Ravens have the better overall team. They don’t lose at home very often and they’re facing a substandard quarterback.
WHAT: Week 1, Baltimore v. Buffalo
WHEN: 1 p.m. (ET); Sunday, September 9
WHERE: M&T Bank Stadium; Baltimore (71,008)
2017 RECORDS: Bills, 9-7; Ravens, 9-7
LIFETIME SERIES (regular season): Ravens lead, 4-3; in Baltimore, the Ravens are 4-1 against Buffalo, having beaten the Bills in each of their last four visits
TV: WJZ-TV, Channel 13 (Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon, booth; Steve Tasker, sidelines)
RADIO: WIYY-FM, 97.9 (Gerry Sandusky, Dennis Pitta, booth; Kirk McEwen, sidelines)
REFEREE: Shawn Hochuli
About The Bills
–The Bills were born in 1960 as one of the original members of the American Football League. Owner Ralph Wilson was known as part of the “Foolish Club,” a group of original owners who were roundly criticized for what seemed like a foolhardy venture. When Wilson died in 2014 at age 95, Korean-born Kim Pegula and husband Terry beat out two main groups to own the team–one headed by rock star Jon Bon Jovi, the other by businessman/reality television host Donald Trump. Pegula is one of two foreign-born owners in the NFL. Shahid Khan, Jacksonville, is the other.
–In its history, Buffalo has accumulated 17 postseason appearances in 58 full seasons. Buffalo won three division titles (1964-66) and two league championships (’64, ’65) in the AFL era. In the AFC East, the Bills have seven division championships–none since 1995–and seven wild-card berths. The franchise is best known for being the only one to appear in four straight Super Bowls (XXV through XXVIII) and losing all of them to the Giants, Washington, and Cowboys (twice), respectively.
–-Sean McDermott, 44, a William & Mary graduate, is the 19th head coach in Bills history. He is entering his second year with the team. Last year, he guided Buffalo to six home wins–the first time since 1999, which had been the last time the team made playoffs.
—The Bills have several assistants with Ravens’ ties. They are Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier (Ravens, 2016), Offensive Line Coach Juan Castillo (Ravens, 2013-16), and Defensive Quality Control Coach John Egorugwu (Ravens, 2015-16).
—Last year, Buffalo’s worst offensive showing came in the first quarter of games–scoring 40 points total. Defensively, the fourth quarter was the Bills’ worst frame–allowing 112 points. The Bills got off to a 5-2 start before going into a three-game losing streak. Buffalo closed strong, though, winning four of six games down the stretch to gain the sixth and final playoff spot (at Baltimore’s expense) by virtue of the conference-record tiebreaker.
—Buffalo ended last season with the 29th-ranked–or fourth-worst–offense in the league, Its passing game gained over 176 yards per game last year, ranking 31st, while the rushing attack ranked sixth (126.1 per game). The third-down conversion rate was 42 percent (tied for sixth) and the unit averaged 18.9 points per game (22nd).
—On defense, the Bills ranked 26th in total yards allowed. Other defensive stats include: 29th against the rush, 20th vs. the pass and allowed 22.4 points per game (18th).
—On the penalty front, Buffalo committed 98 penalties last year–one of only ten teams to have been flagged for fewer than 100 accepted infractions. Despite a below-par offensive performance, the Bills’ nine false starts were tied with Dallas for the second-fewest in the league (behind New Orleans with six). Among returning players, linebacker Jerry Hughes and right tackle Jordan Mills were tied for the team lead with six flags each.
–-The Bills traded up in the first round–from 12th to seventh–to select University of Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen. But rookie quarterbacks are only 2-14 at Baltimore (Mitch Trubisky and Jake Plummer got wins). Buffalo will start Nathan Peterman, a 2017 fifth-round pick from Pittsburgh. Peterman played in four games last year, going 1-1 as a starter, including a notable five-interception game against the Chargers. This preseason, Peterman played to a 124.7 rating with three touchdowns and one interception.
—Going into his tenth year in the league and fourth with Buffalo, LeSean McCoy is coming off a season that saw him rush for 1138 yards and five touchdowns. He led the Bills with 59 receptions and two more scores, averaging just under eight yards per catch. He could be eligible to play in Baltimore despite a high-profile domestic violence case. McCoy has 10,092 career rush yards and averages 4.6 yards per carry for his career, but against Baltimore (two games) he’s averaging 3.3 per attempt with two touchdowns and had six passes for 20 yards. McCoy can claim eight straight seasons of 1000 or more total scrimmage yards.
