After a historic week one, the Ravens return to Baltimore to prepare for their home opener against the Arizona Cardinals.
Baltimore couldn’t have asked for a better outcome in their win against the Dolphins, winning in record-setting fashion. This week may not be record setting, but it should be another victory for the good guys. The Ravens track record against rookie quarterbacks is well in their favor, as they boast a 15-2 record against the NFL newcomers. The Ravens should be sitting pretty at 2-0 after Sunday. Let’s take a look at what you should keep an eye on during game time.
What to Watch For
Lamar Jackson’s encore performance
Nobody, not even the most hardcore Ravens fans could’ve imagined the onslaught that occurred vs the Dolphins. Jackson exceeded the expectations of every fan, pundit, and analyst. It was, and is clear that Jackson worked hard on his craft this off-season and put forth the effort to improve his abilities as a passer. Everyone is now intrigued to see what Jackson’s encore performance will entail. The Cardinals are a better team than the Dolphins, even if barely. But, it was the Dolphins who had the better secondary of the two teams, and Jackson had no issues in South Florida. However, Arizona does offer a better array of pass rushers, including former Raven, Terrell Suggs. Now, it would be unfair to set that game as the standard performance we are to expect out of Jackson, but I do believe that Jackson will have another monster day.
Without All-Pro corner Patrick Peterson, the Cardinals are going to have a tough time containing all of the weapons the Ravens provide, including Jackson. I’m not saying to expect over 300 yards and five touchdowns again, but Jackson should have no issues controlling the tempo of the game and pushing the ball down the field.