The words “Flacco” and “starting quarterback” used to be a Ravens thing. That era seems long ago, but now here we are again, except this time a 37-year-old Flacco is starting for the Jets in lieu of the injured QB Zach Wilson.
Meanwhile the Ravens are hopeful quarterback Lamar Jackson and the rest of their playmakers can get off to a quick start after sitting out all of the preseason. Jackson has put up some impressive numbers in regular-season openers over his career with nine touchdown passes, no interceptions and a 150.2 rating in three career starts.
Running back J.K. Dobbins might be ready after dealing with a season-ending knee injury last year. As a result, the Ravens could rotate Mike Davis, Justice Hill, and Kenyan Drake and then stay with whichever player is having the most success.
Jackson will take some shots downfield with Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, and newly acquired Demarcus Robinson at wide receiver. However, look for Jackson to get his tight ends — Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely — heavily involved in the offense.
The Jets have two young dynamic players on defense — cornerback Sauce Gardner and linebacker Jermaine Johnson II. Gardner will match up against Bateman and Johnson will look to keep Jackson under pressure.
On defense the goal for the Ravens is to create more turnovers and get more sacks under new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who replaced Don Martindale. Look for the Ravens to play more disciplined under Macdonald and disguise their blitzes and schemes. Baltimore’s overhauled secondary is expected to make more plays.
Flacco will be looking to avoid pressure, which will be difficult due to his decreased mobility. Jets rookie wide receiver Garrett Wilson is expected to be an impact player this season. Wilson, 6-foot-, 192 pounds, does a solid job winning balls against cornerbacks and safeties. He also runs solid routes. Expectations are high for him.
Breece Hall is atop the Jets’ depth chart at running back. The rookie from Iowa State won the job with a solid preseason. Michael Carter led the team with 639 yards rushing last season and is back in the rotation.
The Ravens have traditionally started fast out of the gate. Since 2019, the Ravens have outscored opponents 124-49 (plus-75) in Week 1. This year is different because none of the key starters played any preseason snaps and coach John Harbaugh doesn’t know what to expect. However, a healthy Ravens team is more talented than this year’s Jets, who have several young players who could evolve into talented NFL playmakers. Baltimore could be without Dobbins, cornerback Marcus Peters and left tackle Ronnie Stanley, so that could impact the game. It will be 9/11 and the Jets will be playing with a lot of emotion. The Ravens need to match that intensity. It will be a tight one.
Week 1: Baltimore at New York Jets
Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022
1 p.m. ET – MetLife Stadium (82,500)
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The Ravens are favored by 7 points (SI Sportsbook)
The Jets have concerns on their offensive line as veteran Duane Brown, who was signed after a season-ending knee injury to Mekhi Becton, didn’t practice for a second straight day because of a shoulder injury. New York was counting on Brown to play left tackle with George Fant sliding back to right tackle to fill in for Becton. Fant is also dealing with a knee injury that has left him limited the past two days. Furthermore, backup offensive tackle Conor McDermott has been limited by an ankle ailment.
Joe Flacco will officially play against the team that drafted him, where he spent 11 years, where he piled up 96 wins and won a Super Bowl. Flacco is a Baltimore legend, and now he’ll be on the other side.
Even Flacco would be kidding himself if he didn’t think he felt a little something this week. He’s “Joe Cool”, not “Joe Robot.”
“Obviously there’s going to be some different emotions that I haven’t experienced before with this one,” Flacco said Wednesday.
The end of the Flacco era in Baltimore was unfulfilling but not acrimonious. Flacco said he holds no ill feelings toward the Ravens after they traded him to the Denver Broncos in February of 2019. Sunday’s game feels more like a reunion than revenge.
“It’s part of the business,” Flacco said this week. “Obviously your competitive nature has certain feelings about it, but a lot of those things are out of my control to a certain extent. What I’ve been trying to do ever since then is keep my head down and work and get better at football and look for the best opportunity that I can.”
Once the game starts and the emotions settle, it’s going to be Flacco vs. the Ravens defense. Once Flacco’s initial emotions wane, Baltimore will be trying to rattle “Joe Cool” over the next 60 minutes. The Ravens know how competitive Flacco is, and know he’ll be looking to win.
“I think he’ll have a lot of feelings. This was home for Joe,” TE Nick Boyle said. “But I think every time he goes onto the field he’s out there to compete and do his best.”
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