An inside look at Sunday’s Jets-Ravens Week 1 matchup at MetLife Stadium.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson vs. Jets front seven

Jackson did not get the long-term contract he was seeking, so now he will begin his push to make the Ravens change their minds in the offseason. Jackson presents many challenges with his style of play. He is the only player in NFL history with multiple career games with at least three touchdown passes and 100 yards rushing.

The strength of the Jets is their defensive line, led by Quinnen Williams and Carl Lawson. They struggled against the run in 2021, finishing 29th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed and 32nd in rushing touchdowns allowed. The Jets feel those stats were deceptive thanks to a few bad days with big plays. We’ll find out quickly if they are better this season.

“It’s a tremendous challenge,” defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. “It’s just one of the most unique offenses and obviously, Lamar’s one of the most unique players in this league, so it is an absolute headache, but I really believe our guys are up for it and I’m excited about the challenge, although it is a tremendous one.”

Week 1 is tough. You never know what to expect. The Ravens are the better team, but they have some injury issues, and Lamar Jackson spent the preseason trying to negotiate a new contract. The Jets are going to be flying around on an emotional day at MetLife Stadium. The Jets win a shocker every year. This time, it comes in Week 1.

Jets 27, Ravens 24

Rookie debut: The Jets and general manager Joe Douglas got rave reviews in April for their draft, and we’ve now talked about it for nearly 4 ¹/₂ months. The group will finally be on the field, with Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and Max Mitchell all expected to have big roles, and Jermaine Johnson, Micheal Clemons and Jeremy Ruckert also expected to contribute.

“You’re going to have your hair-pulling moments,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “If I had hair, I’d pull them out, but you’re also going to have some ‘wow’ moments because they are explosive. They’re full of energy and they’ve got a lot of talent, but at the same time, the mental aspect, I’ve always said before, you play young guys with the hopes that they become veterans mentally while they still possess all their athleticism that they showed when they ran at the combine and their pro days.”

Tackle trouble: The Jets are pretty healthy entering this game, with some glaring exceptions. One is quarterback Zach Wilson, of course, but they now have another big one to deal with after left tackle Duane Brown injured his shoulder in practice on Monday. Brown was signed in August when Mekhi Becton was lost for the season to a knee injury.

With Brown out, the Jets will move George Fant back to left tackle and start rookie Max Mitchell at right tackle. It is a scary proposition. They are high on Mitchell as a prospect, but there was never an expectation the fourth-round pick from Louisiana would have to play this early. Calais Campbell and the Ravens defensive line could have a big day.

Tight squeeze: Though Lamar Jackson is the headliner on the Ravens’ offense, tight end Mark Andrews is right behind him. Andrews is Jackson’s favorite target, and the Jets, between safeties Jordan Whitehead, Lamarcus Joyner, nickel cornerback Michael Carter II and their linebackers, are going to have to find a way to slow him down. Andrews led the NFL in receiving yards (1,361) and receptions (107) among tight ends last year and was tied for the lead in receiving touchdowns (9) by a tight end.

September blues: The month of September has not been kind to the Jets recently. They have lost their past 12 games in the month, dating to 2018. The last game they won in September was the first game of 2018, when Sam Darnold made his debut in Detroit. It has felt like the Jets’ seasons have ended before they even started, with 0-3 starts every year since. In order for the Jets to realize their goal of playing meaningful games in December, they need to win some in September, or we’ll be talking about draft position again by Oct. 1.