The Ravens’ season opener is many things to many people. Unless, maybe, you’re Lamar Jackson.

“It’s just like any other game,” the star quarterback said Wednesday, downplaying a Sunday night showdown against the Buffalo Bills and reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Josh Allen that is not only one of the league’s most appetizing games but also, more meaningfully, a rematch of January’s divisional-round heartbreaker. “I’m trying to win regardless. I don’t look at any opponent.”

If Jackson looked around the locker room this week, he probably saw a lot of scars from the Ravens’ last trip to Orchard Park, New York. They outgained Buffalo 416-273, but three turnovers and a crucial drop on a would-be game-tying 2-point conversion by tight end Mark Andrews doomed the Ravens to a season-ending 27-25 loss.

Time may indeed heal all wounds, but seven-plus months haven’t been enough in Owings Mills.

Said left tackle Ronnie Stanley: “That team sent us home out of the playoffs, so I don’t think it’s just [like] going into a normal game, per se. We’re very unhappy with the result last time we were there, and a lot of us will give anything to leave there with a ‘W.’”

And Nnamdi Madubuike: “To go back there and play the same team that we lost to, that we believe we should’ve won ... everybody’s pumped up. You want to get that bad taste out of your mouth.”

And fellow defensive lineman Broderick Washington: “It sucked. It was bad, and we pride ourselves on not letting people run the ball, so that falls on the [defensive] front, really. So I think everybody took that pretty tough, and we’ve been working at it every day to be the best group that we can be.”

The Ravens’ first step forward in a potentially special season could be a big one. Here’s what to watch in the teams’ Week 1 matchup.

1. Jackson could be feeling the heat Sunday night. And not just because of the prime-time audience, the Ravens’ Super Bowl expectations and the pressure to deliver a win with potentially significant AFC playoff implications.

In the Ravens’ playoff loss to Buffalo, Jackson saw eight blitzes with man-to-man coverage, among the most such blitzes he saw in a game all season. With wide receiver Zay Flowers sidelined by a knee injury, he struggled. Jackson went 3-for-7 for 22 yards, threw an interception, lost a fumble on a strip sack and was pressured four times overall, according to Sports Info Solutions.

Jackson was stellar against most coverages last season, but he was only average against man blitzes, which are inherently vulnerable to scramblers like Jackson. Including the playoffs, his accuracy dipped from 66.7% to 60.7%, his sack rate rose from 4.6% to 7.8%, and his interception rate more than quadrupled, from 0.8% to 3.4%.

“It doesn’t make any sense, in some ways, because we have guys that can separate,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said in training camp. “It’s crazy — you look at the statistics, and you would be like, ‘How were we not [better]?’ when there were so many other areas we were elite at, and you’re thinking, ‘Wow, Lamar’s ability to escape, our guys can really separate, we’ve got a really good offensive line, we’ve got elite [running] backs,’ so that doesn’t make sense. But you’re right, we need to be a lot better at it."

2. Fullback Patrick Ricard’s absence Sunday will limit one of the Ravens’ strengths. But it could encourage them to go after one of the Bills’ weaknesses.

In their two meetings with Buffalo last season, the Ravens leaned into heavy personnel. Ricard, who will be sidelined by a calf injury, played 61% of the offensive snaps in their Week 4 blowout win in Baltimore. He got 42% in their divisional-round loss, while Andrews and fellow tight end Isaiah Likely (foot), who will also miss Sunday’s game, played 69% and 80% of the snaps, respectively.

The Ravens’ approach was simple. They wanted to punish the Bills’ run defense for sticking with nickel personnel (five defensive backs), then attack their pass defense when they switched to base personnel (four defensive backs).

Without Ricard and Likely, the Ravens could turn to Andrews and Charlie Kolar for their two-tight-end sets. Kolar, a less reliable in-line blocker than Ricard but a more dangerous receiver, had what Andrews on Wednesday called “one of the best camps I’ve really ever seen by a player.”

But Monken could also embrace more spread looks — or at least a more pass-happy approach — against an injury-depleted Bills secondary. Former Ravens cornerback Tre’Davious White (groin) is doubtful after missing the week of practice. Rookie cornerback and first-round pick Maxwell Hairston (knee) is starting the season on injured reserve. Outside corner Christian Benford and slot corner Taron Johnson are high-quality starters, but Buffalo will likely have to start Ja’Marcus Ingram or rookie Dorian Strong out wide. Ingram has one career start over three seasons, and Strong was a sixth-round pick.

