OWINGS MILLS, Md. — After months and months of waiting it is finally go time for the Ravens.
"The excitement of the first game is there," said head coach John Harbaugh. "Just like the fans are excited, players and coaches are excited."
"I’m just ready to get the ball rolling right now," said quarterback Lamar Jackson. "[I'm] hyped. My guys are hyped."
The Ravens open the regular season on Sunday at home against the Houston Texans. Jackson is set for his first game since signing that mega contract extension and his first game since his knee injury late last season.
"I’m a little bit anxious... I haven’t played since December. That’s a long time. I’m just pumped. I’m ready to get out there on the field," said Jackson.
Odell Beckham Jr. thinks Sunday will be emotional when he suits up for the first time since he tore his ACL while with the Rams during the Super Bowl in February of 2022. It's kind of like he is a rookie again after 19 months away from competition.
"The whole thing feels like a reset for me," said the veteran receiver signed by the Ravens in the offseason. "There have been a lot of deja vu moments of little things that has happened that just kind of feels reminiscent of my rookie year in a sense. Just the feeling of the excitement that I have."
The excitement to debut offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s new scheme. Mark Andrews should be good to go with that. The tight end was back to practice on Wednesday after missing about a week and a half. He was limited with a quad injury. So was left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle).
As for the game one opponent, the Texans are not expected to do well this year. They are picked by many to finish near the bottom of the NFL standings.
Sunday’s game will be the first of Houston’s C.J. Stroud era. The second overall draft pick gets the start at quarterback. There will be no mercy given to the rookie by the Baltimore defense.
"He went very high but every guy that goes high don’t mean they’re just going to be a star power right away," said linebacker Roquan Smith. "I would love to put our talents out there and show him exactly what we can do and it will be his come into the league (moment)."
Smith will get his wish Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
