It’s that time of year again. Tonight is when the 2013 NFL regular season officially kicks off, pitting the defending champions the Baltimore Ravens who start the season on the road and face Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
With a significant advantage on offense, defense and passing as the Broncos finished the 2012 season in the top five of each category and the Ravens didn’t place in the top 10 in any of those categories. The closest to an entry their running game which ranked 11th, which isn’t surprising with Ray Rice leading the way.
These two teams met in the playoffs last year with Baltimore winning by three, yet the team has lost significant pieces during the off-season with Matt Birk and Ray Lewis retiring and Ed Reed being let go and signing with the Houston Texans. Making the chances of sneaking out a victory over Denver, slim at best.
Both teams in the preseason won two games. With the 2013 set to begin many fans will watch whether at home, friends or at a local sports bar to watch two playoff caliber teams play on opening night. For Raven fans don’t get disappointed if week one results in a loss as Denver is a difficult place to open a season up in.