Baltimore Beatdown
Mapping a out a blueprint to success in this AFC playoff showdown.
The Baltimore Ravens will hit the road for the first time this postseason when they travel to upstate New York and take on the Buffalo Bills. They are narrowly favored against an opponent who is just as hot as they are.
A win would not only punch the Ravens’ ticket to the next round of the playoffs but mark their first time advancing to the AFC championship game in back-to-back seasons since 2012.
Here are five keys integral to the Ravens’ coming out on top in the second round of the playoffs.
In the regular season matchup between these two teams, the Bills were without three of their best defenders in All Pro linebacker Matt Milano, stud nickel cornerback Taron Johnson and athletic third-year linebacker Terrel Bernard. However, against the particular brand of football the Ravens like to play on offense, if they opt to heavily deploy their nickel package — which is essentially their base defense — it would set up Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry for similar levels of success the second time around.
Johnson has played 89% or more of the Bills’ total defensive snaps in 10 of the 13 games he has played, including the Wild Card round of the playoffs. While he’s one of the best and most tenacious run defenders from the slot, against the Ravens’ heavy personnel packages, he may be no match for any of the big blockers he’d meet in the trenches.
On Friday, Head Coach John Harbaugh said Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers “has a chance” to play on Sunday despite not practicing all week with a knee injury. Whether he plays or not, the Ravens are poised to have a big day on offense because of how punishing their top-ranked rushing attack is for opposing defenses. Last week, the Ravens passing attack flowed through their dynamic tight-end duo and in their first matchup with the Bills, it was their running backs. A heavy mixture of both could be in store for Sunday’s matchup.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens are set up for success given their strengths match up with how Buffalo tries to attack opposing defenses. After racking up their second-most rushing yards of the season (210) in their Wild Card round win over the Denver Broncos, the Bills will undoubtedly try to establish the run and stay as balanced as possible after the game script from the first matchup forced them to abandon the run after falling behind 21-3 before halftime.
Unfortunately for them, the Ravens’ defense has been the best at stopping the run all year, finishing the regular season with the fewest allowed in total rushing yards (1,361), yards per carry (3.6) and yards per game (80.1). They’re coming off a Wild Card round victory where they outrushed their archrivals by 270 yards, because their...
