Week 1: Buffalo Bills (0-0) @ Baltimore Ravens (0-0)

[muggins]

Some pretty good previews:

http://www.cover1.net/2016/09/bills-...outing-report/

http://thebaltimorewire.com/2016/09/...s-watch-bills/

https://www.pressboxonline.com/2016/...e-key-matchups

Elvis Dumervil will be out. What do you Ravens fans think about this matchup? Obviously you had a disappointing season marred by injury last year. The Bills are bringing offensive consistency in this year but have a host of issues with drug use / injury on the defense.

We need Watkins to get off to a fast start this season. He has to play up to his potential. Anyhoo, post your thoughts.

[SPTO]

Bills will need to grind it out but show some of the creativity on offense that they did in the 2nd half last year rather than "first two downs is a run then a pass" that we saw at the beginning of last year. I fully expect to see Taylor move the ball with his feet as well. As for the defense, they essentially had 2 weeks off now so they should be going in really fresh. They came out like gangbusters last season against Indy and I could see that kind of performance to start the year in Baltimore especially with all the connections between the Bills and Ravens.

I see the Bills winning a close one.

[Bmore Irish]

Dumervil being out hurts some, since we're gonna need a pass rush to help out the secondary. Speaking of which, despite the great move to pick up Weddle, and moving Webb to safety, both of which should improve the back-end, the secondary is still my biggest concern. The cornerbacks are mostly unproven, coming off of injury, or just average.

Despite question marks on offense, I feel better about it overall than the defense. There's depth at most positions, just need to keep an eye on the offensive line, which is young and completely new on the left side.

I expect a fairly close game.

[ggsimmonds]

This game I think will reveal a lot about the Ravens. Buffalo is a good team that should contend for the playoffs, so it is a good early season barometer.

Like my Irish friend I think secondary is a weakness, but a lot of that depends on Jimmy Smith. If he looks more like the player from 2 years ago we should be much better, but if his struggles last year were due to more than a foot injury we could once again be towards the bottom in big plays given up. So Sammy Watkins, even though I don't expect Jimmy to match up with him that much, will be a good test.

On defense I will also be paying close attention to the LBs. I was hoping for a bigger jump from Mosley last season after his stellar rookie year, and I am worried about our LBs in coverage.

On offense, yeah we got a lot of depth, but I'm worried it is a deep collection of mediocrity.
Can anyone step up at RB or do we have nothing but a giant competition for the #2 role?
Is Steve Smith finally going to age?
Can Perriman and Wallace serve as complete WRs or will they just be good for deep balls and the occasional screen?
Flacco -- not worried about coming off from injury. But I am worried about his ability to shoulder the load and lead the offense.

Win or lose doesn't mean much, what matters is the how. I don't want to see multiple 3 and outs on offense and hopefully no big plays given up by the defense.

[wwharton]

I think a lot of people (not you 2 of course) forget how many HUGE injuries the Ravens had last year. I think Mosley will return to form with Suggs back (and once Dumervil gets back), and the young bucks on the line will do a decent job. I worry about containment though in this game. Taylor will be REALLY motivated and should have a good game regardless... which could easily mean the Buffalo running game does well too as the defense tries to adjust.

Offensively is a crap shoot at the moment, so may be underwhelming this week, but I think they'll catch their stride as the season goes and roles are better defined. I'm not really worried about the running game. Forsett will be the bell cow he's been the last few years, with West getting a couple of touches to see if the preseason wasn't a fluke. Allen should be used sparingly.

The receiving core is a completely different story. No idea how healthy Smith is, or how ready Perriman is for real action. I think Wallace will be the best WR on the Ravens THIS week, with Aiken catching a few but fading as the season goes on. I think Pitta has a decent game too.

No prediction on this, but I would love to see Hester return one to the house.

Not picking a score... I think the Ravens will win simply because they're home. Should be a good game and, like ggsimmonds said, a lot will be learned (for both teams) despite the final score.

[ProfessaPackMan]

I like the Bills in this one.

[Yeah...THAT Guy]

One of those games where if either team expects to be a playoff team, this should be a game that they win. I'm low on the Ravens this year and high on the Bills, so I like Buffalo here.

[ggsimmonds]

I did not know that Ed Reed is now on the Bills coaching staff.

Good for him.