Week 4: Bills at Ravens Preview
The Bills are coming off their most impressive win of the season Monday night and will head to Baltimore for a Sunday Night Football matchup against the 1-2 Ravens. This is the start of a three-game road trip for the Bills and will be a good test on both sides of the ball. Injuries continue to be a factor, with Taron Johnson and Terrel Bernard out and Kaiir Elam questionable with a neck injury for the defense. The Bills also had to place Tylan Grable on injured reserve, followed by the signing of Will Clapp to the active roster from the practice squad. The Ravens’ injury report is also stacked with three starting offensive linemen listed as questionable: Tyler Linderbaum, Patrick Mekari, and Andrew Vorhees. Vorhees did not practice Thursday, but Linderbaum was limited, and Mekari was a full participant. CB Jalyn Armour-Davis was their other non-participant.
The key to the Bills' success on defense will be stopping the run. The Ravens are the number one offense in yards per game at 430.3 while gaining a little over 203 yards per game on the ground. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry have developed into a strong duo in the season's first three games. Offensively, the Bills will need to attack the Ravens' weakened secondary. Baltimore has the worst pass defense in the NFL, giving up 291.7 yards a game. Their run defense is the best, at 50 yards a game and only 2.8 yards per carry. On paper, this is a game that Josh Allen should be airing it out and exploiting the mismatch. Let's dive into the three players to watch from both teams, my matchup of the game, and a final score prediction.
3 Bills Players to Watch
Bills TEs: Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox are getting grouped for this one. The Ravens have given up 280 yards on 23 catches to the opposing team’s tight ends this season. Brock Bowers and Jake Ferguson had career games in their matchups, which excites me about the opportunities Kincaid and Knox will see facing this defense. If Allen continues taking what the defense is giving him, he should be feeding his tight ends all game long.
LB Dorian Williams: Williams is the Bills' leading tackler, but he showed his coverage abilities during last week’s win over Jacksonville. This week’s matchup will test both areas as the Ravens can go heavy with their run personnel, spread the defense out, and run quick pass plays while utilizing RPO and play-action. Williams must be prepared for everything and remain disciplined with his assignments when the pocket collapses.
Extra CBs: Doing another grouping on this one because Cam Lewis and Ja'Marcus Ingram will need to continue playing at a high level in this matchup. Christian Benford and Rasul Douglas are playing lights-out football on the boundaries, so the Ravens will utilize motion and get more favorable matchups and mismatches for their wide receivers and tight ends. Ingram and Lewis have filled in admirably this season, but this week's matchup will be their most challenging. They must show up in coverage and the run game if the Bills want to be successful.
3 Ravens Players to Watch
Ravens TEs: Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely are highly skilled tight ends utilized in the Ravens offense. Likely has big play ability, while Andrews can be lined up all over the formation and create mismatches. Andrews has started the season slowly but must be respected as a pass catcher. Due to the heavy run game emphasis, the Ravens' tight ends will be x-factors in this matchup while blocking and running routes out of their big personnel packages.
QB Lamar Jackson: Jackson is averaging 234 passing yards per game and just under 85 yards on the ground so far this season. He is the definition of a dual-threat quarterback and has the ability to take it to the house on every dropback. Bills’ defenders must be disciplined with their assignments and not bite on the play-action and options that Jackson and the Ravens’ offense are known to utilize. In the last two regular season matchups vs Buffalo, Jackson is 1-1 with averages of 144 passing yards and 56 rushing yards, four touchdowns to three interceptions, and was sacked three times. Can Bobby Babich continue the strong playcalling we have seen since halftime of the home opener?
LB Kyle Van Noy: Van Noy has been one of the Ravens’ best pass rushers, having had four sacks over the last two games. The Bills’ offensive line hasn't allowed a sack since the home opener and will be in for a tough challenge Sunday night. If the Bills can protect as they did vs Jacksonville’s dynamic rushers, they should be able to keep the pocket clean so Allen can pick apart the secondary.
Matchup of the Game
The rushing attack of the Ravens vs the Bills front seven. Derrick Henry is coming off his best performance of the season with a 151-yard, 2-touchdown day. The Bills must slow Henry down and put the Ravens in long-yardage situations to disrupt their game plan. It will be a long night if the Ravens can efficiently run the ball like they have to start the season. Gap discipline and getting to Henry in the backfield before he gets a head of steam is the way to slow down their potent run game.
Prediction: Bills 31 Ravens 27
