Ravens Look to Dominate Week 1 Opponent for Third Straight Year

Baltimore has been good out of the gate.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Over the past two regular seasons, the Ravens have outscored their opponents 97-16 in Week One.

Can they keep that stellar performance going against the Las Vegas Raiders in a prime-time matchup? 

“We’ve played well in those games, but this is a new game," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "This is a different opponent, [and] it’s a new year. Nothing counts. You can’t look back; you have to look forward. We just have to get ourselves ready to play this game against a very good Raiders team." 

The Ravens demolished the Miami Dolphins, 59-10, in the 2019 regular-season opener.  Lamar Jackson tied a Ravens record with five touchdown passes, including scores of 47 and 83 yards to Marquise Brown in the first 11 minutes.

Baltimore also set a franchise record for points in the first half, and an NFL record for points in the first half of an opener, taking a 42-10 lead at the break. The Ravens also broke franchise marks for points and total yards with 643.

Last season, Jackson threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns, in a 38-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns, spoiling coach Kevin Stefanski's debut.

Harbaugh expects a tough challenge from a Raiders team making their debut in their new home stadium.

"They have an established program," Harbaugh said. "They’re very physical up front on both sides. You can see that; that’s what they want to be. They have speed. They have a veteran quarterback. They have a new defensive system. They have a very good special teams coordinator, and all those things go into play that we’re trying to take into account.”


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Todd Karpovich
TODD KARPOVICH

Twitter: @toddkarpovich Email: todd.karpovich@gmail.com Skype: todd.karpovich Todd Karpovich has been a contributor for ESPN, Forbes, the Associated Press, Lindy's, and The Baltimore Sun, among other media outlets nationwide. He is the co-author of “If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Baltimore Ravens Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box,” “Skipper Supreme: Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles,” and the author of “Manchester United (Europe's Best Soccer Clubs).” Karpovich, a Baltimore native, is a graduate of Calvert Hall College high school, Randolph-Macon College in Virginia, and has a Masters of Science from Towson University.