Good Morning Football's" Manti Te'o and CBS Sports' Leger Douzable picked the Ravens.

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