Week 2 of the NFL preseason is about to begin, and a pair of 1-0 teams are set to square off on Thursday night. The Baltimore Ravens will host the Green Bay Packers in a battle of potential playoff teams in the 2019 season. Even though this game doesn’t count in the standings, this is another chance for the head coaches to get a better look at some of their players.
Baltimore might have been the most impressive team in the league in Week 1, rolling to a 29-0 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Ravens were a playoff team a season ago and are one of the favorites to win the AFC North Division for a second straight season. The Packers are hoping for a bounce-back season after missing the playoffs in 2018. Green Bay opened up the preseason by earning a 28-26 victory over the Houston Texans. The Baltimore Ravens are -4.0 point favorites over the Green Bay Packers in this game.
Defense In Baltimore is Legit
Baltimore gave up just 17.2 points per game on defense a season ago, and the Ravens picked up right where they left on in their preseason opener. Most of the defensive starters are going to be sitting out of this game, but their defense didn’t miss a beat a week ago. The Ravens allowed just 112 yards of total offense against the Jaguars, and they recorded four sacks. Don’t be surprised to see Baltimore put up another low score in this game.
Lamar Jackson played just three series in the preseason opener, and likely won’t play much more than that in this one. The Ravens want to run the ball a ton this season, and they had 36 rushing attempts in their Week 1 victory. Trace McSorley is slated to be the backup QB this season in Baltimore, but he threw for just 85 yards last week. The Ravens’ ground game will give the Packers defense a test in this one.
Packers Looking For New Offensive Stars
The Green Bay Packers still have Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback, but they are looking for new weapons on offense. Dexter Williams had 14 carries for 62 yards in the preseason opener and should see a lot of action in this game. Rodgers will be watching this game from the sidelines, and it will likely be DeShone Kizer running the Packers offense for much of the game.
Defense has been an issue for the Packers in recent seasons, but they got a touchdown from their defense in Week 1. The Packers have had a lot of trouble shutting down the top quarterbacks in the league, but that likely won’t be a problem in this game. Green Bay is going to have to defend the run early and often to win this game. The Packers allowed 412 yards of offense in their win against the Houston Texans, but that isn’t good enough going forward.
Ravens Win Second Straight Game
Both teams were able to win their preseason openers, but the Ravens did so in a much more convincing fashion. Baltimore has a system that works for them, and they will run the ball like crazy in this game. Bet the Baltimore Ravens -4.0 over the Green Bay Packers.
