Ravens at Raiders
Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET, Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
TV: ESPN
Tipico line: Ravens by 4 1⁄2 Ravens’ keys to victory: The Raiders had a top-10 offense last year in most categories, including yards and points. Their offense runs through TE Darren Waller and it will be fascinating to see how the Ravens try to slow him. Waller averaged more than 100 yards receiving in the final eight games of the 2020 season. Look for the Ravens to assign two defenders to Waller and use plenty of blitzes to contain QB Derek Carr and the rest of the offense.
Raiders’ keys to victory: The recipe is simple: Stop QB Lamar Jackson. However, not many teams have been able to accomplish that over the past three seasons. For the Raiders to win, they have to slow down the Baltimore rushing attack – which will be without J.K. Dobbins for the entire season – and force the Ravens to play behind the chains. If they can get the Ravens to long third downs and make Jackson beat them through the air, they will have a chance to steal this game. Otherwise, Baltimore could easily score 30 or more points against coordinator Gus Bradley’s defense.
Matchup to watch: Raiders WR Bryan Edwards vs. Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey. If the Raiders want to have success on offense, they are going to need Edwards to make the next step. The 2020 third-round pick is expected to be a starting wide receiver. He will certainly be tested against Humphrey, arguably the best cornerback in the league.
Who wins? The Ravens are just the better team, even on the road, and with the offensive line in flux for the Raiders, this could be a long night for Jon Gruden’s offense.
Ravens, 28-20