Baltimore Ravens: 5 Matchups to Watch vs. Buffalo Bills
By Joe Serpico
The Baltimore Ravens open the regular season with a home game against the Buffalo Bills. Here are five things to watch in the Week 1 matchup.
It is time for the Baltimore Ravens to wipe the slate clean and forget about last year’s 5-11 season. The 2016 Ravens are looking to make it back to the playoffs.
John Harbaugh and his squad will host Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, a team with several familiar faces on the opposite sidelines. Ryan was the defensive coordinator in Baltimore from 2005-2008. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor was Joe Flacco‘s backup for four seasons before becoming the starter for the Bills last year. And the one face that might sting the most is seeing Ed Reed as a part of the Bills’ coaching staff.
The two franchises know each other off the field, but the history between them is minimal. The teams have split the head-to-head series 3-3, with the home team winning five of the six matchups. If that’s the barometer of who wins on Sunday, the Ravens start the season 1-0.
The game is not played on paper, however. The Bills believe that this could be the year to end their playoff drought as the New England Patriots start the season with quarterback Tom Brady because of a four-game suspension. Ryan knows that a good start could put them in the driver’s seat early in the season.
Buffalo is the perfect opponent for the Ravens to start the season. They present a unique challenge that the Ravens will see a handful of times this season. They have firepower on offense and a defense that should rank in the top half of the NFL. If Baltimore hopes to get back into the postseason, these are the types of teams they must beat.
It will be no easy task as the Bills hope to make the leap from an 8-8 team to a playoff hopeful. The Ravens will need to play a sound game all around to knock them off. Here are the five things to watch for in order for Baltimore to start the season with a win.
Next: Stopping the Bills Top Receiver