The Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens will fight it out on Sunday in Week 1 of the NFL 2016 regular season, and the Ravens will be hoping to get their season off to a winning start in front of their home crowd. The game has a scheduled start time of 1 p.m. ET and takes place at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The game can be watched on TV on the CBS network, or online through live stream via the link provided below.
Both the Ravens and Bills had disappointing 2015 seasons, and they will know how important getting the new season off to a positive start is.
Last year, the Ravens finished 5-11 after Joe Flacco suffered a season-ending injury to his left knee in late November.
On the other side, the Bills' Tyrod Taylor put on the best season of his career in 2015, however, it was not enough to get Buffalo into the Playoffs. The Bills now have not made the postseason for 16 straight seasons, which is the longest among current active teams.
Taylor of course spend many seasons as backup to Flacco in Baltimore before he moved to Buffalo, and Ravens coach John Harbaugh has heaped praise on his former player ahead of this game: "He has made himself into an NFL quarterback. His quarterback rating last year was very high (99.4). He did it with his legs, certainly, but that is not to take away what from what he has done with his arm and his mind. He operates an offense extremely well. He manages the game very well. He is an accurate thrower. He makes good decisions. The added element of the fact that is he is probably one of the best athletes in the game just makes him a real weapon."
Earlier this week, on NFL Thursday Night Football, the season opener took place between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers. The re-match of last season's Super Bowl was a hard-fought affair, but ultimately the result came out the same as Super Bowl 50, with the Broncos taking the win.
However, Thursday's game was a much closer match up than last season's showcase game, and by the end Denver only won the game by a single point in a 21-20 victory.
Early-on in the game especially, fans could feel the intensity that Carolina entered the re-match with, and if there was any doubt that the Panthers were out for revenge, that was confirmed right away as the Carolina defense began super aggressively, successfully disrupting Trevor Siemian. By half time the Broncos quarterback had only completed 8 of 12 passes for 92 yards, throwing one interception in the process.
The impressive Panthers went in at half time with a healthy 17-7 lead, however, things it proved to be a game of two halves, and the Broncos emerged vastly improved for the second half. In particular, the Broncos' defense showed signs of the form that took them all the way to Super Bowl glory last season.
Although Cam Newton had a strong first half, he was hit hard in the third quarter by DeMarcus Ware as he suffered his first sack of the season. Newton went down injured, and although he returned to the action, he looked a different player after that incident.
The Broncos went on to sack Newton three times in the second half as the Panthers' offense was put under intense and repeated pressure. The Carolina offense was so effectively shut down that they only managed to score three points through the entire second half.
Denver turned the screw in the fourth quarter and went into the final minutes with a 21-20 lead. The Panthers managed one final dramatic sustained drive, but a 50-yard field goal attempt went wide at the death to hand the Broncos an opening day win, and leave the Panthers to ponder what more they must do to defeat Denver.
Fans were left breathless by the final whistle, and many commented that this was the dramatic game they wish they had in last season's Super Bowl.
Week 1 continues Sunday with the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens facing off from 1 p.m. ET. The game can be watched on TV on the CBS network or online through live stream by clicking here.
