Niners Nation
Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen go head to head for the third time
It’s a battle between the two most valuable players in the NFL. Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills host Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
Jackson has a Superman to his Batman with Derrick Henry in the backfield. He ran for the quietest 1,921 yards in NFL history. When these two teams met in Week 4, Henry ran for 199 yards, including an 87-yard touchdown run to begin the game.
The Ravens are unlikely to have Zay Flowers, but this game was always going to be decided by the tight ends and Baltimore’s running game. If anything, the loss of Flowers forces offensive coordinator Todd Monken to run the ball more. They’re going against a Buffalo defense that looks good statistically, but the eye test tells a different story.
Buffalo struggled to slow down Drake Maye in Week 16. The Lions scored 42 and the Rams 44 the week before that. I’d expect Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely to have a field day while Jackson and Henry run wild.
I haven’t been able to figure out the Bills all season. The only thing that’s clear is they’ll find a way to score. And they’re not in the business of settling for touchdowns. Against the Broncos last week, Buffalo looked like they were operating at about 75 percent. They ran for over 200 yards, Josh Allen went 20-for-26, and the Bills did whatever they wanted to offensively.
The Bills gave up a long touchdown on the first drive and didn’t give up another score the rest of the game. I don’t think the Bills will be that fortunate against Lamar Jackson. But let’s not act like the Ravens’ recent run of defensive dominance is due to anything other than the schedule.
This will be, far and away, the best offense each defense has played. The temperatures are frigid, but I think we see a game played into the 30s. Whoever has the ball last wins. I’ll say Ravens 31, Bills 30.
