Baltimore Ravens vs. Oakland Raiders: 3 key matchups

Jimmy Smith vs. Michael Crabtree

This is going to be a fun one to watch. We’ve got two proven veterans on both sides of the ball coming up against each other.

Michael Crabtree has been the Ravens worst nightmare. In the past two meetings he’s totaled 199 yards and four touchdowns, including a three-touchdown performance last year. Crabtree was held out of last week’s game against the Raiders with a chest injury, but is expected to play today. He’ll come up against a Jimmy Smith and a new look Ravens secondary.

When healthy, Smith is a top-10 cornerback in league. He’s easily been the best Ravens cornerback through the first quarter of the regular season and it’s shown in the stat sheet. Smith has gone up against A.J. Green and Antonio Brown and the two have combined for just 108 yards and no touchdowns. He’s not afraid to get physical at the line of scrimmage and has a knack for making life tough for opposing receivers.

I’m looking forward to seeing how these two match up. Crabtree is a streaky receiver, but when he’s on, it’s almost impossible to slow him down. Without Derek Carr under center, it’ll be interesting to see how the chemistry between Crabtree and E.J. Manuel plays out. Smith and Crabtree will be fighting it out all four quarters in a game that’s expected to be a close one.