Ravens Look to Avenge Playoff Loss in Season Opener

"It will be great motivation," two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike said Monday. "That's the last game we played. To go back there and play the same team that we lost to that we believe we should've won, self-inflicted mistakes. Everybody's pumped up. You want to get that bad taste out of your mouth."

After his unit was a driving force behind the Ravens' fielding the top-ranked rush defense in the league during the regular season and through the first round of the playoffs, they got bullied in the trenches by the Bills for a season-high 147 yards on the ground.

"It's not a good feeling," Madubuike said. "[There were] things that we did [well and] things that we did [not do well], but the bad overrides the good. That's why we lost. So, it's definitely something that we're looking to [correct], and we really want to tighten the bolts on that."

The Ravens had a similar opportunity in last year's season opener when they played the Kansas City Chiefs on the road after they had come into Baltimore just over seven months prior and upset them in the 2023 AFC championship game. They failed to do so, but are determined not to let history repeat itself this time around.

"That team sent us home out of the playoffs, so I don't think it's just going into a normal game per se," Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley said. "We were very unhappy with the result last time we were there. A lot of us will give anything to leave there with a dub."

The Ravens player who will likely be the most motivated to redeem himself for his part in the team's latest playoff shortcoming is three-time Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews. His fourth-quarter fumble and crucial drop of what would've been the game-tying two-point conversion to force overtime resulted in him receiving weeks and months of backlash from fans and pundits alike.

Instead of letting the waves of negativity and speculation about his immediate future with the team, Andrews used his mistakes as motivation during his offseason training and returned for OTAs in great shape. The soon-to-be 30-year-old is heading into the final year of his contract and is still one of Lamar Jackson's most trusted targets in the passing game.

With fourth-year tight end Isaiah Likely's status for Sunday's game and the first quarter of the season altogether up in the air having not practiced in over a month as he recovers from foot surgery, Andrew has a prime opportunity to not only earn some redemption but remind the rest of the league that he is still deserves to be mentioned and regarded among the elite at his position.

"I know the type of competitor Mark is. He's not going to let one moment, one bad thing happen, set him back," Stanley said. "He's a true warrior. He's going to push forward through those moments. I know he's excited to prove to himself and everyone else that he's still that guy."

Although Sunday's rematch won't have the stakes on the line as their meeting back in late January earlier this year, the Ravens won't be any less fired up to try to come out on top to get their new season started off on a high note.

"Everything motivates you," head coach John Harbaugh said. "It's probably true for any kind of circumstance. You always get motivated by disappointment, for sure, and that's something that certainly motivates us."