Ravens (12-5) at Bills (14-3)
Saturday, 8:15 ET, Bills Stadium, Orchard Park, N.Y.
TV: NBC
Danny Sheridan’s line: Bills by 2
Ravens’ keys to victory: Defensively, slowing down QB Josh Allen is the clear task to avoid keeping this game from becoming a shootout The best remedy will be to pressure Allen but using as few pass rushers as possible. OLB Matthew Judon led the Ravens with six sacks on the edge, while DT Calais Camp followed with four.
Bills’ keys to victory: While the Bills rolled offensively late in the season and put up 27 points on a strong Colts defense in the wildcard win, Buffalo should not bank on being able to deal with a slow start. Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson is one quarterback who, like Allen, can put up points out of nowhere and in a hurry. The Bills should draw up plenty of plays to WR Stefon Diggs early. Diggs led Buffalo with six catches and 128 yards versus the Colts; however, he had only one first-half catch. Defensively, the Bills should dust off the tape of the 2019 win; the front seven in that one kept Jackson in the pocket and made life difficult for him.
Matchup to watch: Ravens QB Jackson vs. Bills LB Tremaine Edmunds. It’s the quarterback vs. the quarterback of the defense. Edmunds won’t be tasked with shutting down Jackson by himself, but he’ll play a big part by helping get the defense in the right spots to stop him.
Who wins? Even in a close game, the Bills’ offense got it together in the wild-card round. A lot can change in the NFL in a year, but if Buffalo had any semblance of an offense against the Ravens a year ago? It would’ve been a different outcome, just like the divisional round should be.
Bills 28-20