With Buffalo’s starting safeties also a question mark, Jackson could have a lot of good looks Sunday, regardless of who’s running routes.

“I feel good about our guys,” Monken said Thursday. “The guys that’ll suit up on Sunday, they’ll be ready to go.”

3. Ravens inside linebacker Trenton Simpson didn’t play a single defensive snap in their playoff loss. Now he’s back to being a starter — and an object of curiosity.

Throughout offseason workouts and training camp, Ravens coaches praised Simpson’s growing confidence in the defense. But their Week 1 game plan will show how much confidence they truly have in the 2023 third-round pick, who was benched late last season amid a stretch of poor play.

The Bills used 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers) on a majority of their plays last season. Most defenses match 11 personnel with nickel personnel (five defensive backs and typically two off-ball linebackers). Will the Ravens? Or will they respond with dime personnel, taking Simpson off the field to add a sixth defensive back?

Simpson’s usage could be situational, as it was at times last year. He’s unlikely to be an every-down presence next to Roquan Smith, as Patrick Queen was before him. But what situations best suit Simpson’s skill set? That’s unclear as well. The Ravens might trust him more on early downs, when, against the Bills’ smashmouth run game, his size and strength would be more useful than that of a smaller defensive back. The Ravens might also trust Simpson more on passing downs; he was effective as a blitzer in the preseason and has the speed to run with Buffalo’s running backs in space.

If there’s a weak link in the Ravens’ defense, it’s Simpson — by reputation, anyway. And Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady has had all offseason to think of ways to test him.

“When you have a team sport, obviously, teams are going to attack where they feel like you’re weak at,” Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr said Thursday. “So if they feel like you’re weak in a certain area, and you are weak there, that’s not a good thing. But, if you really don’t show any weaknesses or don’t have a weakness, or if they try to think that they have a weak spot, and that’s actually not a weak spot, then it plays in your favor.”

4. The Ravens will take whatever edges they can get Sunday. And one advantage might be particularly surprising: special teams.

The Ravens ranked 23rd in overall efficiency there last season, according to FTN, but the Bills were worse. They finished 28th, leading to the dismissal of special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley.

The Ravens’ special teams shake-ups were confined mostly to their roster. Inside linebacker Jake Hummel was signed to help fill the void left by special teams stalwarts Malik Harrison and Chris Board, who left in free agency. Out went longtime star kicker Justin Tucker; in came rookie Tyler Loop. Wide receiver LaJohntay Wester, a sixth-round pick, established himself as the Ravens’ top punt returner after an impressive preseason. Running back Rasheen Ali likely earned a roster spot with his special teams ability, especially on kickoff returns.

The Bills, meanwhile, are still figuring things out. On Friday, they placed kicker Tyler Bass on IR, likely clearing the way for 41-year-old Matt Prater to handle Week 1 duties as a practice squad call-up. Jordan Stout’s strong preseason in Baltimore should give the Ravens the advantage at punter, too; Buffalo starter Brad Robbins didn’t get an NFL snap last season.

Coach John Harbaugh, long one of the NFL’s best special teams practitioners, said Friday that he expects the Ravens to be “further along” in meeting the team’s standard this season. The signing of special teams ace J.T. Gray, a former All-Pro who joined the practice squad Wednesday, should help early this season.

“I think it’s a continuation of the idea that we’re going to attempt to play the game harder and more physically, with better technique and a better understanding of the nature of special teams,” Harbaugh said. “Special teams is a little different than offense and defense. It’s more of a free-flowing type of play. It’s a little more like basketball or hockey. You have to understand the flow of the play, the timing, the angles. We’ve been really working hard on all those things.”

5. The Ravens are heading to a fortress Sunday.

The Bills went undefeated at home last season, winning all eight regular-season games and both of their playoff games to tie the 1990 Bills for the most home victories in a single season in franchise history.

And there could be even more Highmark Stadium magic in 2025. This is Buffalo’s final season in the 71,000-seat venue, which opened in 1973, before heading across the street to New Highmark Stadium in 2026. Players will wear a farewell-season patch on their jerseys for Sunday’s opener and the final game of the season. The get-in price on secondary ticket markets, as of Friday night, was close to $200.

The Ravens are 1-4 overall at Highmark Stadium. Their only win came in 2019, when Jackson’s Ravens edged Allen’s Bills, 24-17, in a game with just 466 total yards of offense.

“We know what a tough environment it is, but we’re very confident we can handle a tough environment,” Harbaugh said. “We know it’s our first game. Let’s go in there, see where we’re at and go from there.”