It’s hard to believe, but the NFL season is here, and the powerful Baltimore Ravens have a huge first-game test against the stocked and ready Buffalo Bills. Ahead of the Ravens-Bills game, here are our bold predictions for Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.
This is a brutal rematch of last year’s AFC playoff loss for the Ravens. They had a chance to tie the game in the closing minutes, but a dropped pass on a 2-point conversion eventually led to a 27-25 setback to the Bills.
The Ravens are coming off a 12-5 season while the Bills, who lost in the AFC title game to the Chiefs, finished 13-4. If you ranked the top teams in the AFC heading into the season, these are No. 1 and No. 2 by most observers. And the order can go either way.
Bills QB Josh Allen will rack up 400 total yards
Yes, the Ravens have a good defense. But their defense will be much better as the season goes along. They have some new pieces in key places, and they are still learning how to mesh.
Look for Allen to total over 350 yards passing while rushing for over 50. The Bills won’t hold anything back because this game could decide home-field advantage in the playoffs. There’s that much at stake in Week 1.
Allen is primed and ready to go for a big season, according to billswire.com.
“I was getting a little funkier with my mechanics last year, and that’s a shoulder, an elbow here and there,” he told Sports Illustrated.” You’re just trying to tweak things and survive as the year goes by, just trying to figure it out. But having a whole offseason to understand what my body is doing, and trying to do it right, and, yeah, just making sure mechanically I’m as sound as possible.
I want my teammates to understand that I am still trying to get better. Whatever it is, everyone is important to the success of the organization, from the top to the bottom. And we preach a lot of love in this locker room.”
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson will account for three TDs
Look for Jackson to get a rushing score in this one while also tacking on a pair of touchdown passes. The Ravens will likely need points to stay ahead of the Bills’ curve, and Jackson will take a couple of shots down the field. Look for him to hit on one of those to Rashod Bateman or Zay Flowers for a touchdown.
Jackson has been ramped up and ready, according to baltimoreravens.com.
“About two weeks ago – I just got this sense that he was ready to play the first game,” quarterbacks coach Tee Martin said. “I was like, ‘This is mid-season Lamar right here.'”
There was an injury scare a week ago, but Jackson should be ready for the Bills. Head coach John Harbaugh said he looked good in practice, according to baltimoreravens.com.
“I thought [Jackson] looked good,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said after Monday's practice. “It's a good practice. It's a lot going on. There's a lot of mental work, obviously for the quarterback here at this point in time. So, he's working through that, trying to get it right.”
Ravens TE Mark Andrews will catch a TD pass
NFL fans, Ravens and others, haven’t forgotten Andrews’ dropped pass at the end of last year’s playoff game against the Bills. But the Ravens want to put it behind them. And a good way to do that is by getting Andrews into the end zone against the Bills in Week 1.
Andrews said he isn’t backing away from the spotlight, according to baltimoreravens.com.
“It's going to be a great story,” he said. “I'm excited about that game.”
There was talk about the Ravens parting ways with Andrews. But he’s back and ready to make amends. And he said he’s not looking at this as possibly being his last season in Baltimore.
“For me, it's not looking too far ahead,” Andrews said. “It's living in the moment. I'm thankful to be here this year, to be able to compete for this organization and compete for this city. I just want people to know that. It really means everything to me.”
Overall, this should be a dandy contest. It should come down to the final minutes. The win probably helps more than the loss would hurt because there's almost the whole season remaining to bounce back from it.
