The Baltimore Ravens are rolling into their home opener against the New Orleans Saints trying to hit 2-0, but man, their injury list is already a mile long. Nnamdi Madubuike and Teddye Buchanan aren’t ready for their 2026 debuts. Zay Flowers is completely ruled out, and Ronnie Stanley is expected to join him on the sidelines. Even Trey Hendrickson and John Simpson are questionable, though they did practice Friday, so there’s a glimmer of hope they could suit up. This team is banged up, and they’ve got to figure out how to navigate these absences if they want to get that second W.
The King Henry Show Is On, But Who Else Steps Up?
Remember Week 1 against the Colts? The Ravens’ offense was basically Zay Flowers and Derrick Henry playing off each other. When Flowers went down, the passing game totally lost its rhythm, and they had to lean heavy on the run to close it out. That’s a huge problem this week with Flowers ruled out. And guess what? The Saints’ run defense got absolutely torched last week, giving up over 150 yards to Jahmyr Gibbs, who was just carving them up for over five yards a pop. You gotta think Derrick Henry is licking his chops looking at that film. The issue is, without Flowers threatening the deep ball, Henry is probably gonna face a ton of loaded boxes. Plus, if the offensive line is missing a starter or two, New Orleans could easily slow down the run game. That puts massive pressure on the rest of the wide receiver room: Rashod Bateman, Devontez Walker, and Elijah Sarratt, especially with Ja’Kobi Lane also out. Those guys need to win their one-on-one matchups and burn the Saints downfield, or this offense could be in serious trouble.
The Rookie Blindside Protector Versus The Former Number One Pick
This is the matchup that could decide the game. Ronnie Stanley hasn’t practiced much all week, and even though he was a limited participant on Friday, reporters noted he wasn’t really doing anything compared to other vets like John Simpson. The Ravens even elevated Gerad Lichtenhan off the practice squad, which makes Stanley’s “questionable” tag feel a lot more like “doubtful.” That means second-year lineman Carson Vinson is probably getting his first career start at left tackle. This kid, a fifth-round pick last year who was supposed to be a long-term project, suddenly gets thrown into the fire for his first ever start. He started last year as a healthy scratch before he even grabbed the swing tackle job from veteran Joe Noteboom. Now he’s gotta protect Lamar Jackson’s blind side against Chase Young. Young, the former No. 1 pick, had a quiet Week 1 statistically, even with a strip sack that got overturned, but he still gave Lions All-Pro Penei Sewell fits all game. Young’s dealing with a calf injury but is expected to play, and you know he’s going to go after Vinson hard. Declan Doyle will be doing everything he can to help Vinson out, but this is a trial by fire.
This isn’t just about a Week 2 win, it’s about seeing if this Ravens squad, battered as they are, can adapt and still dominate. Can the other receivers step up? Can a young tackle hold his own against a premier pass rusher? It’s gonna be a wild ride, and we’ll see if they can start 2-0 in their home opener.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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