It has been nearly eight months since the Ravens last played a game that counted, back in the snowdrifts in Buffalo on the frigid shores of Lake Erie.

At long last, we’re back this Sunday. Literally back in Buffalo. Again.

The NFL can feel like a flat circle, especially for a Ravens team that consistently plays like one of the league’s best teams in the regular season only to come up short in January. In that spirit, maybe you’ve let your attention drift this offseason — perhaps the drama of the NFL draft or free agency doesn’t measure up to the gridiron gladiator clashes on Sundays. Maybe you’re just waiting to be shaken awake in the fall, when the kickoffs start flying.

So let’s make it official: Babe, wake up. It’s football season.

The NFL isn’t just for depth chart-plotting die-hards — it’s for the casual fans, too. And, if you are rubbing your eyes from your offseason hibernation, The Banner has a rapid-fire guide to everything you need to know to blend in with your year-round NFL fanatic friends at the upcoming watch party.

It’s a cheat sheet for those of you just catching up in time for the games — and the best part is that, unlike most modern study aids, absolutely no part of this was written with artificial intelligence. Enjoy this ethically sourced football knowledge.

Start with the most basic stuff: When do I need to turn on my TV to watch the Ravens?

Hope you’re ready for a late night. The Ravens are the late Sunday game, starting in Buffalo against Josh Allen and the Bills at 8:20 p.m. on NBC.

Ick, why do I feel like I’ve been hearing about this Josh Allen guy all offseason?

Well, you probably have. For one thing, his Bills defeated the error-prone Ravens in the AFC divisional round last year, a grueling, freezing 27-25 loss. Buffalo lost in the AFC championship to the Chiefs, but Allen signed a six-year, $330 million contract extension in March, married actress/singer Hailee Steinfeld in May, was the star of “Hard Knocks” this preseason and has the glory of being the reigning NFL MVP. He’s inescapable lately.

Wait, so you’re saying Lamar Jackson didn’t win MVP last season? Wasn’t he kind of amazing, though?

He really was. There’s a strong argument that Jackson had his best regular season ever. He threw for a career-high 4,172 yards and a career-high 41 touchdowns and had just four interceptions. He had more total touchdowns than Allen (45 to 40), a better passer rating (119.6 to 101.4) and more passing AND rushing yards than Allen.

Allen had one more win in the regular season, and he had zero MVPs to Jackson’s two — so I guess some voters felt they had give it to him. It was a controversial decision, given that Jackson won the Associated Press’ top spot at quarterback and more than a few people who voted him the NFL’s top passer didn’t vote for him as the league’s MVP.

No sense wallowing in the MVP debates. The season beckons! What is the offense looking like around Lamar this year?

Really, really good. Under third-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Baltimore returns running back Derrick Henry, who ran for 1,921 yards (the second-highest total of his career) at age 30, which is considered edging toward retirement for mere mortals. Henry spent the offseason running up hills in Dallas while dragging heavy metal chains — you know, typical summer break activities — so it can be assumed that he is ready to rampage through defenses like a monster truck for at least one more season (and perhaps beyond after signing an extension in May that will keep him with the Ravens through 2027).

The Ravens also bring back Pro Bowl receiver Zay Flowers, who crossed the 1,000-yard mark last season, extended receiver Rashod Bateman after a breakout year and added former All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins (who went to the Super Bowl with Kansas City in February). The tight end room had a hiccup after Isaiah Likely fractured his foot in training camp and may miss a good chunk of the first month, but the Ravens still have fullback Pat Ricard, reserve end Charlie Kolar and of course former All-Pro Mark Andrews holding it down.

I’ve heard rumors that Andrews is washed. Where is that all coming from?

That chatter may have to do with the last time we saw the veteran tight end (who will turn 30 Saturday). Andrews had one of his most disappointing games with a fourth-quarter fumble, followed by a dropped pass on what would have been a game-tying 2-point conversion. The famously intense Andrews took a while to sort that one out himself, and social media trolls were not kind.

But Andrews has looked motivated and prepared throughout training camp, trying to prove the franchise’s all-time touchdown receptions leader has juice going into a contract year. He had a career-high 11 touchdown catches last season, showcasing his fabulous red-zone chemistry with Jackson.

When asked in July about returning to Buffalo, the site of arguably his greatest professional failure, Andrews’ eyes were as sharp as razors. “It’s going to be a great story. I’m excited about that game.” Doubt him at your own risk.

What about the defense? It was a problem this time last year, right?

