Ravens Predicted to Start Season Slow

The Baltimore Ravens started the 2024 season with back-to-back losses, and there's growing belief they could get off to another slow start in 2025.

John Breech of CBS Sports predicts the Ravens will start the 2025 season with a loss against the Buffalo Bills.

"Sean McDermott is a former defensive coordinator and that has come in handy when the Bills have had to face Lamar Jackson," Breech wrote. "The Bills have won three of their past four against the Ravens, including the playoffs, and a big reason for that is because McDermott's defense has held Baltimore to an average of just 16 points per game in the three wins."

Baltimore has struggled against Buffalo as of late. The two teams last met in the divisional round of the playoffs last season with the Bills coming away victorious in a 27-25 defeat.

The game was even closer than the score reflects, too. The Ravens drove 88 yards in less than two minutes for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but tight end Mark Andrews dropped a wide open pass in the end zone on the two-point conversion, sending them home.

If Andrews would have held onto the ball, the game would have likely gone into overtime and Baltimore might have headed to its second straight AFC title game.

That should be all the motivation the Ravens need to get their revenge against Buffalo this time around, but Breech expects the Bills to be one of the hottest teams in the NFL this season, predicting their first loss to not come until Week 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

"If the Bills can get past the Ravens in Week 1, there's a good chance we could see them make it all the way until November with an unbeaten record," Breech wrote. "However, that streak will end with a loss to the Chiefs."

Only time will tell if that's how the season actually plays out, but Baltimore is surely hoping that isn't the case. The AFC is as competitive as ever and winning games early in the season could have massive playoff implications later on.

The Ravens have their sights on a Super Bowl once again, and starting hot is the best way to set themselves up to get there.