Baltimore Ravens: 3 Bold predictions for Week 2 vs. Bengals

The Baltimore Ravens dismantled the Bills last week, but what bold predictions are there for a short week and Thursday Night Football date with the Bengals?

If nothing else, the Baltimore Ravens proved one thing in Week 1 of the 2018 NFL season — the Buffalo Bills are absolutely atrocious. Joe Flacco and Co. went out on the first Sunday of the season looking like Stone Cold Steve Austin as they stomped a mudhole in Nathan Peterman and the Bills, ultimately resulting in a 47-3 victory for Baltimore.

Of course, in doing so, the Ravens certainly got fans and analysts alike feeling confident in this team. They showed many positive things on both sides of the ball, even with Alex Collins struggling (and really, the entire run game following suit). Now they have to go on the road off of a short week to play on Thursday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Looking to ride the wave off of their big Week 1 triumph, can Baltimore stay hot as they take on this division rival? Here are three bold predictions for the Ravens in Week 2 against the Bengals.

3. Joe Flacco comes back to Earth

After all of the Joe Flacco noise caused by the Ravens selecting Lamar Jackson in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the veteran Super Bowl winner looked simply awesome dicing up Buffalo last week. Spreading the ball around with ease, Flacco went 25-of-34 for 236 yards and three touchdowns on the day. It was easy work for him, but that won’t be the case this week.

Though the Ravens offensive line was great last week, they weren’t facing a front like the one that the Bengals possess. From Geno Atkins to Carl Lawson to a number of other guys, Cincinnati can flat-out get after opposing quarterbacks with their talent and depth up front.

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That obviously means Flacco will have to deal with pressure, which adds more downside to what he could potentially do. However, the Bengals also have a solid secondary that played quite well last week and shouldn’t have much trouble containing a still questionable group of weapons for Baltimore. In the end, that should spell a much more lackluster day for Flacco.

2. Ravens hold Joe Mixon to under 70 total yards

With a crowded backfield last season, then-rookie Joe Mixon was never fully able to find his footing in the Bengals offense. Now that Jeremy Hill is gone, however, the second-year running back had a bit of a coming out party last week.

Mixon carried the ball 17 times last week in Cincinnati’s offensive gameplan and amassed 95 yards and a touchdown doing so. Moreover, the Oklahoma product was also a factor in the passing game as he was the second-leading receiver on the team with five catches for 54 yards. That gave him a cool 149 total yards on the day. Against the Ravens, however, he won’t even get half of that.

For one, Baltimore’s run defense is just stout at every level. Brandon Williams is an elite run-stopper up front, which only opens up the rest of the line to make plays in that regard if attention is paid to him. Behind him, C.J. Mosley remains one of the most underrated linebackers in the NFL. Thus, Mixon’s running room should be much diminished this week. And with the Ravens linebackers like Mosley also being able to get out and play in the flats, I just don’t see much room for success with Mixon this week.

1. Defense doesn’t allow a touchdown

This might be the boldest prediction of the three considering that the Bengals offense looks substantially improved from where they were last season. Cincinnati put up 34 points in their Week 1 victory over the Colts and they seem to have weapons at every level. However, that doesn’t mention the biggest factor in what the Bengals did last week: They were playing the Colts.

While Indianapolis may have Andrew Luck back in the fold, the rest of the roster remains far from complete. And no place is that more evident than on the defensive side of the ball. Thus, it would stand to reason that an offense with the weaponry that the Bengals have would be able to have success and score as they did last week.

The Ravens, however, are not the Colts. Baltimore’s defense remains the strength of this team and, though the Bills are awful in their own right, the Ravens only exacerbated the struggles of Buffalo with the talent of their defense. Subsequently, Baltimore should come in and give the Bengals offense a wake-up call to the tune of not letting them find the end zone on Thursday.