In what has become an NFL tradition, the defending champions normally kick off the new season at home. However, due to a scheduling conflict with MLB’s Baltimore Orioles, this game will take place in Denver. As you may recall, it was only a few short months ago that these two teams squared off for a game that went down as one of the greatest and most exciting tilts in history.
In that Divisional Playoff matchup, the Ravens forced overtime with a miraculous 70-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Jacoby Jones, and ended up winning the game 38-35 in double overtime. As most of you already know, the Ravens used that momentum going forward to get to their first Super Bowl Championship since 2001. Peyton Manning and the Broncos were devastated after that overtime defeat, and you can be sure they will be using it as motivation next Thursday when they go for revenge against Baltimore.
The spread for this game opened at around seven points but the line has since shifted with most sportsbooks and is now closer to nine points. While there will be many familiar faces taking the field next week in Denver, both teams have made a few key personnel changes to take note of.
Denver made headlines for all the wrong reasons earlier this offseason, when a fax snafu resulted in a missed contract deadline and forced the Broncos to release star defensive end Elvis Dumervil. While that was a big loss for Denver, they did make some notable additions as well. The Broncos added star slot receiver Wes Welker, and also improved their secondary with the additions of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Quentin Jammer. Willis McGahee is no longer in the backfield for Denver, but the Broncos did spend a high draft pick on Wisconsin running back Montee Ball.
For the Ravens, this season marks a new era for the franchise, as they no longer have team leaders Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. The Super Bowl Champions endured a major overhaul this offseason and general manager Ozzie Newsome is well in control of the team, positioning Baltimore to be much younger and more athletic. While the Elvis Dumervil situation was a disaster for Denver, it worked out well for Baltimore as they were able to snag the coveted defensive player. After re-signing quarterback Joe Flacco to a $120 Million contract, the Ravens were unable to re-sign wide receiver Anquan Bolding. The plan was for tight end Dennis Pitta to pick up the slack on offense, but after he suffered a season ending injury during preseason, Flacco will have to look elsewhere when throwing the ball.
Things change very quickly in the NFL and nobody can be sure of what to expect from either of these teams this betting season. All eyes will be on both teams as they take the field next Thursday, and the one thing we can be sure of is that football is finally back.
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