How do Raiders WRs matchup with Ravens CBs?

Coming this Monday night, the Raiders will kick off their 2021 schedule with a marquee matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. With a new season comes hope and intrigue, and that lies within each and every matchup on the field. One of those matchups will end up being the Raiders wide receivers and the Ravens cornerbacks. Lets take a look at each unit, and then decide who gets the edge in this week’s matchup.

The Ravens Cornerbacks

This is one of the deepest units in the league. Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey form one of the best cornerback duos in the game, and there is plenty of depth behind them. The second stringers include Anthony Everett and Tavon Young. Filling out the unit we have Jimmy Smith and Chris Westry.

The Ravens have an interesting strategy when it comes to defense, and it’s rather uncommon in today’s NFL. They play fast and physical, and the style of play is something the Raiders young receiving corps is going to need to be ready for. The ravens blitz a ton, which is going to lead to a lot of man-coverage situations in Monday’s game.

This could bode well for the Raiders though, since their receiving unit has a lot of players who can exploit situations like these. Still, the Raiders’ young receivers haven’t been roughed up as much as they will be on Monday. Their own speed will be matched by Baltimore’s defensive backs, who are very fast in their own right.

The Raiders Wide Receivers

Like the Ravens unit, this group of players is fast. Henry Ruggs leads the show, and he’s followed by habitual mismatches in Bryan Edwards and Hunter Renfrow. Former Raven Willie Snead and Zay Jones round out the unit.

While full of talent, this group is very unproven. Henry Ruggs is nearly impossible to guard in a man-to-man situation, but we was contained pretty well by defenses during his rookie season. Bryan Edwards struggled with injuries during his first year, so he has a lot to prove in year two. Hunter Renfrow starts this year as the most proven receiver on the roster, and he’s likely the player Derek Carr trusts the most among his fellow receivers.

Who has the edge?

This will be a compelling matchup, and it could go a long way in deciding the winner on Monday Night Football. Coming into this game however, the Ravens defensive backs have the edge.

As I mentioned earlier, the Ravens secondary is experienced, fast, and physical. It’s going to be something the young Raiders receivers are going to have to adjust to, and quickly. Baltimore blitzes quite often, so we’re going to see a lot of one-on-one matchups with Ruggs, Edwards and Renfrow. What really matters is how those three manage to fend off the fierce and physical defenders in Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey.

This is going to be a fun matchup to watch, and there will be a ton of talent on the boundaries on Monday. The Ravens come in with the advantage in this department, but the Raiders can make up for that very quickly come Monday Night.