Baltimore Ravens: Score Prediction vs. Buffalo Bills

The NFL season is upon us. Here is our score prediction for the Week 1 matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills.

The wait is over. The NFL is back.

Opening night was just the beginning of a great weekend of football, but the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos gave us a tease Thursday. Everyone expected Cam Newton to get his revenge with Peyton Manning no longer at the helm for the Broncos. Instead, Trevor Siemian got his team the win after Graham Gano failed to convert a 50-yard field goal.

That’s why you play the game.

The rest of the league takes the field Sunday and Monday, including our hometown Baltimore Ravens. After a year of turmoil, John Harbaugh is ready to put the past behind and start the 2016 season. First up is Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills.

There will be plenty of faces that you recognize on the opposing sideline. Tyrod Taylor started his career as the backup to Joe Flacco. Surefire Hall of Famer Ed Reed is an assistant coach with the Bills. And of course, Ryan was the defensive coordinator in Baltimore before becoming a head coach.

The Bills are the perfect team for the Ravens to start the season with. They are coming off an 8-8 season and hope to finally end their playoff drought. They have some great players in Taylor, LeSean McCoy and Sammy Watkins, and you know Ryan is bringing the noise on defense.

So our prediction for the game is…

Flacco and the rest of the guys are ready to show that last season was a fluke. The Ravens are an organization that is used to winning and that’s what they will do on Sunday.

We already broke down our five matchups to watch on Sunday and the game will come down to which defense can make the most plays. That is something we did not see much of from Baltimore last season, but Dean Pees has Terrell Suggs back to rush the quarterback and Eric Weddle to lead the secondary.

The offense will do just enough to win this game. Expect a healthy dose of Justin Forsett and Terrance West as the Ravens will ease Flacco back into action. You will see that deep pass to Mike Wallace at some point, – actually, I can almost guarantee it – but Flacco is not going to be asked to air it out 30-35 times. With two rookies protecting his blindside, asking them to run block in their first NFL game is the smart choice.

Next: Three Bold Offensive Predictions

The Ravens are one of the best home teams in the NFL and M&T Bank Stadium will be rocking on Sunday. Taylor has seen that raucous crowd countless times, but this is the first time he will be in the opposing locker room no booed by the fans. It also will be his first loss in Baltimore. The Ravens start the season 1-0 before their first AFC North matchup against the Cleveland Browns.