Ravens: 3 bold optimistic predictions for Week 1 vs. Raiders
By Justin Fried
1. Ravens LB Patrick Queen records two sacks
It feels like Patrick Queen is flying a bit under the radar heading into his sophomore NFL season. An up-and-down rookie year paved the way for an offseason where Queen got into the best shape of his life.
He looks leaner, faster, and more importantly smarter. The 2021 season will be crucial for Queen as he’ll look to harness his athleticism and take the next step in his development.
One thing Queen already did at a high level as a rookie was rush the passer.
Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale loved using Queen’s speed to shoot gaps up the middle and blitz opposing quarterbacks. It resulted in a total of three sacks and 10 QB hits from Queen in his rookie season.
Expect to see more of Queen as a blitzer this year, especially as the Ravens look to cope with the losses of Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue.
And Week 1 presents Queen with a golden opportunity to start the season on a high note.
The Raiders’ interior offensive line is rather weak and they’ll be starting a player at left guard in John Simpson who hasn’t been running with the first-team offense.
Simpson will start in place of the injured Richie Incognito while the underwhelming duo of Andre James and Denzelle Good are expected to start at center and right guard, respectively.
Not only is that unit inexperienced together, but none of the three have any track record as starting-caliber players. The Ravens could send Queen after Derek Carr and hope to catch the Raiders’ offensive line off guard.
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Our bold prediction is that Queen tallies a pair of sacks in the first game of the season en route to what will be a very important year for the former first-rounder.