6 Things to Watch for in the Monday Night Football Doubleheader

After a crazy Sunday in Week 1, NFL fans will be treated to two age-old divisional rivalries on Monday Night Football. 

The Baltimore Ravens swept the Cincinnati Bengals in 2011, but the young Bengals club has loads of talent and an underrated and aggressive defense. 

After leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage and signing an extension, Ray Rice looks to remain the league's most versatile back. Joe Flacco, meanwhile, begins another season in which he hopes to silence the doubters. 

The Oakland Raiders are still one of the most enigmatic organizations in football, but they do boast an immensely talented runner in Darren McFadden—a guy who's been amazingly productive when healthy, but he hasn't stayed healthy early in his career, sadly.

Norv Turner starts another campaign on the hot seat with the San Diego Chargers, a team that looks somewhat different from a personnel standpoint than it has in years past. Remember, no Ryan Mathews, so Ronnie Brown takes on the feature back role.

Ahead, we'll look at three noteworthy aspects of each matchup.

Ravens' No-Huddle Offense

The Baltimore Ravens tinkered with the no-huddle offense at the start of the preseason and showed more of it as the exhibition schedule went along. 

It's a stark contrast to the offense they've run the last four years with Joe Flacco under center. But the organization is confident that its big-armed signal-caller is capable of operating the uptempo attack. 

Here's what offensive coordinator Cam Cameron had to say about the newly-implemented offense, according to The Baltimore Sun: 

"

This is something we always wanted to do. But doing what you want and doing what you should do doesn't always happen when you want it to. Obviously, this is something John wanted to do, and the whole staff was on board. As we've seen in the preseason, Joe is a great communicator, and that's the key to the offense.

"

Mike Preston, who wrote the article, stated, "Fans have been clamoring for the no-huddle for years. That's where Flacco appeared the most comfortable and productive."

Flacco will have an opportunity to prove that against a good Bengals defense tonight. 

Torrey Smith vs. A.J. Green

OK, so these two wideouts aren't exactly facing each other, but you get the picture. 

Both deep-threat dynamos are making their sophomore debuts after terrific rookie seasons a year ago. Green caught 65 passes for 1,057 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games for the Bengals. 

Smith reeled in 50 passes for 841 yards and seven scores, though he didn't receive as much notoriety as Green. However, the Ravens receiver actually had a higher yards-per-catch average than Green (16.8 to 16.3). 

They are immensely talented in terms of stretching the defense with speed, locating the football in the air and bringing it in for long completions. 

Green and Smith are important facets of their respective offensive attacks, too. 

It'll be interesting to see who has the bigger impact tonight. 

Andy Dalton's Play

For all intents and purposes, Andy Dalton had a fine rookie season in 2011, leading his team to the second round of the playoffs. 

No, he didn't set any statistical records, but he managed the majority of games well, threw 20 touchdowns to only 13 interceptions and finished the year with a respectable 80.4 QB rating. 

However, in the team's two losses to the Ravens, the former TCU Horned Frog struggled severely. Though he averaged over 300 yards, he completed just a shade above 51 percent of his passes and had one touchdown to three interceptions. 

Dalton's certainly not the only quarterback to struggle against Baltimore's defense, but as he'll be facing a Ravens front seven without Terrell Suggs, Jarret Johnson and Cory Redding, it'll be intriguing to see how a more mature Dalton plays this evening. 

Darren McFadden's Burst, Speed and Cutting Ability

Darren McFadden was averaging 5.4 yards per carry before he suffered a nagging foot injury that prematurely ended his 2011 season. 

He's unquestionably a remarkable talent with great size, speed and power at the running back position. The Raiders will likely lean on their workhorse in hopes of alleviating the pressure on quarterback Carson Palmer. 

Any time a player is making his debut coming off a debilitating injury, especially to the leg or foot, there's reason to monitor closely. 

Let's see if "Run DMC" is the same player who got off to such a hot start in 2011. 

Melvin Ingram

Melvin Ingram is a special talent, a freak athlete capable of playing in a variety of different positions along the Chargers' front seven. 

He flashed his tremendous pass-rushing talent in the preseason, but he suffered a thigh bruise. The first-round pick has been cleared to play tonight and will likely the focal point of San Diego's edge-rushing efforts against Carson Palmer—a guy who threw 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 10 games last year. 

Expect Ingram to be moved around often as the Chargers attempt to confuse Oakland's offensive line throughout the evening. 

Chargers' Running Game

There's no Ryan Mathews tonight, as the oft-injured running back is still nursing the broken collarbone he suffered on his first carry this preseason. 

Therefore, veteran journeyman Ronnie Brown will start for the Chargers. 

San Diego loves throwing the football, and with Philip Rivers as the quarterback, that makes sense. But the Chargers will need to establish some semblance of the running game to keep the Raiders defense off balance tonight.

Can Brown shoulder the load?