Four Storylines For Ravens' Season Opener vs. Bills

After eight months of agonizing anticipation, the Baltimore Ravens will get the chance to wash the bitter taste that has been stirring in their collective mouths against the foe that put it there.

They'll officially open the 2025 season in the same venue where their 2024 championship hopes were dashed as they're taking on the Buffalo Bills under a national spotlight on Sunday Night Football. There are several intriguing storylines surrounding this clash of AFC titans that is a rematch from last year's Divisional Round of the playoffs. Here are the top four, to name a few:

MVP Favorites Square Off Again

The last two players to be voted the NFL's most valuable player won't be on the field at the same time on Sunday, aside from pre-game warmups and post-game pleasantries, but their seventh head-to-head matchup will likely determine who emerges as the early favorite this year. Despite the superior and historic stats that Jackson posted last year, the race between the two for the prestigious honor went down to the wire and saw Allen controversially receive the first of his career while the Ravens' face of the franchise was robbed of his third. The all-time record between these two dynamic signal callers is 3-3, with Jackson having a 3-1 advantage in the regular season and Allen being 2-0 in the playoffs.

Mark Andrews' Redemption Arc

Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard grabs Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews’ fumble during second half action. — Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard grabs Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews’ fumble during second half action at the Buffalo Bills divisional game against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Jan. 19, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No one felt worse for the part they played in the team's gut-wrenching Divisional round defeat than the three-time Pro Bowl veteran. His costly fourth-quarter fumble was only compounded by his drop of what would've been the game-tying 2-point conversion in the final minutes. While he can't rewrite history, Andrews will be fiercely determined not to let it repeat itself in this game. With fourth-year pro Isaiah Likely ruled out, he'll have ample opportunities in the passing game. He should be able to make plays and step up big.

"At the end of the day, this is a new season," Andrews said Wednesday. "I've had a full training camp of getting better. It's a new team. For me, just looking at it, it's two really good teams going against each other. I'm going to play my part. I'm going to do my job to the best of my ability, which I'm excited about. It's an incredible opportunity for this organization, for me, this team and everything we want to do this year to start it off right. So, I'm excited about that."

Loaded Secondary Faces First Big Test

The Ravens spent the spring and summer revamping their defensive backfield via free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft and undrafted free agency and now boast the deepest and most talented collective unit in the league.

They have five former first-rounders in the starting lineup and another experienced backup with Chidobe Awuzie, all of whom are expected to see regular time this season. While the Bills don't have any Pro Bowl pass catchers or even a receiver or tight end who got within 150 yards of 1,000 receiving, they are going up against one of the best quarterbacks and gifted passers in Allen. Like their own MVP, he can extend plays and thread the needle into tight windows, so even though they are more talented, a lack of discipline or communication could still lead to them giving up big plays.

"The mindset would be for every game that we should be the best secondary in the league and to set the tone [and] set the tone early," two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander said Friday.

Who Will Win in the Trenches?

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith and defensive tackle Michael Pierce wrap up Buffalo Bills running back Ray Davis. — Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith and Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce wrap up Buffalo Bills running back Ray Davis during second half action at the Buffalo Bills divisional game against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Jan. 19, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In the Divisional Round thriller between these two teams, the Bills dominated the line of scrimmage and point of attack on both sides of the ball in the first half and built a double-digit lead. Even though the Ravens bounced back in the second half and nearly completed an incredible comeback, the damage had already been done and proved too much to overcome. Several members of Baltimore's front seven talked about how sickening it was to give up a season-high 147 rushing yards and know Buffalo will try to rinse and repeat on Sunday, especially if they’re not able to move the ball well through the air.

"Stopping them, making them one-dimensional and forcing it to be a drop-back game and when you do that, then things can go a different direction," inside linebacker Roquan Smith said Wednesday. So, it has to start [with] first, stopping the run, and then we'll go from there, and that's something that we will do."

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