Pundits Predict Ravens Will Spoil Raiders*‘* Stadium Opening
Finally, after an entertaining weekend of football, all eyes turn to the Las Vegas Raiders opening their new stadium to fans and the Baltimore Ravens. And though the Ravens have been flashing across national headlines due to a slew of season-ending injuries, most pundits predict the Ravens to leave Vegas with a positive record.
One reason for such confidence in the Ravens, despite the tumultuous summer, is the coaching staff.
“Yes, the Ravens had a somewhat disastrous summer with injuries,” The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia wrote. “But they’re still well-coached, and they’re still talented. The Raiders are breaking in a new-look offensive line against the most blitz-heavy defense in the NFL. I like Baltimore here. The pick: Ravens (-4.5)”
“However, the Ravens are usually at their best in situations like this,” The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec wrote. “Harbaugh will have the team ready to play and Jackson loves the prime-time stage. You get the sense watching and listening to Jackson the past few weeks that he’s ready to go and he’s ready to put some questions to rest.”
Zrebiec and Kapadia aren’t the only ones from The Athletic taking the Ravens, either. Among the eight others who predicted the outcome of this game, seven picked the Ravens.
As for other experts, ESPN’s Anita Marks, Joe Fortenbaugh and Seth Walder, along with Football Outsider’s Aaron Schatz, see quite a game from the Ravens unfolding.
“Picks: Ravens -4, Ravens team total over 27.5 points, Andrews over 57.5 receiving yards, Andrews TD (+750), Watkins over 39.5 receiving yards, Jackson TD (+116),” ESPN’s crew wrote.
While it’s unsurprising to see Ravens-related websites such as Baltimore Beatdown come to a consensus in taking the Ravens, it is noteworthy that Raiders Wire’s Levi Damien also expects the Ravens to win.
“[The Ravens] haven’t just won their season openers,” Damien wrote. “They have destroyed their opponents. No team has scored more than 10 points on them and they have outscored their opponents by an average of over 30 points per game! That margin has only gotten more vast the past three seasons with Lamar Jackson at QB. The Ravens have outscored their opponents 144-19. That’s an average margin of victory of nearly 42 points. Result: [Raiders] Loss (0-1).”
While most pundits are predicting the Ravens to win, not all are on board. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the same individual who said, “this might be the year that everybody figures out Lamar Jackson,” picked the Raiders for his “top upset for Week 1.”
“As for me, I’ll go Raiders (+4.5) over the Ravens,” Fowler wrote. “Las Vegas went 2-6 at home last season and will be eager to rebound now that fans will occupy Allegiant Stadium for the first time. Many people are predicting the Raiders to finish last in the AFC West. Here is a chance to prove they are indeed not a hot mess – especially against a Baltimore team already battered by injuries.”
