Orchard Park, N.Y. — In a typical season going from a second-round matchup against the no. 3 seed to the no. 5 seed would probably be considered a more favorable matchup.
But after the Pittsburgh Steelers got blown out by the Cleveland Browns on Sunday night, the Buffalo Bills’ AFC divisional round draw against the Baltimore Ravens should turn out to be a much tougher task.
Including their win over rival Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, the Ravens (12-5) have won six straight games going back to the beginning of December. The Steelers won their first 11 games and then lost four of their last five regular season games before getting drubbed by the Browns, who won their first playoff game since 1994.
The Bills (14-3) found themselves in a slugfest with the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, escaping with a hard-fought, 27-24 win. Buffalo hosts Baltimore on Saturday night at 8:15 pm on NBC (fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV).
Here are some initial thoughts about the matchup.
Two best QBs from 2018 class clash in this one
Lamar Jackson won the NFL MVP award last season and Josh Allen is probably going to finish as the runner up this year behind Aaron Rodgers. The two 2018 QBs have emphatically claimed the top two spots when it comes to ranking all the quarterbacks from that class. Allen had a better season in 2020, finishing with 46 total touchdowns and nearly 5,000 total yards. Jackson had 3,762 total yards and 33 total touchdowns. The result of this game could very well come down to who plays better between the two.
What the Bills did vs. Lamar in 2019
Buffalo devised a perfect game plan for Jackson in their 2019 Week 14 matchup. They forced him to beat them with his arm, and he was able to in the end. He threw three touchdown passes and the Ravens won, 24-17. But Jackson as a runner was held to just 40 yards on 11 carries. If the Bills had been able to generate any real offense in the game the result may have been much different. A few weeks later when the Titans beat the Ravens in the first round of last year’s playoffs, Logan Ryan said Tennessee used the blueprint the Bills set in their matchup with Baltimore to scheme against Jackson in that game.
What does the line mean?
Buffalo opened as a -2 1/2 favorite according to betonline.ag. That’s the number books use when they’re a bit unsure about what to expect. The Bills played in front of fans for the first time in the opening round and there is potential for fans again in the divisional round. But those plans have not yet been finalized. The Ravens and the Bills are two of the hottest teams in the league and Baltimore’s defense vs. Buffalo’s offense is going to be quite the matchup.
Ravens riding 6-game win streak – and they’ve been different
Since Jackson returned after a bout with the coronavirus, the Ravens haven’t lost and their defense has been a completely different unit. They were allowing 333 yards per game in their first 11 games but brought that down to 302 per game over the last five games and their win over the Titans on Sunday. Speaking of the Ravens big win, they clamped down on the Titans after Ryan Tannehill got Tennessee out to a quick 10-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Over the final 45 minutes the Ravens held the Titans to just 76 yards and three points. Jackson was sensation with his legs against the Titans. He’s been a different player during the six-game win streak. He had four multiple touchdown games in the team’s final five regular season wins.
What’s different this time around for the Bills?
Allen was almost a different player the last time these two teams met. He was completely contained by the Ravens last season, managing just 146 passing yards on 46 attempts. Baltimore blitzed Allen a ton and he went 2 of 17 passing on the 24 drop backs where he faced pressure. He was sacked six times when the Ravens brought the blitz. Allen is likely to face some pressure again this time around. The Ravens are built to blitz up front and they even added Yannick Ngakoue at the deadline to bolster their pass rush. But Allen now has the NFL’s leading receiver in Stefon Diggs, who has elevated the Bills’ pass offense to one of the league’s best. How the Ravens choose to attack Allen will be one of this game’s most intriguing storylines.
Should Bills Mafia be concerned about the matchup?
There are no easy games this time of year. The Ravens are sound on both sides of the ball, but the Bills have the more dynamic and dangerous offense. Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier get an extra day to prepare for Jackson and the Baltimore offense and likely learned some lessons about their run defense in a tough outing against the Colts. The Ravens defensive front will challenge the Bills offensive line, but Allen has answered the bell every time this season when he’s faced adversity. Back at home with the jitters now out of their system after the franchise’s first playoff win this century, the Bills should be able to make plays on both sides of the ball against the Ravens.
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