The Baltimore Ravens will open the 2013 NFL season September 5th on the road against the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football. This game will mark the first opener since 2002 that was not hosted by the defending Super Bowl champions.
Due to a scheduling conflict with the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball, the Ravens will not have their home opener to kick off the season. The NFL also nixed having the game on Wednesday, September 4th due to that date marking the start of Rosh Hashanah. Last season the NFL opened on a Wednesday to accommodate President Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention.
The game will be a re-match of Baltimore's double-overtime victory in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs, in which Joe Flacco hurled a miraculous 70-yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones, who had streaked past deep safety Rahim Moore.
With one minute left in the first overtime, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was intercepted by Ravens defensive back Corey Graham, which allowed Flacco to get his team into field goal range. Rookie kicker Justin Tucker booted a 47-yard field goal that sent the Ravens to the AFC Championship.
A storyline to watch leading up to this opener will be the return of defensive end Elvis Dumervil to Denver. Dumervil was released by the Broncos this offseason thanks to a clerical snafu by Dumervil's since-fired agent. Dumervil and the team had agreed to a pay cut, but Dumervil's agent failed to fax the paperwork in time causing his release.
The Ravens, who have lost Ray Lewis to retirement, and Ed Reed, Paul Krueger and Dannelle Ellerbe to free agency, signed Dumervil to a five-year, $26 million deal. Dumervil has recorded 63.5 sacks in six years with Denver, and has made three Pro Bowls.
The game will also be the first for Wes Welker in a Denver uniform, after spending the last six seasons as a New England Patriot.
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