Ravens intangibles vs. Raiders intangibles Prediction

The Raiders will be hyped to play before their first home crowd at Allegiant Stadium. They’ll want to prove their late fade in 2020 was not indicative of the franchise’s direction under Jon Gruden, who’s 19-29 since he returned to coaching in 2018. They’ll get their shot at a Ravens roster severely depleted by injuries. The Ravens have come out hot in recent seasons, winning their last two openers by a combined score of 97-16. Coach John Harbaugh has led them to the playoffs each of the last three years and nine times in his 13 seasons with the franchise. Jackson is 30-7 as a starter in the regular season. EDGE: Raiders

The Raiders will attack the Ravens with a dangerous passing offense and try to ride the emotional lift provided by their home crowd. But the Ravens are a better all-around team, even without Peters and Edwards. They expect to win games like this, as they almost always have with Jackson at quarterback. This won’t be a laugher like their last two openers, but it won’t be a nail-biter either.

Ravens 31, Raiders 20.