Buffalo Bills: Baltimore Ravens bring tough challenge in Week 1
The Buffalo Bills will hit the road to start their NFL season against the Baltimore Ravens, in a game that will test them right out of the gate.
There’s no better way to see what the Buffalo Bills are made of than with a tough opponent to start the season and that’s what they have in the Baltimore Ravens.
It doesn’t help that this is a road game where the Ravens were 5-3 last season versus their 4-4 record on the road. Let’s not forget what that defense is capable of, considering they were among the top-ranked units in the league last season.
On defense, the Bills will have their hands full with running back Alex Collins, considering the team’s run defense is a work in progress despite it being a priority during training camp. Joe Flacco has not produced like an elite level quarterback but he still finds ways to win games, so he can never be taken lightly.
Where a lot of the focus will be on and rightfully so, is on the performance of Nathan Peterman. Making only his third career start, the second-year quarterback was able to outperform A.J. McCarron, who was his main competition even though Josh Allen flashed his talent at times during the preseason.
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There’s no question that Allen is the future at quarterback but there’s no reason to throw him into the fire right away, especially against a defense which had the most takeaways last season with 34.
This is where the Bills will need to get LeSean McCoy going after sitting out the preseason; he will continue to be the workhorse of the offence considering the lack of talent at the receiver position beyond Kelvin Benjamin. McCoy ran for 1,138 yards last year which ranked fourth in the league, while adding another 448 yards on 59 receptions.
An obvious key to this game, which will probably be a low scoring affair, is to avoid costly turnovers given Peterman’s experience to throw to the wrong team.
Prediction: Ravens 21-Bills 17
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What are your predictions for the Bills in Week 1? Who are you excited to watch in the first game of the season? Let us know in the comments below.