Baltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills Week 8 Preview

Bills Mafia, your Buffalo Bills lead the AFC East at 5-1 and are well rested after a Week 7 bye, while the 4-3 Baltimore Ravens, with Lamar Jackson returning from injury, look to get back on track and make a run for the AFC North in the second half of the season.

Stats to Know

Let’s take a look at each team’s offense. The Buffalo Bills rank 4th in the league in total yards per game (387.7) and 1st in points per game (32.8) after a 5-1 start, leading the AFC East. The Baltimore Ravens enter tomorrow’s matchup ranked 8th in yards per game (366.4). The Ravens rank lower in points per game, ranking 12th (24.1)—about a 21-yard and 9-point advantage for the Bills.

Now, let’s take a look at how their defenses stack up in this matchup. Buffalo’s Defense ranks 31st in yards allowed per game (386.8). The Bills rank 30th in points allowed per game (28.5). Baltimore, meanwhile, ranks 12th in yards allowed per game (317.4) and 18th in points allowed per game (23.9) through seven weeks. That leaves Buffalo allowing 69 more yards and roughly 5 more points per game than the Raiders.

Let’s average these numbers. The Bills’ offense should total around 352 yards and 29 points, while the Ravens’ offense should total around 376 yards and 27 points tomorrow. This gives the Bills a slim 2-point advantage but a 24-yard disadvantage overall, with the Vegas line at -3 favoring Buffalo; that seems about right given how great the Bills have been, but I do have to note that Lamar Jackson is 3-0 against Buffalo in the regular season. Still, Jackson hasn’t played in a few weeks due to injury, and Buffalo is well rested following a bye, so it’s going to be a nail-biter no doubt. Bills ML is the way to go here.

Who’s Hot & Who’s Cold

As always, let’s look at some hot and cold players on both teams heading into this playoff matchup. 

• 🔥 Josh Allen is having yet another MVP-Caliber season. Through the first six games, Allen is on pace for something that’s never been done before: throw for 20+ TDs and Rush for 20+ TDs. Allen is tied with Jalen Hurts with 15 rushing TDs, the most for a QB in a single season (2023)

• 🥶 Defense. The Buffalo Bills’ defensive unit has been abysmal this season. I don’t know who to blame: the new coaching, the new system, the players, etc. Buffalo has the talent, but being 31st in yards allowed and 30th in points allowed is setting up Josh Allen to lose in the playoffs again; something needs to change.

• 🔥 Zay Flowers is proving last year’s season was no fluke. The fourth-year WR has been splendid this season, and over the last four games, Flowers has 374 receiving yards and two TDs. Flowers also has five or more receptions in every game he’s played this season.

• 🥶 Derrick Henry is having a nasty season thus far. While the first couple of weeks were good, Henry has had less than 3.50 yards per carry in four of the last five games. Could that have been because defenses didn’t have to worry about Lamar Jackson? This game will be a telling sign if King Henry is finally starting to lose a step.

Game Predictions

The Buffalo Bills walk away with a narrow victory, 31-30 over the Baltimore Ravens. Dalton Kincaid grabs a TD, and King Henry does what King Henry always does: he rushes for over 100 yards in Buffalo and scores a TD.

Other Content

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