Tyrod Taylor spent his first four seasons in the league as a little-used backup to Joe Flacco. He could have re-signed with the Baltimore Ravens and nobody would have thought about him seriously again. But instead he signed with the Buffalo Bills last offseason, and managed to win a three-way quarterback battle despite few knowing who he was.
Bills vs. Ravens 2016 live stream: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Tyrod Taylor and the Bills will be taking on Joe Flacco and the Ravens to start their seasons on Sunday.
Taylor, 27, played in 14 games for the Bills last season, completing 63.7 percent of his passes for 3,035 yards with 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. He played incredibly well relative to his expectations, and now he’s set to make his first 2016 start against his old team and the quarterback he sat behind for four years.
The Bills and Ravens will open their preseason on Sunday in Baltimore, with the game set to begin at 1 p.m. ET.
For Flacco, it won’t be about playing his former backup, but rather about making his first start since he sustained a season-ending knee injury in November of last year. Flacco is the Ravens’ franchise quarterback, and they were already hurting with a lack of weapons on offense when Flacco went down.
Things went from bad to worse for the Ravens after that. Ryan Mallett, Jimmy Clausen and Matt Schaub all took meaningful snaps for the Ravens in 2015. Flacco completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 2,791 yards with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last year, which wasn't stellar but still better than the 60.6 completion rate and 7:9 touchdown-interception ratio his backups put up. The Ravens will be happy to have him back on Sunday.
There isn't much history between the two teams. They have only played six times, and they have split the head-to-head series, 3-3. For the Bills, though, it's less about the Ravens and more about simply beating the teams in front of them while they potentially benefit from the New England Patriots' loss of Tom Brady for the first four games of the season.
Playing in the AFC East is hard for any team due to New England's strength. The Patriots can't be expected to lose all four of those games, but the Bills (not to mention the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins) have a golden opportunity to make some early headway in the division if they can score some wins.
The Ravens are also in a tough division, the AFC North. The Cincinnati Bengals look like a strong team once again, while the Pittsburgh Steelers, if healthy, can be a force. Even the Cleveland Browns look like they might win a few games they're not expected to this season, so every single game counts. The Ravens and Bills seem like they might be in similar places roster-wise at this stage, so this matchup should be exciting.
Sunday’s game between the two teams is set for 1 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on CBS, with Spero Dedes and Solomon Wilcots on commentary. The only way to watch the game online will be via an online subscription to Sunday Ticket.
How to watch Bills vs. Ravens on Sunday
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
TV: CBS
Announcers: Spero Dedes, Solomon Wilcots
Online Streaming: Sunday Ticket
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