ESPN
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
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| Stephania Bell |
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| Matt Bowen |
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| Mike Clay |
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| Jeremy Fowler |
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| Dan Graziano |
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| Kimberly Martin |
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| Eric Moody |
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| Jason Reid |
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| Lindsey Thiry |
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| Seth Wickersham |
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BALTIMORE SUN
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
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| Childs Walker |
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Ravens 30, Texans 17 “We’ll finally see how Todd Monken’s offense functions with Lamar Jackson at the helm and the likes of Odell Beckham Jr., Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews catching passes. There will be hiccups, but not enough to keep the Ravens from handling an opponent led by C.J. Stroud, a rookie, and Demeco Ryans, a first-year coach.” |
| Brian Whacker |
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Ravens 27, Texans 13 “Lamar Jackson has a history of being surgical in season openers (3-1 record, 69% completion rate, 1,047 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, one interception) and that should continue against one of the league’s weakest secondaries. Rookie quarterbacks are also just 2-16 against the Ravens under John Harbaugh at M&T Bank Stadium, which doesn’t bode well for No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud against a Mike Macdonald defense that, even without cornerback Marlon Humphrey, will undoubtedly cause chaos and confusion.” |
| C.J. Doon |
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Ravens 24, Texans 16 “This looks like a mismatch on paper, but we won’t know much about either of these teams until they take the field. The Ravens are debuting an entirely new offense, and as good as Lamar Jackson and his new receivers are, there will probably be some growing pains. The Texans’ defense, led by former linebacker DeMeco Ryans and rookie edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., should be much improved. Houston’s offense could surprise, too, if running back Dameon Pierce gets rolling and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud finds a rhythm. The Ravens should win, but there will be some tense moments.” |
| Tim Schwartz |
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Ravens 31, Texans 13 “The Ravens are a Super Bowl contender. The Texans are contenders to have the league’s worst record. Baltimore has had no problems starting fast under Lamar Jackson and gets a gift by hosting a Houston team led by a first-year quarterback and a first-year coach. I am interested to see how the Ravens’ pass rush fares against one of the league’s premier left tackles in Laremy Tunsil. A few sacks from the young duo of Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo could do wonders for their confidence and be the spark they need. Even if they get stood up and the offense struggles to find their rhythm, Baltimore should have little trouble Sunday. The talent discrepancy is too great.” |
USA TODAY
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Jarrett Bell |
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Ravens 31, Texans 13 |
| Chris Bumbaca |
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Ravens 31, Texans 13 |
| Nate Davis |
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Ravens 27, Texans 16 |
| Safid Deen |
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Ravens 31, Texans 14 |
| Tyler Dragon |
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Ravens 28, Texans 16 |
| Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz |
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Ravens 28, Texans 16 |
| Lorenzo Reyes |
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Ravens 31, Texans 17 |
NFL.com
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Brooke Cerosimo |
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Ravens 33, Texans 18 “After Lamar Jackson signed his long-awaited megadeal this offseason, the time has finally come to see what the electric playmaker looks like in new coordinator Todd Monken's offense. Lamar is surrounded by the best receiving corps he's had in Baltimore and remains at the center of the Ravens' rushing attack. Could there be a bigger challenge for DeMeco Ryans' new defense right out of the gate? On the flip side, Houston trots out a rookie quarterback in C.J. Stroud and a slew of offensive players making their debuts with the team -- including Robert Woods, Noah Brown, Dalton Schultz, John Metchie III and Tank Dell. This could get ugly early.” |
| Ali Bhanpuri |
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Ravens 34, Texans 15 |
| Dan Parr |
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Ravens 28, Texans 16 |
| Gennaro Filice |
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Ravens 35, Texans 10 |
| Tom Blair |
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Ravens 28, Texans 14 |
NFL NETWORK
| Pundit | Projected Winner | Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| Adam Rank |
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Ravens 23, Texans 20 |
| Colleen Wolfe |
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Ravens 28, Texans 14 |
| Marcas Grant |
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Ravens 27, Texans 13 |
| Maurice Jones-Drew |
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Ravens 27, Texans 16 |
| Daniel Jeremiah |
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Ravens 30, Texans 17 |
| Nick Shook |
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Ravens 27, Texans 13 |
| GPG |
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Ravens 29, Texans 17 |
| Kevin Patra |
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Ravens 30, Texans 14 |
| Grant Gordon |
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Ravens 23, Texans 13 |
| Eric Edholm |
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Ravens 31, Texans 14 |
SPORTING NEWS
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
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| Vinnie Iyer |
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Ravens 30, Texans 17 “C.J. Stroud has had mixed results over his two games in the preseason. This is an extremely tough defensive draw in his first NFL start as the Ravens' secondary is nasty, even without Marlon Humphrey. He also will need to worry about their active linebackers, led by Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith, in the compressed passing game. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson will roll out to a hot start in the Ravens' revved up new offense under Todd Monken.” |
CBS SPORTS
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
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| Pete Prisco |
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Ravens 34, Texans 14 “Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud will be making his first NFL start on the road against solid defense in the Ravens. The Ravens will be unveiling their new-look offense under new coordinator Todd Monken, an offense that will allow Lamar Jackson to do more in the passing game. Look for Jackson to have a big first day as Stroud struggles.” |
| Will Brinson |
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| Jared Dubin |
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| Ryan Wilson |
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| John Breech |
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Ravens 31, Texans 20 |
| Tyler Sullivan |
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| Dave Richard |
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| Jamey Eisenberg |
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PRO FOOTBALL TALK
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
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| Mike Florio |
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Ravens 34, Texans 13 “The schedule-makers gave the Ravens a fairly easy beginning to the season. And they get to build some confidence in the new offense and that’s valuable.” |
| Chris Simms |
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Ravens 31, Texans 10 “[The Ravens] are not the team you want to start out against if you’re a rookie quarterback. … Baltimore, to me, is one of the best teams in the AFC.” |
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
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| Albert Breer |
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| Connor Orr |
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| Claire Kuwana |
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| John Pluym |
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| Mitch Goldich |
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| Gilberto Manzano |
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| Matt Verderame |
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FANSIDED
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Cody Williams |
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Ravens 30, Texans 13 “This is just a mismatch, plain and simple. While we aren't entirely sure what the Ravens offense is going to look like with new OC Todd Monken calling the plays, the talent gap is evident just on paper. Plus, putting rookie C.J. Stroud on the road against an experienced Ravens defense for his first NFL start doesn't exactly sound like a recipe for success to me.” |
