By John Kolarik
Two of the league’s best young QBs go head to head in a divisional round of the AFC playoffs. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are heading to Western NY to take on the AFC East champs, Buffalo Bills. Ravens are coming off a 20-13 win over the Tennessee Titans. The Bills are coming off a tough win against the Indianapolis Colts.
Both Quarterbacks and teams have been hot towards the end of the season, the Ravens have won six straight games after a 6-5 start to the season, while the Bills have won seven in a row. Let’s take a closer look at where both teams rank with their offense.
Baltimore is ranking 8th in Yards per play, whereas the Bills are 6th.
The Ravens are ranking 7th in points per game, whereas our bills are 2nd.
Both teams coming into this game with good Red zone TD percentages, Ravens have a 63.3% and the Bills have a 61.8%.
Looking on the Defensive side of things, the Ravens rank 2nd in points allowed per game with 18.9, whereas our Bills rank 16th with 23.4.
The Ravens have had our number the past few years, meeting only 9 times but taking away 6 of those as wins. Regardless of these numbers, The Bills have never looked better. Diggs finally has a home with a QB he trust, and a QB that trust him. Allen has improved his passer rating each year he’s been in the league. Allen and his WR group have grown this year and really established themselves as a threat.
On the other side of things, Lamar Jackson is starting to look like his former MVP self. Their running game is finally getting established again, and their young WRs are coming into form. It will be a tough game for both teams.
With snow possibly playing a factor, the passing game might be rough, and we might need to see more of the run from the both teams. With Zach Moss out for the remainder of the playoffs, we’ll need to see Singletary step up big this game. Of course, don’t be surprised to see Josh Allen competing with the electric Lamar Jackson on the ground. In a game that will be close, I have a 34-28 win for the Buffalo Bills.