06-03-2019, 05:08
Stat Predictions for Ravens vs. Bills Following an undefeated preseason Cheap Lamar Jackson Jersey , the Ravens are looking to hit the ground running in Week 1. Other than the fluid situation on the offensive line, the starters on both sides of the ball are unlikely to change between now and Sunday - barring any injuries. Joe Flacco and Alex Collins headline the first-team offense, which performed well in limited action during the preseason. So too did the defense, which is led once again by Terrell Suggs, C.J Mosley and several other notable playmakers.Looking to return to the postseason for the first time since 2014, a convincing Week 1 victory against Buffalo would be an excellent starting point. How will some of the Ravens key players perform? Joe Flacco – 19/30, 63.3% comp, 224 yards, 7.4 YPA, 2 TD, 0 INT Coming off a strong preseason showing, Flacco should be set up for an impressive home opener. The Bills secondary allowed roughly 230 passing yards per game last season, which ranked just 20th in the NFL. They were even worse in terms of completion percentage, where they placed 25th. Given the friendly match up and home-field advantage, expect Flacco to have a relatively accurate, mistake-free day. He may not have to throw too much, however, as there is a good chance Baltimore jumps out to a sizeable lead early. Alex Collins – 18 attempts http://www.baltimoreravensteamauthentic....dle-jersey , 72 yards, 4.0 YPC, 1 TD // 2 receptions, 17 yards In addition to their struggles in the defensive backfield, Buffalo also had difficulty stopping the run last season. They gave up an average of 4.3 YPC and 124.6 rushing yards per game, both of which placed in the bottom half of the league.Unlike last season, Collins begins this year as the unquestioned lead back. He only received three carries in the preseason and should be fresh come Sunday. If Baltimore can get out to a good start offensively and maintain the lead, then they will look to control the tempo by running the ball. Regardless of the game flow, Collins figures to see a heavy workload and should find running room against a porous Buffalo run defense. There is a solid chance he finds the end zone too.Michael Crabtree – 5 receptions, 62 yards, 12.4 YPC, 1 TD Crabtree figures to be shadowed by Tre’Davious White for much of the game. White is a talented, second-year player who was the fifth highest-graded cornerback by Pro Football Focus last season. He could make things tough on Crabtree throughout the contest. While he may not rack up a lot of yardage, Crabtree should still find ways to get involved. Flacco will look his way early and often, and a high-volume of targets should equal a solid stat line for Crabtree. John Brown – 4 receptions, 69 yards, 17.3 YPC Outside of White, the Bills lack many playmakers in the secondary. Crabtree will garner most of the attention, which could set up a productive day for John “Smokey” Brown. Brown has generated a lot of hype this offseason Authentic Brandon Carr Jersey , reaping the praise of coaches and teammates alike. Him and Flacco have developed a solid rapport throughout training camp, and we saw it on display in the preseason matchup against the Colts. Brown possesses elite speed and big-play ability, much like many of the Baltimore receivers before him such as Torrey Smith and Mike Wallace. He should find himself open for several big chunks of yardage on Sunday. Willie Snead IV – 4 receptions, 42 yards, 10.5 YPC Snead, the other newcomer at the wide receiver position, should also be involved in his regular season debut as a Raven. His ability to make plays in the slot will prove valuable, particularly on intermediate routes and third-down conversions. He is not much of a red zone or big-play threat, but Snead should find space to make plays over the middle of the field given the Bills’ suspect coverage. Defensive Statistics: 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 4 sacks After tying for the league-lead in takeaways in 2017 with 38, Baltimore picked up where they left off this preseason. The Ravens ranked first in both sacks and interceptions in five exhibition contests, and this trend should continue Sunday. The Ravens defense surely would have enjoyed welcoming Josh Allen to the NFL, but facing Nathan Peterman is arguably an even more inviting match up. Peterman will be under pressure all day, and Baltimore should easily force him into mistakes. Suggs and Judon, along with the other pass-rushers on