Who should face Baltimore to open up the 2013 season?

KiddKillah · Joined: 07 Nov 2007 Posts: 1911 Location: Baltimore, MD

As you all know, we will open up the 2013 season with the first regular season game in prime time. I find it intriguing that we have a number of honorable opponents who could see us week one:
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Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Houston Texans

I think that there are only 4 serious options here: Pittsburgh, Green Bay, New England, and Houston.

That being said, anything can happen, and any one of those match ups are possible.

I would personally love to see us go against Green Bay. Flacco vs. Rodgers. The best QB in the AFC vs. the best the NFC has to offer in Rodgers. That match up would be so nasty and a great way to kick of the 2013 season.
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RayBringsPain · Joined: 25 Oct 2009 Posts: 814

Steelers easily. Start their season off with a loss.
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SnA ExclusiVe · Joined: 01 Jun 2011 Posts: 10599 Location: Spokane, WA

Let us beat the crap out of the Browns to start off our repeat year Cool

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DontTazeMeBro · Joined: 20 Jan 2008 Posts: 20511 Location: 321

Give us Green Bay. Our dominance over New England is established. Steelers ain't legit anymore. Packers are the only team that looks like a challenge coming into M&T.
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Go_Ravens2 · Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 1819

Since they started having the Super Bowl Champion host the opening game, they've only played an out of conference team once (NO @ IND). This leads me to believe it would be an AFC opponent in this game, with the 3 likely candidates being Houston, Pittsburgh, and New England.

Houston doesn't carry the same storylines as the other two, so I think we're looking at either Pittsburgh or New England. Everyone knows what Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore is like and recently New England vs. Baltimore has become a great rivalry as well. You either have a great divisional clash or a repeat of the AFC Championship game of the last 2 seasons. Brady looking for his revenge and Joe looking to assert his dominance in the regular season. I personally think it will be New England, but wouldn't be shocked to see Pitt.
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nevermore · Joined: 30 Sep 2008 Posts: 5610 Location: Austria

Steelers. They tend to start off slow, so I'd rather face them as early as possible.

I expect NE, though. Especially if Reed becomes a Patriot (which I doubt).
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diamondbull424 · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 10017 Location: Baltimore, MD

Yeah, I think it's the Patriots. That matchup of the AFCCG would present a lot of intrigue to the NFL season. It would give people instant gratification for what they're looking for... power rankings, who is legit and who is not. And the NFL is a league where most recent performances are over-exaggerated (for good or for bad) or they are pushed along into the distant pass.
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BaltimoreTerp · Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 5:00 pm Post subject:

Don't forget that 4 years back when the Steelers won the Super Bowl, we specifically asked the NFL not to use us as their Thursday Night opening game. Part of the reason was because it would have meant the 3rd straight year that Pittsburgh got to host the primetime BAL/PIT matchup, and they've now hosted the past two primetime matchups at this point as well and thus it's probably our turn to get the primetime home game. But part of that request was I think also the fact that no one really wants to to be that road opener team against any defending champ in any case. The NFL owed us after the bye week fiasco in 2008, so they ended up relenting.

And the Steelers also remember what happened last time we hosted them in a season opener. So I wouldn't be surprised if they ask the NFL not to select them for our season opener, and if they do, they may very well get that request granted.

So to me the Pats are definitely the favorites to end up in that game.
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coordinator0 · Joined: 18 Jan 2008 Posts: 5873

ProFootballTalk made a good point in their article regarding this game about the fact that FOX only gets Baltimore twice this year so they probably wouldn't let NBC take this game with either of the NFC teams. So that cuts out Green Bay and Minnesota.

I agree that the Patriots are the most likely game to start the season with given their popularity and larger market. You could say the same about Pittsburgh but a rematch of the AFCCG seems more likely to me.

DontTazeMeBro · Joined: 20 Jan 2008 Posts: 20511 Location: 321

coordinator0 · Joined: 18 Jan 2008 Posts: 5873

alfalcone · Joined: 25 Apr 2009 Posts: 965 Location: Brother Jimmy's

BareYourTeeth · Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 5:49 pm Post subject:

I have been thinking Pittsburgh for awhile now. Huge rivalry, divisional game, they've given them to us before for the season opener, and like BaltimoreTerp said it's our turn to get the primetime home game.

Plus, they usually give New England their own primetime Sunday/Monday night game against a divisional opponent for them to beat up on.
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