The start of the National Football League (NFL) season begins Thursday night and will feature the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens in a playoff rematch with the Denver Broncos.
In January during the AFC Divisional Playoff round, Baltimore snatched victory away from the Broncos after the Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco took advantage of Denver safety Rahim Moore's blown coverage that allowed wide receiver Jacoby Jones to score a 70-yard touchdown, sending the game into overtime with 31 seconds left in regulation. Baltimore would go on to win 38-35 in double-OT.
"We know the environment we're going into. It will be the same environment, or even tougher, than the one that we faced in January," said Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. "We're excited about that."
The Ravens, who saw a lot changes in their personnel, including the retirement of future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis and the departure of defensive back Ed Reed to the Houston Texans via free agency, have huge expectations for Joe Flacco - who signed a new six-year deal worth $120.6 million after helping guide the Ravens to their Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers - to take over the role of team leader for the squad.
"Ray Lewis was such a big face and such a presence around here for so long. So when there is a void like that, people just naturally want to ask how it is going to change this year without him," said Flacco. "So I just deal with that question and answer it however I feel like that day."
For Flacco, the new contract comes with greater expectations of carrying the offense despite losing wide receiver Anquan Boldin (traded to the San Francisco 49ers) and tight end Dennis Pitta (injured reserve-designated for return list). Ravens' offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell believes that Flacco is up to the task of not only stepping into his new leadership role but also improving further on his skill sets as well.
"Joe is growing, developing, getting better by the day,'' said Caldwell. "He's the centerpiece of our offense. What we tried to do was take him to camp and look at what he does well."
With the lose of Boldin and Pitta, the Ravens will play running back Ray Rice in the slot position, a way for Baltimore to reduce the amount of his carries while keeping a dynamic offensive weapon on the field and allowing for second-year running back Bernard Pierce to develop his game.
"Ray can definitely do that stuff, and it definitely will be something we need to look at," said Flacco. "A lot of his effectiveness comes from catching the ball out of the backfield, and when we do motion him out and get him lined up on a linebacker, he's good at that stuff. It's just matter of getting reps with him and allowing him to do it, and our coaches getting some confidence in all of that."
The Broncos also made adjustments during the off-season, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, losing linebacker Von Miller for six games due to a drug suspension and Elvis Dumervil, who ended up with the Ravens after the Broncos failed to fax paperwork that would have kept him in Denver.
Denver will be without cornerback Champ Bailey Thursday night because of a left foot injury. Bailey sprained his foot two weeks ago, not being able to move laterally or backpedal. Chris Harris will start in place of Bailey with free-agent acquisition Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie playing the other cornerback position.
"I do believe we acquired a really good football player in Dominique," Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. "But we also have one that's going to be sitting out in Champ. We'll tee it up and play. I'm not really big on making predictions. I'm big on getting our guys ready to the best of their ability, going out there and competing."
Offensively, the Broncos are relying on Peyton Manning and their new no-huddle attack that intends on gassing defenses around the league. Last year, the Broncos ranked fourth in total offense, averaging 30.1 points per game -- ranked second in the AFC only to the New England Patriots. Broncos head coach John Fox admits that they fell victim to the Patriots high-octane no-huddle offense and plans to emulate that style of play.
In order to help Manning, the Broncos added former New England Patriot Wes Welker to the wide receiver corp that includes Demaryius Thomas (94 receptions, 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2012) and Eric Decker (85 receptions, 1,064 yards and 13 TDs) that coach Fox hopes can keep defenses off-balance.
"You want change of pace," said Fox. "Just like a pitcher -- you don't throw all fastballs. The good ones throw different speeds. They throw curves and sliders and changeups. That's the trend. Call it the 'Chip Kelly Effect'. We fell victim to it a year ago in New England. We kind of stole it from them, really."
Live Television Coverage
The Baltimore Ravens - Denver Broncos Week 1 game can be seen on NBC, 8:40 p.m. EST.
Live Stream (Online)
Live stream coverage can be seen on NFL RedZone.
Live Stream (Radio)
Live stream coverage can be heard on NFL Audio Pass, Sirius XM Radio, or ESPN Radio.
Live Score
Live scores could be followed by clicking here.
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