–-The Bills thought their wide receiver corps would be upgraded with the addition of ex-Brown Corey Coleman, but Coleman didn’t survive the final cut. The starters should be ex-Carolina Panther Kelvin Benjamin, who is recovering from a knee injury, and second-year man Zay Jones, who caught 27 passes in 2017 before needing shoulder surgery. Former TCU star Jeremy Kerley is in the mix, but he contributes more in the return game. Alabama’s undrafted rookie, Robert Foster, made the team because Coleman did not.
–-In seven seasons with Miami and Buffalo, tight end Charles Clay has turned into one of the NFL’s most underrated tight ends. He has 318 career catches, 23 touchdowns, and a per-catch average of nearly 11 yards. Clay’s 49 catches were second on the team last year. In three losing games against Baltimore, he has seven catches for 133 yards and one touchdown. The Bills usually keep four tight ends, with Logan Thomas, the main goal-line threat as a solid backup.
—The Bills’ offensive line had some notable veterans that didn’t protect well last year. The line allowed 47 sacks–nearly three per game–but they also enabled the league’s sixth-ranked running game. That line was decimated by the retirements of center Eric Wood and left guard Richie Incognito. The tackle spots will be manned by second-year left-sider Dion Dawkins and sixth-year vet Jordan Mills. Ryan Groy is a fifth-year Wisconsin product, who will play center, but he could also play guard behind the starting tandem of John Miller and Vladimir Ducasse.
—The Bills’ defensive line room needed a complete overhaul and more pocket push after a rough 2017 season. The entire defense registered only 27 sacks, tied for the fourth-fewest in the league. Yet, veteran tackle Kyle Williams and newcomer Trent Murphy, a former Redskin, are currently hobbled with respective knee and groin injuries. Williams took a pay cut to return to the only franchise for which he has ever played. Williams and Murphy are joined by NFL veteran pass rusher Jerry Hughes, whose paltry total of four sacks co-led last year’s Bills, and another free-agent newcomer, ex-Carolina defensive tackle and former first-rounder Star Lotulelei, who was a member of the 2013 All-Rookie team.
—The Bills traded with Baltimore to move up from the 22nd overall draft slot to the 16th. They used that pick to take Virginia Tech middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (6’5”, 250 lbs.), who will be entrusted with the starting job in Buffalo. Although only 20 years old, he is exceptionally quick and athletic. He replaces last year’s leading tackler, Preston Brown, who signed with Cincinnati. Flanking Edmunds will be 35-year-old strong-sider Lorenzo Alexander, who is becoming more one-dimensional (pass rusher) as his career winds down. Weak-sider Matt Milano is going into his second season.
—Buffalo picked off 18 opponents’ passes last year, tied for sixth-most in the league. Yet, all four secondary starters have come to the team in the last year and a half. The dean of the group is nine-year NFL corner Vontae Davis, who is now with his third team (Miami, Indianapolis). Davis, who has 22 career interceptions, played in just five games last year and only twice has turned in a full 16 game season. He is paired with 5-foot-11 Tre’Davous White–a small, second-year player from LSU, who made a strong impression last year.with four picks.
—The Bills’ safety tandem is comprised of a pair of 2017 free-agent pickups, Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. Hyde, a former Green Bay Packer, is versatile enough to play any position in the back end, His specialty is safety where he picked off five passes last year. Poyer was injury-prone in Cleveland and but has blossomed in an expanded role. He was the only player in the league last year to have 90 tackles and five pickoffs. Poyer and Hyle were the only set of teammates in the league to have five interceptions each.
—Rookie receiver Ray-Ray McCloud (Clemson) should handle some of the punt and kick return duties, but the main player performing this role should be eight-year veteran Jeremy Kerley. In seven seasons with the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers, Kerley has averaged 8.7 yards per punt return and 15.6 on kick runbacks. He has run back many more punts than kicks.
—Stephen Hauschka, a former Raven, does the placekicking. He hit 29 of 33 field-goal tries for Buffalo in 2017 with an NFL-high seven field goals from 50 yards or more last year. If the game turns into a field-position battle, a lot of pressure will be on undrafted rookie punter, Corey Bojorquez. He’s an undrafted rookie who signed with New England originally. To sign Bojorquez, the Bills cut loose veteran Colton Schmidt.
Prediction
The ingredients are there for a revived Ravens offense but, with Joe Flacco and his new targets not getting many preseason repetitions, it might be tough to click on all cylinders right out of the gate. That the Ravens have the better overall team. They don’t lose at home very often and they’re facing a substandard quarterback in Peterman.
Ravens 20, Bills 16
