What to watch in Ravens vs Bengals Thursday

The ramifications of last season's encounter between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals took many different forms in the kaleidoscope of Week 17 opportunities.

He found himself in the annals of the history of the NFL as the game that officially annihilated the drought of 18 years of Buffalo Bills series. A match that allowed coach John Harbaugh to be shot by the Ravens after another game in the playoffs. A game that could have preserved the Marvin Lewis era in Cincy. A match that offered one of the most thrilling finishes of 2017, while evoking an opportunity for the Ravens' revenge in 2018.

For a clash strongly influenced by recent history, it does not bother with potential major consequences. As much as a contest the second week is able to determine, it could reveal a lot about the potential trajectories of the playoff hunt, as both clubs are trying to win AFC's highest goal. North. Joe Flacco and the Ravens' underrated body of receivers embarrassed the Bills during the first week, while Andy Dalton and the Bengals beat the Colts of Indianapolis last week in the return leg of the Andrew Luck. Both teams have definitely earned their spot in prime time for Week 2 as they seek to break their stalemate in the 22-22 series.

Here are five things to watch for Thursday's match between the Ravens and the Bengals, which will be broadcast exclusively on NFL Network:

1. Are the wide receivers of the Ravens real?

It's hard to underestimate how much Baltimore wholesalers played last week. While Buffalo's high school seemed a little dilapidated in the wet conditions, off-season acquisitions by Willie Snead, John Brown and Michael Crabtree made Joe Flacco seem very elitist. The trio had 10 assists, with Snead capturing 49 yards and one touchdown on four catches, while Brown scored 44 yards and one touchdown on three catches.

A big reason for their success? Separation. They led the league average of 2.76 receiving yards in Week 1, Brown (4.72), Crabtree (3.44) and Snead (3.29) using their quick skills for efficiency. Max. Apart from the numbers, Flacco simply looked comfortable and punctuated by his largesse – a topic of discussion for Ravens coaches and teammates during the training camp and pre-season.

Will they wreak havoc in the secondary sector of Bengal which gave up 305 yards last week to a very one-dimensional Colts offense? Whatever the case may be, it is difficult to see this unit regress to something close to the 29th place attack that prevented Baltimore last year. Time will tell if the outgoing general manager, Ozzie Newsome, has finally found a group of receivers capable of completing the range of Flacco's talents – and a good performance on Thursday will put the rest of the AFC on alert.

2. Is Joe Mixon a Prime Minister in the running?

The grand predictions of Joe Mixon's second season are about as common as Jalen Ramsey's catch, but Mixon's predictions are likely to be right. Mixon looked impressive against the Colts, winning 95 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries while capturing five passes for 54 yards.

The Bengals really need someone to balance the offensive attack, and they have not used a second-round pick on Mixon to see it replicate its rookie numbers. The last time the Bengals had a scorching match that scared the defensive coordinators, quarterback Andy Dalton had the best year of his career in 2015, when Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard collected 1,524 yards.

However, let's call our obvious Lloyd Bentsen recognizing that the Colts 'defense really can not be compared to the Ravens' defense. If Mixon has a good game against the Terrell Suggs and the rest of his merry crushing squad, it will earn him the title of king of the division until LeVeon Bell comes back from him. ;exile. We could get a more specific answer on Thursday whether Mixon deserves to make comparisons with Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley, or whether it is just an above-average return in Dalton's offensive.

3. Will the first seven of the Ravens repeat dominant ways?

This crazy old diamond that is the Ravens' pass has a mincemeat inexperienced Buffalo quarterbacks and very experienced in the first week. It was a solid overall performance for a defensive unit that slipped a bit – especially against the race – in 2017.

The D-line is very well behaved against the Bills, with tackles Brandon Williams and Michael Pierce having closed inside. Brent Urban was a constant presence and linebackers Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley and Za Darius Smith lobbied the quarterfinals and semifinals all afternoon.

Has a defense that has collected six sacks and two interceptions against the Bills made a reminder against the Bengals? The Cincinnati offensive line should be a more difficult challenge, but it is hard to imagine that the Ravens' front is tamed less than a week after their first participation.

4. Who will win the QB duel: Joe Flacco or Andy Dalton?

The nascent resurgence of the Ravens' passing game is promising, but Dalton still has a better chance of keeping the dashboard operator busy. The Bengals are stars of the A.J. Green will find it easier to exploit the weaker part of the Ravens defense, as Jimmy Smith does not play because of the suspension. Dalton will also have reliable targets in Mixon and Tyler Eifert.

Apart from his best receivers, Flacco will not benefit from tight winger Hayden Hurst, who is still foot-injured.

The real joker is John Ross. The anticipated emergence of the former first-round pick seems to be an endless story, a legend born of a record of handsets and the desire to see a new NFL star emerge. The Bengals' sophomore showed shocks to his demolition potential in the pre-season, but will we see him on Thursday?

5. Can Alex Collins launch an ongoing attack?

Last week, the Ravens suffered a hard blow in the game of Kenneth Dixon, knee injury. While Dixon is tucked away in an injured reserve and is at least mid-season, Alex Collins will have to prove that he can lead the hasty attack from Baltimore.

Collins has been here before. Dixon missed all of last season due to injuries and suspensions, allowing Collins to produce 973 yards and six touchdowns. While Collins was likely to share stakes with Dixon and Javorius Allen this season, it looks like Harbaugh will take over Collins' role for 2017 for another season.

The third-year pork skin carrier from Arkansas said before the season that he wanted to rush for over 1,000 meters. He will have his first chance to start this trip on Thursday.