The Ravens have a special anniversary and a date with an AFC North rival on Sunday.
The franchise will celebrate its 30th season in Baltimore when the Ravens face the Cleveland Browns in the home opener at M&T Bank Stadium. Meanwhile, Joe Flacco will start at quarterback for Cleveland, adding to the throwback feel of the intriguing Week 2 matchup.
Flacco is one of the most revered players in Ravens history, named the MVP of Super Bowl XLVII after leading the franchise to its second Lombardi Trophy. Thirteen seasons later, Flacco returns to Baltimore as an opponent, making it an emotional day for the 40-year-old quarterback.
Here's everything you need to know:
Basics
Kickoff: 1 p.m., M&T Bank Stadium
TV: Local TV: WJZ Ch. 13 (Baltimore); CBS announcers Tom McCarthy (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst), Amanda Balionis (sideline)
Radio: WBAL (1090 AM), 98 Rock (97.9 FM), SiriusXM Radio Ch. 85 or 225. For affiliates in your area, click here:
History
The Ravens have dominated the Browns all time, 37-15, but have split the season series the past four years. Flacco will become the seventh Cleveland quarterback to start against Baltimore since 2021, joining Baker Mayfield, Jacoby Brissett, Deshaun Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Jameis Winston, and Bailey Zappe. Head Coach John Harbaugh has a 13-4 record in home openers. Baltimore's last home opener against Cleveland was in 2020, in a game without fans during the pandemic. The Ravens rolled to a 38-6 victory behind Lamar Jackson, who threw two of his three touchdown passes to Mark Andrews in Kevin Stefanski's debut as Cleveland's head coach.
Stakes
Coming off an emotional 41-40 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, Baltimore wants to avoid starting 0-2 for the second straight season. The Ravens recovered to win the AFC North last season, but five of their first six opponents this year made the playoffs in 2024. Facing such a challenging schedule, the Ravens would prefer not to revisit the world of 0-2. The Browns were 3-14 in 2024 and must prove they can climb out of the division basement after a one-point loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1. Losing on Sunday would drop the Browns to 0-2 with two divisional defeats.
Storylines to Know
Jackson vs. Flacco features the Ravens' last two franchise quarterbacks.
Flacco told reporters this week he has “nothing but love” for the city of Baltimore and the Ravens organization. As a rookie in 2018, Jackson was Flacco's backup before taking over as the starter midway through the season and leading the Ravens to the playoffs. Jackson remembers Flacco as being a positive teammate and mentor. "[I] just [remember Flacco] being in the meeting room and how cool he was with things he would say," Jackson said. "How funny he was. I don't know if people know, but 'Flacc' is funny. He used to have me rolling as a rookie. He is a great person to be around."
Will the Ravens' defense recover from a difficult Week 1?
The Ravens' defensive players have taken a hard look at themselves after surrendering 41 points and 497 yards of total offense in Week 1, with one sack and zero takeaways. All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton never wants to see Baltimore's defense put up another fourth-quarter performance like that one. "I don't want the Ravens to be known as the team that up gets up big and blows the lead," Hamilton said. "It's not who we are, and we have to prove that to everybody else." Baltimore's defense must show its back on the right track.
Will the action get testy after the Browns' trash talk?
These division rivals always have physical matchups and Cleveland's players have been chatty during the week. Browns safety Grant Delpit said it's "not hard" to tackle Derrick Henry. Cleveland wide receiver Jerry Jeudy said Baltimore's secondary presents "no challenges." Hamilton said the trash talk won't make any difference to him. "Was I not going to play hard before he said that?" Hamilton said. Henry's reaction was concise and to the point. "We'll see on Sunday," he said. Head Coach John Harbaugh said he didn't raise it with the team.
X-Factor Players
RT Roger Rosengarten
Rosengarten had a neat moment with Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett last season when they exchanged jerseys and respect for each other. But blocking Garrett is going to be a major challenge for Rosengarten and the rest of Baltimore's offensive line. Garrett had two sacks and three quarterback hits against Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow last week, and the Ravens don't want him hitting Jackson the same way.
RB Derrick Henry
The last time Henry saw the Browns in the 2024 season finale, he rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, and the Ravens won 35-10. Delpit can claim that it's not hard to tackle Henry, but the facts say otherwise. Another dynamic game from Henry would make it harder for Garrett to tee off on Jackson. Look for the Ravens to feed Henry often, giving Delpit plenty of opportunities to tackle him.
S Kyle Hamilton
Hamilton had the Ravens' highest defensive grade (93.4) in Week 1, according to Pro Football Focus, and nearly blocked Buffalo's game-winning field goal that grazed off his fingers. He's a do-everything player, and his versatility could be key against an experienced quarterback like Flacco. It's hard to fool Flacco because he's seen every kind of coverage, but he trusts his elite arm and will take chances by throwing into coverage. The more often Hamilton shows up where Flacco doesn't expect, the better Baltimore's chances of winning.
