Three Biggest Games: Baltimore Ravens
If you can make it to the divisional round of the playoffs, lose to the eventual Super Bowl champions in the game of the year, and still call it a forgettable season, you’re doing something right. Such was the case for the Baltimore Ravens in 2014. The franchise will have its sights set on claiming its third Lombardi trophy in its twentieth anniversary year, but not before overcoming these three challenges.
Week 1 at Denver Broncos
The last time these two teams squared off, the Ravens got the royal shaft in what should have been a crowning night in the team’s history. After winning Super Bowl XLVII, the Ravens kicked off the following season on the road against Denver. Seven Peyton Manning touchdowns later, the Ravens flew back home with their feathers more than a little ruffled. This time around, though, the focus will be on two teams aiming for a deep playoff run, but both of whom carry their fair share of doubters. A young Ravens defense meets a waning Manning in a battle for an early-season leg-up.
Week 4 at Pittsburgh Steelers
The 2014 Ravens-Steelers series went to a crucial Game Three, with Baltimore earning its first playoff victory against its fiercest rival. But unlike that encounter, the Steelers will welcome running back renaissance man Le’Veon Bell back to the lineup, fresh off a two-game suspension care of his DUI arrest last offseason. Pittsburgh’s usually stifling defense failed to trouble Flacco in their last encounter, and it’s hard to see him floundering under a mountain of youth and inexperience this time around as well. With both teams coming off a short week and fronting up on Thursday Night Football, expect an injury toll in the double digits after this one.
Week 17 at Cincinnati Bengals
In a wild, competitive and incredibly stacked AFC North, who’s to say which team will emerge with the division title after seventeen long weeks? If you had a gun forced to your head and had to pick one team from the division to fall off the playoff map in 2015, you might just choose the Bengals, but that doesn’t mean the men in stripes will be a walkover in Cincinnati. Baltimore’s offense should prepare for a beating against Cincy’s talented defensive line, while its offense will look to contain Andy Dalton and his many weapons. If want a battle hardening clash before the business end of the season, look no further.