defense, will have no issue getting to the quarterback. Expect another disruptive performance from the defense behind an energized M&T Bank Stadium. Jakeem Grant won the longest game with the longest play.Grant struck like lightning when he scored on a tiebreaking 102-yard kickoff return with 14 minutes to go, and the Miami Dolphins overcame two weather delays to win the longest game since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, beating the Tennessee Titans 27-20 Sunday.Delays for lightning lasted a total of 3 hours Womens C.J. Mosley Jersey , 59 minutes, and the game took 7 hours, 8 minutes to play. The previous longest game since 1970 was a Bears overtime victory against the Ravens in 2013 that took 5 hours, 16 minutes.Grant's touchdown triggered a late flurry of big plays in a season opener that was lackluster for the first six hours.After his score, Ryan Tannehill hit Kenny Stills deep for a 75-yard touchdown. Darius Jennings returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a Titans score, and they were driving when Miami's Reshad Jones helped to clinch the win with a 54-yard return after he intercepted Blaine Gabbert."I love the way we responded 鈥?the way we were able to overcome the delays, to come out with energy after sitting around," Tannehill said. "To come away from this long day, this grind of a game, and get a win, it feels good."Titans starting quarterback Marcus Mariota threw two interceptions in the third quarter and then came out of the game with an elbow injury. Tight end Delanie Walker was carted off the field later in the period with a right leg injury, and tackle Taylor Lewan suffered a concussion, all of which meant a miserable start for Mike Vrabel in his head coaching debut.Walker's injury appeared the most serious."I haven't seen him since he left the field," Vrabel said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with him."Miami led 7-3 when the game was suspended for nearly two hours late in the first half. The teams went to the locker room during the delay and stayed on the field for halftime, which was shortened to 3陆 minutes.Lightning forced a halt again midway through the third quarter, and the second stoppage lasted just over two hours. Perhaps 10,000 fans remained at the finish."That's the job we have 鈥?to make sure we play through whatever situation," Vrabel said. "I felt we handled it well, but in the end we didn't do enough to win the game."Sandwiched between the delays was a brawl that started after Lewan appeared to be briefly knocked out . Jordan Phillips and Bobby McCain of Miami and Dion Lewis of Tennessee received offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for taunting Womens Brent Urban Jersey , and Lewan missed the rest of the game.Gabbert drove the Titans 75 yards to make the score 10-10, but Grant needed only 13 seconds to break the tie, splitting the coverage untouched and racing into the clear near midfield."I saw it was just him and the kicker," Miami coach Adam Gase said. "I was going, 'Please run by me.'"Tannehill, playing for the first time since a knee injury in late 2016, went 20 for 28 for 230 yards with two scores and two interceptions."I left a lot out there," Tannehill said. "There are a lot of plays I wanted to have back."INJURY REPORTTitans: Mariota was hurt early in the third quarter when hit on the right side by William Hayes. Mariota missed one play, and then returned to throw two interceptions before again coming out of the lineup.He said he couldn't feel his fingers or grip the ball well, and hinted he shouldn't have returned to the game."I'm not using it as an excuse, but I should have made sure I was making the best decision for the team," he said.Teammate Adoree Jackson hurt his shoulder on a 26-yard punt return in the third quarter. ... LB Wesley Woodyard was shaken up and left the game in the third quarter.FRACASLewan was flattened on Andre Branch's blindside block during an interception return by Jones. Lewan sprawled face down on the turf, then suddenly sprang to his feet, and players exchanged words and shoves.NATIONAL ANTHEMDolphins receivers Stills and Albert Wilson knelt during the national anthem, and defensive end Robert Quinn raised his right fist. They followed the same practice before preseason games. No Titans appeared to protest.UP NEXTThe Dolphins play at the New York Jets next Sunday.The Titans face Houston in their home opener next Sunday.Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: ://Steve_Wine