Finally, after a much anticipated and long offseason, Football Sundays are back, and with that, comes some more Jets Football. The Jets will play hosts at Metlife Stadium to a competitive and gritty Baltimore Ravens team that is looking to start off on the right note after barely missing the playoffs last year. The two main questions that come out of today's matchup will be how the Jets can contain Ravens QB Lamar Jackson and how Jets starting QB Joe Flacco will match up. They were both once competing for a spot in Baltimore back in 2018, but due to Flacco not producing enough on the field, it opened the door for a talented Ex Louisville QB to take the starting job. Is it fair to say this is a "revenge" game now for Flacco?
For today's injury report for the Jets, the most significant injury comes at the QB position, where QB Zach Wilson is still out after his post-surgery recovery from a torn meniscus and bone bruise. He hopefully should be back by week 4 when the Jets go to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers. Along with Wilson, new signing OT Duane Brown is also out today with a shoulder injury.
 |
| Today will be a big game for Jets starting QB Joe Flacco, who won a Super Bowl and played for the Ravens for 10 years |
Four players are listed as questionable, but they all went through full practice, so it would be more than likely to say they will all play this week. Those guys are OT Conor McDermott, OT George Fant, new signing CB DJ Reed, and CB Justin Hardee. For the Ravens, RBs JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards will be out today, along with OT Ronnie Stanley most likely as he is listed as doubtful too. CB Marcus Peters is questionable for today after missing all of last season with an ACL tear as well.
For today's Ravens preview, it all starts offensively with QB Lamar Jackson and the Ravens run game. The Ravens run a wildcat like offense, where they will use more running plays and RB depth than their WRs or TEs. However, that doesn't mean Jackson won't throw the ball too. With quality targets in top tier TE Mark Andrews, WR Devin Duvernay, and new WR1 Rashod Bateman, the Jets defense will have to be ready to see different looks from this hybrid style Ravens offense.
Although Lamar Jackson has the speed of a RB, the Jets must contain the Ravens' run game as well, which is their strongest offensive suit, despite not having Dobbins or Edwards available today. RB Mike Davis will be a part of their RB tandem along with Justice Hill and newly signed Kenyan Drake. Not to mention Jackson will probably run the ball a lot too, and in recent time, the Jets defense has had its issues with containing good running QBs. This will be put to the test today.
 |
| Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is a duel threat QB and will pose a major threat to the Jets defense today |
Defensively, the Ravens are pretty solid, especially in the secondary, which will have CBs Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey back, who were missed greatly during their absences in 2021. Up front, DE Calais Campbell is always a threat to any QB, along with LB Patrick Queen, who can also drop back into coverage well. Even though the Ravens lost their former DC Wink Martindale to the Giants, new DC Mike Macdonald will have to step in and help run a talented Ravens defense and coach them to success.
For the Jets today, they will have a very new look on both the offensive and defensive sides. Offensively, they feature some newcomers with rookie RB Breece Hall, rookie WR Garrett Wilson, TEs Tyler Conklin and CJ Uzomah, and OG Laken Tomlinson. With lots of new faces and Flacco set to start for the first few weeks, it will be interesting to see how the Jets build up their offense with all of these additions. The Jets must utilize their returning offensive starters too, such as RB Michael Carter and WRs Elijah Moore and Corey Davis.
Defensively, the Jets welcome in DE Carl Lawson, who signed last offseason but missed the entire 2021 season with an Achilles tear. He will be an ex-factor to the Jets pass rush up front and should be exciting to see in his debut in Green and White. Along with Lawson, DT Solomon Thomas, LB Kwon Alexander, Rookie CB Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, CB DJ Reed, and S Jordan Whitehead all will make their Jets debuts today as well, and although it is a very new look defensively, all signs lead to that there will be improvements for the 2022 season.
For today's prediction, it without a doubt will be one of the tougher games on the Jets schedule this year, but the new look and anticipation along with the Metlife crowd definitely could play a factor into the Jets' success today. However, with a new look team also comes growing patches and learning how to play with each other on the field. The Jets will be competitive today and pose a threat to the Ravens, but at the end of the day, the Ravens do have the edge for now in this game. I'll take the Ravens to win over the Jets in a competitive 21-17 final. FOOTBALL IS BACK LADIES AND GENTS!!!
-Miles Chamberlain
Comments
Post a Comment