Despite an underwhelming first half performance, the Ravens got their season underway with a comfortable 24-9 victory over the New York Jets. From a dominant defensive showing to a struggling running game, there are plenty of takeaways the team will look to build upon as they head back to Charm City to prepare for their first home game of the year against the 1-0 Miami Dolphins. Sunday’s matchup will be a test for the Ravens, who lost 22-10 in Miami a year ago, and could be an indication of what is to come in Baltimore this year. So, with an important game on the horizon, let’s take a look at some news surrounding the team.

NFL Breakthrough Player of Week 1: Baltimore Ravens’ Devin Duvernay delivers

Following the departures of Marquise Brown and Sammy Watkins this offseason, there were an abundance of questions surrounding the Ravens wide receiver room. Fortunately, Devin Duvernay’s two touchdown performance on Sunday was good enough to not just dispel any concern, but also earn him recognition as Pro Football Network’s “Breakthrough Player of Week 1”. PFN’s Adam Beasley notes that Duvernay’s breakout came just a day before his 25th birthday, making this a week to remember for the young wide receiver. Duvernay is no stranger to the spotlight, having already made a number of significant special teams plays for Baltimore and having been selected to the Pro Bowl as a punt returner last season. While it was hard for fans to envision how his transition to a starting wide receiver would go, head coach John Harbaugh’s post game remarks show that the team has always had faith in his abilities. Beasley claims that Duvernay’s role may only grow as the season progresses, and that he could contribute significantly to a potential Ravens playoff run. If that is true, it would fill one of the biggest holes in Baltimore’s roster and could help the offense become more multifaceted than in years past.

Ravens lose two starters to season-ending injuries in Week 1, a year after being most-injured team ever tracked

As soon as it looked like the Ravens were getting healthy, the injury bug decided to make a return. According to Ryan Young of Yahoo Sports, the team has announced that cornerback Kyle Fuller and left tackle Ja’Wuan James will be out for the remainder of the season. Fuller had been enjoying a solid Ravens debut before he suffered a torn ACL while covering Elijah Moore on the Jets lone touchdown of the game. In his absence, rookie Jalyn Armour-Davis could see an uptick in workload, especially if Marcus Peters is not yet ready to return from his ACL tear last year. Similar to Fuller, Ja’Wuan James had been hoping to enjoy a career resurgence in Baltimore after he was forced to miss each of the last two seasons with injuries. Young notes that these efforts were cut short when he was pushed backwards in the second quarter, tearing his achilles in the process. James was likely to be moved into a backup role once Ronnie Stanley returned from his ankle injury, but his absence will be felt nonetheless.

Lamar Jackson declined Baltimore Ravens’ $250M extension offer, wants deal fully guaranteed at signing, sources say

In last week’s edition of this article I discussed Lamar Jackson’s ongoing contract negotiations, and now that they are seemingly over until the end of the season, I figured I’d provide one more update. After both sides announced that an agreement had not been reached, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter reported that the number rejected by Jackson was $250 million with $133 million guaranteed. This contract would have exceeded the summer deals signed by Kyler Murray and Russel Wilson in both average salary and total guarantees. However, the pair report that Jackson, who represented himself in negotiations, wanted a fully guaranteed deal, and that the team was never going to comply. The two sides have agreed not to negotiate during the season so it seems inevitable that Baltimore will franchise tag the young quarterback and reopen talks next offseason. In the meantime, if Jackson can record more performances like the one he had on Sunday, in which he tallied 213 passing yards and three touchdowns, it could become difficult for the Ravens to resist meeting his demands.

Dolphins Coach Says Ravens Have ‘Spawned Ton of Ideas’

The one thing lacking from the Ravens on Sunday was a consistent running game, but according to Todd Karpovich of Sports Illustrated, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel isn’t reading too much into their performance. When asked about the Ravens ground attack, McDaniel not only proclaimed that it is one of the best in the league, but also acknowledged that he has used it as a model when drawing up his own plays. The Ravens running back room is still awaiting the return of Gus Edwards (who won’t be back until at least Week 5) and J.K. Dobbins (who could return to action this weekend). In the meantime, they have had to rely on the services of veterans Mike Davis and Kenyan Drake, neither of whom looked stellar in the season debut. That being said, McDaniel is not taking anything lightly when it comes to preparation for Baltimore. His head-coaching career got off to an excellent start with a victory over Bill Belichick’s Patriots, but he knows that coming up with a game plan to take down Harbaugh’s Ravens could prove to be an even more difficult task.

Ravens Announce Season-Long Gameday Promotion & Event Schedule

In a fun bit of news, the Ravens have announced their promotions for the 2022 season to get fans excited for their return to M&T Bank. They will be kicking things off this Sunday with a Ravens flag giveaway (something they will also do on New Year’s Day against the Steelers). This weekend’s proceedings will also take time to honor two members of the Ravens community who passed away this summer: Tony Siragusa and Jaylon Ferguson. Following that ceremony, the Ravens won’t return home until October 2nd, when they will be giving away the second of four vintage posters (the third will be given away on November 20th, and the fourth on December 24th). On October 9th, fans will receive LED bracelets to help them participate in the in-game lights displays that will be broadcast on Sunday Night Football. The final two events of the year, which according to the Ravens website are this year’s headliners, will take place on October 23rd and December 4th respectively. The first is a celebration of the ten year anniversary (yes, somehow it’s been ten years) of the Ravens Super Bowl XLVII victory and the second will welcome Marshall Yanda into the Ravens Ring of Honor. Both will have fan giveaways to top off what is sure to be an exciting year of Baltimore Ravens football.

Luke Rollfinke
Luke Rollfinke

Luke Rollfinke is a student at Vanderbilt where he is pursuing a career in sports journalism. A recent graduate from the Friends School of Baltimore, Luke has spent his entire childhood in Charm City and is a devoted Orioles fan. In the past, he has written for SB Nation and has worked closely with Ravens columnist John Eisenberg. From nights at Camden Yards to Sunday afternoons watching NFL Redzone, Luke eats, sleeps, and breathes sports. He is excited to bring his perspective to BSL.

X