Week 1 is the first measuring stick, but hardly the last.
Here's how the Ravens came out of the gates in 2025 in a painful 41-40 loss in Buffalo, with snap counts and grades from Pro Football Focus (PFF):
- Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie played the third-most snaps among the cornerbacks and was the Ravens' pick opposite Nate Wiggins. While Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey played nearly every defensive snap, Awuzie was on the field for 79% of them. He also had the Ravens' second-best coverage grade (74). Awuzie was credited with giving up five catches on seven targets for only 22 yards.
- While Trenton Simpson got the start, rookie Teddye Buchanan played more snaps – 29 to 26. It was essentially a rotation between the two young inside linebackers next to Roquan Smith. Simpson had the defense's fourth-highest grade (75.4), while Buchanan had a run defense grade of 71.4 but more trouble in coverage, per PFF.
- Fresh off his contract extension, Kyle Hamilton posted the Ravens' highest grade with a 93.4 – the highest mark of any safety in the league in Week 1. He had nine tackles, two passes defensed, and knocked out a fumble with a thunderous hit.
- First-round safety Malaki Starks played all but one defensive snap and logged a grade of 53.2. He did get the team's highest marks for tackling (82.8), however. Second-round outside linebacker Mike Green had 26 defensive snaps and a 45.6 grade.
- New cornerback Jaire Alexander had the Ravens' lowest PFF marks (29.8) and gave up three catches on three targets for 100 yards. Alexander was back on the field after missing nearly a month of training camp practice as he managed his knee. He saw 39% of the defensive snaps in his Ravens debut.
- New wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins had just 18 snaps (35%), but he made the most of them with two catches, including a ridiculous one-handed, 29-yard touchdown catch. He had the Ravens' fourth-highest offensive grade (83.7).
- Zay Flowers' 83.8 grade in the season opener would have been his second-highest mark last year, when he became a first-time Pro Bowler. With 143 receiving yards, Flowers leapt into the NFL lead.
- With Patrick Ricard sidelined by a calf injury, tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden got 15 offensive snaps (29%) and threw a key block on Derrick Henry's first long touchdown run.
- Center Tyler Linderbaum and left tackle Ronnie Stanley had the offense's best grades at 87.4 and 87, respectively, and had especially strong marks in run blocking. The rest of the offensive line had tough grades with Daniel Faalele (59.9), Roger Rosengarten (57.4), and Andrew Vorhees (46.3) rounding out the unit.
- No NFL interior defensive lineman had a better pass rush win rate (28.6%) in Week 1 than Nnamdi Madubuike. Madubuike had a team-high five pressures and its lone sack on Allen. Madubuike had only one game last year with a higher overall grade than his 84.8 mark to start this season.
