The Baltimore Ravens wanted to give Lamar Jackson a bevy of weapons. Enter Odell Beckham and rookie Zay Flowers, who should elevate the Ravens’ passing game along with Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay.
For the Houston Texans, the challenge comes in preparing for Baltimore’s new looking receiving corps as they get ready for Week 1 at M&T Bank Stadium Sunday.
Buy Texans TicketsWhile the Ravens may have new components in the aerial attack, defensive coordinator Matt Burke believes the best way to stop Baltimore is to stay true to their guiding tenets throughout the offseason and training camp.
“I feel like if we’re just playing [with] sound technique and fundamentals and playing our coverages, that’s what we’re trying to focus on,” Burke told reporters Sept. 7. “So, I can’t worry about what their chemistry is or, ‘I’m not getting the ball,’ or, ‘This is happening.’ Our philosophy was trying to play some guys in preseason to build through some of that with the young team, so that was our approach, but maybe their approach is a little different.”
The Texans will be without safety Jimmie Ward when they take on the Ravens. However, the Texans still have young defensive backs who can rise to the occasion in cornerback Derek Stingley and safety Jalen Pitre.
