The Beatdown staff project the Ravens to get back to .500 with a big-time win at home.
Welcome to Baltimore Beatdown’s game predictions, sponsored by FanDuel Sportsbook. Last week, the majority of staff members went 1-0, though it came at the expense of the Ravens going 0-1. But they’re all in agreement this will be a victory for the Ravens on Sunday.
Raiders will stack the box, hammer the offensive line and hope to cause mayhem. It will be on the Ravens pass-catchers to limit their impact and when they spread out the defense, running back Derrick Henry will hammer it home. The Raiders have talent on their defensive line, namely Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins, but I can’t imagine they can hold up for 60 minutes. Especially when the Ravens’ defense can hang with the Raiders’ offense.
In all, I expect a 38-13 rout as the Ravens home crowd heads home happy. — Kyle Phoenix
Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce will likely load the box to neutralize Derrick Henry and force Lamar to pass outside the numbers. Baltimore’s talented secondary matches up well against the Raiders wideouts but their linebackers could struggle to cover rookie tight end Brock Bowers. Ultimately, the considerable advantage at quarterback, coupled with a home crowd, should produce a relatively comfortable victory. Ravens 27-17 — Vasilis Lericos
The salty Ravens bounce back in a big way and take out all of their frustrations about coming up short in Week 1 to the Chiefs on the Raiders who will travel cross country to play a game at 10 a.m. Nevada time. Despite loading the box to stop the run better, Derrick Henry will still have his first monster game as a Raven with over 120 yards and a pair of scores on the ground including a house call of 50-plus yards. Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers will score a touchdown while Isaiah Likely still looks unguardable. On the day the team honors both Joe D’Alessandris and Jacoby Jones, the Ravens will have an explosive return for a long gain or score on special teams and the offensive line will pave the way for 200-plus rushing yards while keeping the pass rush duo of Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins at bay. Justin Tucker will nail a pair of 50-plus-yard field goals with room to spare to silence the doubters and the defense will not give up a touchdown in Zach Orr’s home debut as the Ravens win in a 34-9 rout. — Joshua Reed