Boomer Esiason talks Ravens vs Denver

Opening weekend of the 2015 NFL season starts Thursday as the Steelers face off against Tom Brady and the Patriots. A lot of matchups this week have serious implications for the AFC with the Ravens at Denver in what could be a playoff matchup come December.

Former quarterback turned analyst, Boomer Esiason did a Q&A and talked about the upcoming matchup this Sunday.

Baltimore is an early Super Bowl 50 favorite, do you believe they have all the pieces to make it there?

BE: "Baltimore and Denver are both playoff contenders from their respective divisions. The Ravens are honestly a nightmare matchup for a lot of teams in the NFL. They are big…strong…experienced and have a quarterback in Joe Flacco that can have a big-time game on any given Sunday. They have one of the best offensive lines in the game and everything needed to make it to the Super Bowl."

Will the departure of Julius Thomas hurt the Broncos offense this season?

BE: "Yes, very much so. Eric Decker as well. You work for years with big wide receivers and big tight ends and then they leave for big money with other teams. No question, this hurts the Broncos.

I’ll tell you though…the Broncos are going to try and morph into more of a running team. They did the same thing near the end of John Elway’s career and won back-to-back Super Bowls. They can do the same now with Peyton Manning and have less time in the shotgun for him with running the clock more, getting that extra yard, and a having a great defense."

While no good analyst will give you concrete answers as to who will win this weekend's games, it seems like Esiason is high on the Ravens' chances not only this weekend but every week in the regular season and beyond. He is correct that Baltimore is utilizing a big and fast approach on both sides of the ball to have it be a 'pick your poison' type of team. Hopefully we will see a lot of positives this Sunday when the Ravens meet the Denver Broncos.