Ravens Seek Another Season-Opening Blowout Win Vs Raiders
BALTIMORE (12-6) at LAS VEGAS (8-8)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EDT, ESPN
OPENING LINE: Ravens by 5, according to FanDuel SportsBook
SERIES RECORD: Ravens lead 9-3
LAST MEETING: Ravens beat Raiders 34-17 on Nov. 25, 2018 in Baltimore
RAVENS OFFENSE: OVERALL (19), RUSH (1), PASS (32), SCORING (7).
RAVENS DEFENSE: OVERALL (7), RUSH (8), PASS (6), SCORING (2).
RAIDERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (8), RUSH (14), PASS (7), SCORING (10).
RAIDERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (25), RUSH (24), PASS (26), SCORING (30).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Ravens plus-4, Raiders minus-11.
RAVENS PLAYER TO WATCH: Gus Edwards is Baltimore's top RB now that J.K. Dobbins has been lost for the season because of a knee injury. Edwards ran for 723 yards last season for the NFL's top rushing team.
RAIDERS PLAYER TO WATCH: TE Darren Waller has emerged as a star after being claimed by the Raiders off Baltimore's practice squad in 2018. Waller has had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons for the Raiders, setting a franchise record with 107 catches in 2020 for 1,196 yards.
KEY MATCHUP: Raiders RT Alex Leatherwood vs. Ravens edge rushers Justin Houston and Odafe Oweh. The Raiders drafted Leatherwood 17th overall and will need him to get up to form quickly for the passing game to excel. He could be dealing with veteran Houston and fellow first-rounder Odafe Oweh.
KEY INJURIES: Aside from Dobbins, the Ravens are without rookie WR Rashod Bateman, a first-round draft pick who has been out with groin problems. Baltimore also lost LB L.J. Fort during the preseason to a torn ACL. The Raiders will be without starting LB Nicholas Morrow (foot) and third-down back Jalen Richard.
SERIES NOTES: The Ravens won the past two meetings in 2017 and '18. Raiders QB Derek Carr threw a combined seven TD passes in back-to-back wins in 2015-16. Baltimore will be making its first trip to Las Vegas. The Ravens are 3-2 on the road against the Raiders, including a win in the 2000 AFC title game.
STATS AND STUFF: The Ravens have won five straight season openers, outscoring opponents 177-26 in those games. Baltimore is 30-7 in the regular season with QB Lamar Jackson as the starter. The Ravens ranked No. 1 in the NFL last season in rushing and dead last in passing. The Raiders will be playing their first regular-season game with fans in Las Vegas. They went 2-6 last year at home, matching the most home losses in a season in franchise history. Carr is making his eighth straight season-opening start. Carr set career highs last season in yards (4,103) and passer rating (101.4). The Raiders brought in coordinator Gus Bradley to fix a defense that allowed at least 30 points in a league-high 23 of 48 games the past three seasons, and a league-worst 28.4 points per game overall.
FANTASY TIP: The Raiders raised some eyebrows when they signed RB Kenyan Drake to a two-year, $11 million contract in free agency. Despite that move, Josh Jacobs remains the workhorse back and should get the bulk of the carries even if his impact in the passing game is reduced.
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