Ravens Game Day: Preseason Week 1 vs. Carolina Panthers

By Joe Serpico | Aug 11, 2016

Sep 28, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) warms up prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /

The Baltimore Ravens kick off their preseason schedule tonight with a matchup against the Carolina Panthers.

The wait is over. We finally have a NFL game to watch tonight. To sweeten the deal, the Ravens are one of the first teams to take the field during the preseason.

John Harbaugh and the 2016 Baltimore Ravens will take the field for the first time against the defending NFC Champion Carolina Panthers. It is the perfect opponent to start the season off with to gauge where the Ravens rank against the NFL’s elite.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco will not take the field tonight, as well as Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, Steve Smith and Breshad Perriman. All will be important pieces in order for the Ravens to make the turnaround from a 5-11 season, but there are several other parts that the team is excited to see tonight.

The skill position players will draw most of the attention tonight as Marc Trestman has a lot of talent to work with. Newcomer Mike Wallace and last year’s unsung hero, Kamar Aiken, will start the game for Baltimore, but all eyes will be on Keenan Reynolds as he makes the transition from college quarterback to NFL wide receiver.

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Terrance West has been the biggest surprise of training camp as the Ravens running game is up for grabs. Justin Forsett will get the first shot at the starting role, but West, Javorius Allen and rookie Kenneth Dixon will all give him a run for his money. Of all the position battles this summer, this will be the one to watch the most.

Carolina provides a unique challenge with a defense that features some the league’s best in Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, as well as a dominant defensive line. Not to mention the reigning MVP in Cam Newton and an offense that is welcoming Kelvin Benjamin back. The Panthers are going to be contender once again.

Obviously, the starters will barely play in this game, but a team does not go 15-1 in the regular season without outstanding depth. Tonight, we are going to see if the Ravens added enough depth to match one of the league’s best.

The most important part of the evening is the escape the game healthy. Baltimore entered the game with some nagging injuries already, and while they have more depth this season, they do not want to go through another debacle like last season.

Next: Three Biggest Surprises of Ravens Camp

There will be plenty else to keep an eye on tonight – cornerback, inside linebacker and left guard positions are up for grabs – that makes what some would call a meaningless preseason game have some meaning. The Ravens want to get back to their winning ways, and this is the first step in doing so.

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