Bills face hungry Week 1 opponent in Ravens

The Buffalo Bills are getting the season started off with a bang as they face off against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football.

The Bills and Ravens met in the Divisional Round nearly eight months ago, where Buffalo came out on top in a thrilling 27-25 decision. It wasn't so thrilling for the Ravens, who have had this matchup circled on the schedule since it came out in May.

"We're preparing for the [Buffalo] Bills. That's the team we played. That's the last game they played, second to last game they played. [It's] the last game we played and the last game they played that we cared about, honestly. We're watching that game. You watch all the games. You watch the preseason games. It's just a thorough evaluation of everything," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said.

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry is caught by Buffalo Bills defensive end AJ Epenesa. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's a new season and new opportunity for both teams, but it's not easy to forget about what happened. The Ravens were close to tying the game with seconds to go, but Mark Andrews' drop on the game-tying 2-point conversion gave the Bills the win.

The Ravens could easily look at last season as the past and not worry about it, but that's the opposite way they are choosing to handle this.

"No, you certainly don't flush it, because there's a lot to learn," Harbaugh said.

"We have to understand how the game went, how they played us and what the schemes were. There were a lot of chess moves going on in that game that will be built on this game on both sides of the ball. The yes, of course [we look at] the way the game is played, what we could have done better, certainly, [and] what we did well. [It's] the same for them, I'm sure, too."

The Ravens hope to learn from their mistakes while the Bills eye a chance to prove once again that they are one of the best teams in the AFC.

If the Bills can start the season off with a win, it should give them a lot of momentum to ride with going forward.

Kickoff between the Ravens and Bills is set for 8:20 p.m. ET inside Highmark Stadium.

Buffalo Bills Dion Dawkins blocks for quarterback Josh Allen, behind him, who sneaks in for a touchdown. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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