ORCHARD PARK, NY (WHEC) – The Buffalo Bills will host the Baltimore Ravens with a trip to the AFC Championship on the line. Read more for a preview and prediction of Sunday’s game.
Buffalo Bills gameday basics:
What’s at stake? It’s win or go home. The winner will play in the AFC Championship with a ticket to the Super Bowl on the line. The Buffalo Bills have made it to the AFC’s divisional round every year since 2020, having won four straight wild card matchups. Despite that stellar record in the first round, Buffalo is just 1-4 in the Divisional and Championship rounds in the Sean McDermott era and has lost in the Divisional round three years in a row. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen were named the league’s two All-Pro signal callers this season and neither quarterback has made it to the Super Bowl in their career yet. A win gets one of them one step closer to that goal to eventually remove a blemish from their resumes. For more on the fair or unfair comparisons between the two, go
here . As a head coach, Sean McDermott is 2-3 against the Ravens all-time, losing his first two games against Baltimore before winning the next two. The Ravens won the most recent matchup back in September, 35-10. Baltimore boasts the NFL’s leading rushing attack, averaging 187.6 yards per contest in the regular season led by Jackson and future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry. Henry rushed for 1,921 yards and 16 scores this season while Jackson neared the one-thousand-yard mark on top of throwing for 41 touchdowns through the air. The Ravens’ affinity for the run doesn’t stop on offense, however, holding the best rush defense in the NFL–allowing 80.1 rush yards per game, the least in the regular season. Buffalo’s run defense ranks 14th in the NFL and its run offense, is ninth. In the Wild Card round, Baltimore rushed for 299 yards and the Bills, 210. In Buffalo’s week four loss to the Ravens, the team was without starting linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard along with nickel Taron Johnson. All three will play this Sunday and could be the key to slowing down Baltimore’s rushing attack. In that loss, the Ravens rushed for 271 yards, 199 coming from Derrick Henry. With Bernard and Milano in the lineup, the Bills will have to rely on their backers heavily as they have down the stretch. For the season, Buffalo is allowing 4.5 yards per carry, but in their last three games, that number shrinks below four. Milano has played in just five games this season, but was second on the team in tackles in their win over the Broncos, Bernard led with six. The only Buffalo Bill with an injury designation for Sunday’s game is rookie running back Ray Davis who is questionable with a concussion. Two Ravens have injury designations-starting wide receiver Zay Flowers who is doubtful and return specialist Deonte Harty who is questionable.
