Buffalo @ Baltimore preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 26, 2017 ) Buffalo 9, Baltimore 13

The Baltimore Ravens lost out on a playoff spot in the final minute of the 2017 season, opening a door for the Buffalo Bills to sneak in and end a long postseason drought. Although the stakes are not as high, the Ravens can exact a measure of revenge on Sunday when the teams begin their seasons with a clash in Baltimore.

The Ravens allowed a 49-yard touchdown pass in the final minute in a stunning season-ending loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in December and the Bills - who were watching the drama unfold after winning in Miami - claimed the last spot in the AFC playoffs by virtue of the result. Buffalo fizzled in the playoffs and opens 2018 with question marks in the backfield as Nathan Peterman - who struggled as a backup last year - starts at quarterback over rookie Josh Allen and star running back LeSean McCoy is mired in an ongoing investigation into a home invasion involving his ex-girlfriend. The Ravens begin their 11th straight season with coach John Harbaugh patrolling the sidelines and Joe Flacco running the offense, which ranked 29th in the NFL in passing yards per game (189.4) last year. Baltimore has won four straight over Buffalo at home, including a 13-7 triumph in the most recent encounter in 2016.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Ravens -7.5. O/U: 40.5

ABOUT THE BILLS (2017: 9-7, 2ND IN AFC EAST): The NFL announced Tuesday that McCoy would be eligible to play to begin the season and his teammates voted him as a captain this week as the franchise moves forward while the legal situation plays out. "I'll take care of that stuff, but right now, what I've got to worry about is the Baltimore Ravens," he told reporters. "This is a big week for me, week one. I didn't have a lot of playing time in the preseason, so I'm really locked in and trying to focus everything on football right now. We'll take care of that." The six-time Pro Bowler averaged a career-low 4.0 yards per carry last year and had just four rushes for 11 yards in the preseason.

ABOUT THE RAVENS (2017: 9-7, 2ND IN AFC NORTH): Flacco has missed just six games - all in 2015 - in his 11-year career but the team may carry two backups into the year for the first time since 2009, although Harbaugh has not indicated whether rookie Lamar Jackson or Robert Griffin III will serve in that role on Sunday. "It wouldn't be any more than three. It won't be any less than two. We'll see," Harbaugh told reporters on the number of active quarterbacks for Week 1. "I really don't know. Hey, it's day-to-day." Flacco has new targets at wide receiver in veterans Michael Crabtree and John Brown.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Bills ranked 29th in run defense last year while allowing a league-high 22 TDs on the ground.

2. Flacco threw for 3,141 yards and 18 TDs in 2017, his lowest totals in a full season since he was a rookie in 2008.

3. Ravens TE Hayden Hurst, a first-round pick this spring, has a stress fracture and is likely out until Week 3.

PREDICTION: Ravens 23, Bills 16