Ravens, Bills Clash in Battle of Top Young Quarterbacks

The Baltimore Ravens head to Buffalo to take on the Bills (14-3 SU, 11-6 ATS) in Saturday night’s divisional-round matchup. The Ravens (12-5 SU, 11-5-1 ATS) bring a great defense and offense to Buffalo, including maybe the league’s most dangerous player at quarterback, but Baltimore has not faced a QB close to Josh Allen’s caliber since playing the Chiefs in Week 3.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The game opened with the Bills as favorites at -3 and the line has moved down slightly to -2.5 across the board. The total opened at 50 and can now be found between 49.5 and 50.5 depending on the sportsbook.

Baltimore News & Notes

With the he-can’t-win-a-playoff-game narrative finally behind him, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson enters the divisional round on a roll. Jackson’s dual-threat ability was on full display in Sunday’s win over Tennessee when he posted a season-high 136 rushing yards. The Ravens have now won six straight games, rushing for more than 230 total yards in five of those six.

Ravens tight end Mark Andrews could be in for a big day against a Bills team that gave up 14 receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown to Colts tight ends in the wild-card round. Look for Andrews to be the top target for Jackson with receiver Marquise Brown covered by Bills’ Pro Bowl cornerback Tre’Davious White.

On defense, the Ravens have allowed 14 points or less in four straight games and fewer than 20 points in six of their last seven. The Ravens got cornerback Jimmy Smith and edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue back for the wild-card round and should be at full strength for this matchup.

Buffalo News & Notes

Only two teams allowed more rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks than the Buffalo Bills, whose main focus will be stopping the Ravens’ powerful running game. The Bills gave up 4.6 yards per rushing attempt this season, eighth-worst in the league, and had the 17th-ranked rush defense overall.

They ranked 13th against the pass and were tied for third in the league in turnovers forced.

Maybe the biggest matchup of the game will be Bills star receiver Stefon Diggs against top Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey. Diggs led the league in receptions (127) and yards (1,535) with eight touchdowns along the way.

However, with Diggs covered by Humphrey, look for other Bills pass catchers to potentially shoulder the load in this game. Cole Beasley had a career year, posting 82 receptions for 967 yards (23rd in the league) and four touchdowns. Look for Beasley to be targeted heavily Saturday.

Bills rookie running back Zach Moss was carted off in their wild-card game after an ankle injury and is expected to miss some time. Look for Devin Singletary to take on a bigger role in Moss’ absence.