This game is an upset pick for me. The Raiders will be at home in primetime in front of their fans in their new stadium. The Ravens have had a ton of key injuries. CB Marcus Peters, RBs Gus Edwards, and J.K. Dobbins. Those are just the main players. They have to feel defeated or set back after losing arguably 3 of their top 5 players. That being said, let's look at the match-ups.
When Raiders Pass: I will call this a wash. Last year, the Raiders were 7th in pass yards while the Ravens were 6th in pass defense. Marcus Peters being out will definitely hurt. Let's see how this effects the Ravens game plan this year.
When Raiders Rush: I will call this a wash as well. The Raiders were 14th in rushing yards last year while the Ravens were 8th in rush defense. I think Jacobs takes a bigger step forward this year.
Quick Note: The Raiders spent 5 of their 7 draft picks this year on defensive players.
When Ravens Pass: I will call this a wash. The Ravens were dead last in passing yards last year. The Raiders were 26th in pass defense. I do think they will improve defensively this year as they addressed some needs in the draft and brought in some key free agents.
When Ravens Rush: Ravens with the advantage. The Ravens were 1st in rushing last year. The Raiders were 24th in stopping the run. Again, I think the Raiders will be better but this is the strength of the Ravens team. The Ravens number 1 and 2 RBs out will hurt but Lamar Jackson is still the main focal point.
MY PICK:
I think this will be a close game but the edge will be the Raiders moving the ball more effectively. The Ravens will be hurting in their biggest strength the run game which is how they set up their pass game which isn't that effective to begin with. Sammy Watkins will help but by how much?
Raiders: 24
Ravens: 20
Yahoo Pick'em: 83% are picking the Ravens to win.
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