Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin grabs a hold of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s leg and sacks him causing a fumble that Bills Von Miller picked up and ran for about 39 yards with during first 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

Ravens Open Season Opener as Underdogs

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 7:00 AM ET

One of the biggest games the Baltimore Ravens have to look forward to on their 2025 calendar will arrive in their season opener, where they'll have to stage another trip to Buffalo in a rematch with the rival Bills.

That same team was the one that ousted the Ravens in last season's playoffs, with MVP-winning Josh Allen leading his squad to a dramatic win over former favorite Lamar Jackson for the right to play the Kansas City Chiefs in representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. But Mark Andrews couldn't hold on to the ball, thus cutting another Ravens attempt at contending short.

The Ravens will have to return right back to the scene of the crime in kicking off this upcoming regular season, where the presumed-championship hopefuls are already facing a rare underdog situation. The Bills are favored to prevail yet again, debuting as -1.5 favorites (according to BetMGM Sportsbook).

That's as thin of a margin as BetMGM was willing to offer, fitting for a matchup with these stakes and pure firepower. The Ravens and Bills always put on a show, and all that's happened since their previous face-off has done little to dissuade the oddsmakers from what's likely to be a razor-thin contest.

Baltimore tended to its wounds before pounding out an offseason defined by patching holes. They added to their already-loaded secondary in drafting safety prospect Malaki Starks in the first round of the summer's NFL Draft, brought in some free agent veteran leaders in Jaire Alexander and DeAndre Hopkins to pad their locker room and prepared young linemen for both the offensive and defensive position groups, looking to turn a really good team into a great one with minor tweaks.

The Bills clearly weren't a finished product exiting last season either, having sustained yet another coin-flip loss to the Chiefs in their third postseason showdown.

That AFC Championship game went like all the others did, with Mahomes getting to watch as Allen's offense came up just short of a go-ahead score. They're trusting the reigning-MVP and his versatile receiver room to run it back with as much success, as they went all in on defensive prospects with most of their top-end draft picks.

Both of the AFC contenders are expected to bring it on offense next week, albeit not to the degree of the aerial shootouts that Baltimore was getting into last season. The over/under point total is set at 51.5 points, so expect both teams to show up with the NFL world watching.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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