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Week 1 was a disaster for the Las Vegas Raiders. On offense in particular.

They were defeated by the Los Angeles Chargers, a squad that seemed weaker than them on paper in every position except quarterback. Any NFL club would prefer not to get out to a losing start. 0-2 is practically a pit to escape from.

The Baltimore Ravens are a formidable opponent. They are second only to the Kansas City Chiefs in terms of AFC greatness. When compared to the Chiefs, they may be more well-rounded. Most notably, defense.

With Lamar Jackson as quarterback, the Ravens are as good as it gets for an NFL club. The Ravens game in Baltimore is a different story. After falling to the Chiefs in Week 1, the Ravens are likewise aiming to avoid a 0-2 start.

Even the oddsmakers had the Raiders as huge underdogs. The Ravens were selected by every member of ESPN’s crew. Ravens were given a heavy favoritism by Vinnie Iyer of the Sporting News.

“The Raiders got destroyed by the Chargers’ rushing attack, and they now face a more dangerous one against Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry,” said Iyer. “The Ravens had a mini-bye to rest up and rev up their defense to rebound vs. a hot and cold Gardner Minshew and an inconsistent running game.”

“In a Week 1 loss to the Chiefs, the Ravens piled up 452 yards,” wrote his contemporary Bill Bender. With running back Derrick Henry and tight end Isaiah Likely, who had a breakout game in Week 1 with nine receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown, Lamar Jackson will be able to put the offense on the road.

On top of being on the East Coast, this will be the Raiders’ second consecutive road game against a squad that will be playing their home opener on rest. It’s going to be a rough journey for the Raiders.

Staff reporter Evan Massey of the Baltimore Ravens on SI called it a “blowout” based on his “five bold predictions.” Bold may be too strong a word to describe what appears to be the general agreement.

He had Henry sprinting for nearly 100 yards and two scores. Defensive dominance. Massey also predicted that Jackson would have a hot game and that the defense would be able to contain Davante Adams.