Yes, it was. For much of the early season in 2024, the Ravens had the NFL’s most porous secondary under new coordinator Zach Orr. But there is a lot of hype around the new-look unit, which Pro Football Focus ranked as the NFL’s best headed into 2025. A lot of that is tied into how the defense performed in the back half of last season, when it allowed just 171 passing yards per game in the final seven weeks and ranked first in run defense.

There is tons of talent here. Kyle Hamilton just signed a contract extension that made him the NFL’s highest-paid safety. Former All-Pro corner Marlon Humphrey and linebacker Roquan Smith are hard-hitting mainstays who helped stabilize things last fall. Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones return in the middle of the defensive line, and Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh — who both had double-digit-sack seasons in 2024 — return on the edges.

Are there new faces on defense that I should pay attention to?

The Ravens’ two highest draft picks were spent on defense: safety Malaki Starks and outside linebacker Mike Green. Starks was a do-it-all ball hawk at Georgia with an inspiring backstory of overcoming homelessness. He’s likely to be thrust into action as a starter, especially with a season-ending injury to safety Ar’Darius Washington that leaves Baltimore light on experience at the position.

Linebacker Mike Green dropped in the draft because of questions about sexual assault allegations (which he denies) that led to him leaving the University of Virginia and landing at Marshall. But the second-round pick may have first-round talent, impressing in his on-field action during the preseason and in camp.

Arguably the wild card of the defense, though, is two-time All-Pro Jaire Alexander whom Baltimore scooped up after he was released by Green Bay. Alexander was Louisville teammates with Lamar Jackson and adds a swagger to the defense that has been missing for the last few years. But he also hasn’t practiced in weeks, potentially leaving the secondary short on corner depth to start the season.

I heard the Ravens had to cut Justin Tucker. Tell me about the new kicker.

The unenviable position of replacing the franchise’s all-time scoring leader falls to rookie Tyler Loop from Arizona. Loop has a big leg — he hit a 61-yard field goal against the Commanders at the end of the preseason. The biggest question is consistency. Loop was 9-for-11 in the preseason and hit just under 84% of his kicks with the Wildcats. Folks who are used to Tucker’s clockwork consistency for the last 13 years (before last season’s decline) will expect a higher standard, especially when it comes to go-ahead field goals.

I want to sound smart in front of the football lifers. Who are the players I could talk about as potential breakout guys?

The biggest breakouts could come from some of the team’s smallest players. Running back Keaton Mitchell is healthy after missing most of last season recovering from a knee injury — before that he was a big-play machine in 2023. Rookie LaJohntay Wester is the expected punt returner for a special teams unit trying to add bite, and he had a return for a touchdown during the preseason.

Going way under the radar, you might look at undrafted free agent Jay Higgins — a two-time All American at Iowa who impressed with his fundamentals during the preseason and made for one of the heartwarming tales of the 53-man roster. If you want to sound like a tactician, say he impressed you with “how he used his hands to shed blocks.” That feels smart.

So it’s another ‘Super Bowl or bust’ year for Baltimore, huh?

Yes, and the issue is how many more years the Ravens have to get there. General manager Eric DeCosta last week said he never wants the team’s competitive window to close, but it will get harder with Jackson’s $74.5 million salary cap hit next year (just over 24% of the cap), which will make it harder for Baltimore to keep its own stars.

While they’ve extended a lot of guys this offseason, including Hamilton, Bateman, Henry and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, there are huge pending free agents: Andrews, Likely, Oweh and center Tyler Linderbaum among them. In another season, Humphrey will come into a contract year, while the Ravens will have to make key decisions on rookie-deal extensions for Flowers and linebacker Trenton Simpson. It likely means, in seasons after this one, there will be fewer overall high-priced stars and more young depth.

We can’t end on a note about accounting. It’s too boring and depressing. Why should I feel good about this season?

Let’s just sum it up with a TL/DR: The Ravens are loaded with talent, with arguably the best quarterback in football coming off his best season. They have one of the best running backs, deep groups at receiver and tight end, a lot of returning talent on all three levels of the defense and a coaching staff with continuity and experience led by John Harbaugh. They added proven vets, they added exciting young talent, and if there ever was a year to break through, it’s this one.

We’ll find some things out early about how ready the Ravens are for this campaign — their schedule opens against 2024 playoff teams Buffalo, Detroit and Kansas City in September alone. It could be an early stumbling block like last year, or it could show that, this year, the Ravens aren’t messing around.

As many words as we can use to talk about this season, there are only two that really will matter:

Super. Bowl.