Baltimore welcomed back Rex Ryan, Tyrod Taylor, Ed Reed, and Corey Graham by handing them a week one loss in the Ravens’ 13-7 victory over the Bills on Sunday. It wasn’t pretty at times, but a win’s a win in the NFL.
A few guys stuck out in the Baltimore win:
Cornerback, Shareece Wright – The 29-year old veteran was clearly the star of the defense this week. Wright tallied 11 tackles, three of which were for a loss. Not exactly known for being an expert tackler, he appears to have made some serious improvements, after totaling just 34 tackles in 2015. Wright was flying around the field, and seemed to make the majority of big plays for the Ravens when they needed stops the most.
Wide Receiver, Mike Wallace – Wallace has heard his fair share of criticisms over the last couple years after experiencing a major drop off in production since leaving the Steelers. Many questioned the Ravens’ decision to sign him this offseason. After a couple of short catches early on, Wallace silenced his critics for the time being, snatching a 66 yard touchdown reception over the middle with ten minutes left in the second quarter. He also ran for 11 yards on an end around in the second half, helping the Ravens to a key first down.
Quarterback, Joe Flacco – Returning from injury in his ninth NFL season, Flacco completed 23 passes to ten different receivers. Sure the offense put up just 13 points, but Joe looked confident, despite being a little hesitant to rely on his mobility at times. He finished the game with a passer rating of 99.9 (exactly 20 points higher than that of Tyrod Taylor), despite facing almost immediate pressure nearly every time he dropped back. Could he have been better? Sure, but Ravens fans saw a lot to be excited about out of their quarterback and his offense in week one.
Birds of Baltimore 