RadioOnFire.com - Week 1 of the NFL regular season is typically a wild one, but Week 2 gave it a run for its money.
A number of underdogs upset teams across both the NFC and AFC, providing little clarity in how the standings figure to shape up as the season moves along.
That back and fourth started when Baltimore, a one-point favorite on the road, lost to division rival Cincinnati. Quarterback Joe Flacco threw a pair of interceptions and fell to 9-11 in games against the Bengals.
Although it could prove to be a costly loss, Baltimore will have a chance at revenge when the team hosts the Bengals following a Week 10 bye. The Ravens also have opportunities to bounce back in the next two weeks, starting with a home game against the Denver Broncos Sunday.
Perhaps the most important matchup in the game this weekend will be the Ravens' offensive line against the stout pass rush Denver has, a front that finished third in the NFL in sacks last season (52). Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins registered two of the his team's four sacks last week against Baltimore while a pressure and hit from safety Shawan Williams forced a Flacco interception late in the fourth quarter, essentially ending the game.
With All-Pro defensive end Von Miller (10 sacks last year, four already this year) on the opposite side of 2018's fifth-overall pick Bradley Chubb, head coach John Harbaugh says they will have to take Denver's defensive front into account each down.
"We will have to have [Miller] accounted for at all times, on every play. If we don’t do that, he’ll wreck the game," Harbaugh said Monday. "That’s job [No.] 1 on offense – that’s where it starts.”
Harbaugh says he feels schematically Baltimore protected well on passing downs against the Bengals, but he noted one bad matchup was having a tight end on a top tier pass rusher.
Source WBAL
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