This Sunday the (0-0) Baltimore Ravens and the (0-0) New York Jets will face off in the first week of the 2022 NFL season. Kick-off will be at 1:00 PM EST inside MetLife Stadium. Both of these teams will be looking to jump out to a fast start in the first regular season game.
The Ravens are coming into this one after another perfect preseason. Baltimore went 3-0 and now they will get to put Lamar Jackson out onto the field. The former MVP will be looking to prove that he is still one of the best players in the league.
The New York Jets are entering week 1 after going perfect in the preseason, as well. Unfortunately, they will still be without Zach Wilson in this game. His knee isn't completely healed, so the Jets will be starting Joe Flacco.
The Baltimore Ravens finished the 2021 season 9-8, as they were a tough team to beat. Unfortunately, that record put them in dead last in the AFC North to end last year's regular season. Last season, the Ravens scored 22.8 points per game, which was the 17th most in the league. They will now be starting Lamar Jackson at quarterback, as he didn't see much action in the preseason. According to ESPN, Jackson threw for 2,882 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 2021. He was tied for the 25th most yards and he was tied for the 23rd most touchdowns thrown. Lamar Jackson can also use his legs, though. He ran for 767 yards and two touchdowns in 2021, as he is hard to stop. The Ravens also ran for the third-most rushing yards per game last season. They averaged 145.8. They weren't the most dominant passing team, though. They threw for an average of 251 yards per game, which was the 13th lowest in the league. I would watch for Ma rk Andrews in the passing game, as he recorded 107 catches and 1,361 yards in 2021. Andrews also had nine touchdowns, which led the team.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Ravens were also tough to stop. They continued to put pressure on the opposing quarterbacks and they were great against the run. The Ravens finished the 2021 season with 57 sacks, as their front seven continued to feast on weak offensive lines. Patrick Queen led the team with 98 tackles, as he was all over the field last season. Baltimore also gave up 23.1 points per game, which was the 19th most in the league. Baltimore had a ton of issues against the pass in 2021 as well. They gave up 278.8 yards per game through the air, as their secondary wasn't getting the job done. They were also forced to deal with a ton of injuries in 2021. They now have the majority of their secondary back. Baltimore gave up 7.6 yards per pass last season, as they continued to give up big chunk plays. They also only had nine interceptions, as they ended the season with a -11 turnover differential.