Buffalo Bills Battle The Baltimore Ravens
The Buffalo Bills travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens at M&T Stadium this Sunday. Both teams enter the week with a record of 2-1. The Baltimore Ravens are coming off a convincing victory over the New England Patriots, while the Bills still feel the sting of a hard-to-swallow loss to the Dolphins in Week Three.
Baltimore is looking to continue the winning streak at home, while Buffalo is hoping to erase the two-point loss from last week. This matchup is between two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and promises to provide fans with a full 60 minutes of exciting ariel attacks and heart-stopping quarterback runs.
What We Saw Last Week
Buffalo Bills (2-1, Lost to Miami)
Buffalo went to Miami with a litany of missing players on both sides of the ball, and 100-degree heat on Sunday afternoon. They also lost a number of key players throughout the game. Even with all the cards stacked against them, Buffalo should have come out victorious.
Buffalo missed opportunity after opportunity to put the Dolphins back in their pen. Missed field goals, rare missed end zone throws by Josh Allen, and questionable play calling at times cost them a 3-0 start and resulted in a sour-tasting 21-19 loss.
Baltimore Ravens (2-1, Win over New England)
The Ravens went to New England and faced stiff competition from the Patriots. The biggest takeaway from this game was how easily the Patriots moved the ball on the ground. The two backs combined for 114 yards rushing.
The Ravens won the game on the shoulders of Lamar Jackson. The dual-threat QB ran for 107 yards and one touchdown, plus threw for 218 and four TDs. Mark Andrews was the recipient of two of those TD tosses from Lamar. Baltimore came back to win the game 37 -26 and improved to 2-1 on the season.
Buffalo Bills Relevant Stats from Week Three
As always, I hold myself accountable for my fantasy predictions each week. Week Three was as brutal stat-wise as the weather was on Buffalo’s players. I simply did not see this coming. I thought the Dolphins would defend against the pass much better than they did, especially in that heat.
Josh Allen throwing 63 times this game was almost as high as his previous two starts combined! In the first two weeks of the season, Josh Allen made 69 attempts total, 31 in Week One, and 38 in Week Two.
Jake Kumerow was injured early in that game and Buffalo simply spread the wealth. The passing stats aside from Diggs were just way off.
Here is how I did this week.
What To Expect In Week Four, Buffalo Bills & Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Offensively, Buffalo is hoping Mitch Morse will be back under center, and Ryan Bates will clear concussion protocols and be back at guard for them this weekend. Buffalo needs him to shore up the O-line and help protect Josh Allen. Wide Receiver Jake Kumerow will not be suiting up for Buffalo this week, but Gabe Davis has had another week of recovery for his ankle issue, and hopefully, he will be more than a mere decoy this week.
Defensively, Defensive Tackle Ed Oliver, Safety Jordan Poyer, and Corner Back Dane Jackson are looking like a go for Sunday. Dane being back is nothing short of perfect timing as Christian Benford fractured his hand and will be out this week.
Bills Offensive Keys To Victory
Convert Red Zone opportunities into TD’s
James Cook needs to be utilized in pass catching role
Mitch Morse stabilize the offensive line and the snap to Josh Allen
Use the run game to chew up clock and keep Lamar Jackson on sideline
Bills Defensive Keys To Victory
Disciplined gap protection
Take advantage of youth on Ravens’ O-line
Front four must pressure Jackson, and contain him as much as possible
Do not blitz, play to defensive strength
Do not let Mark Andrews get comfortable within zone gaps
Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson is a clear MVP candidate as of this point in the season. The entire league knows how dangerous he is when running, but he has also become an excellent passer. His two main weapons on offense are Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman. Running Back J.K. Dobbins saw his first action of the season last week, and it appears as if he will have a healthy offensive line to create gaps for him to run through this week. Ronnie Staley appears to be healthy again and will be back at Tackle on Sunday for Baltimore.
The Baltimore defense has been horrid this season defending both the run and the pass. They are in the bottom third of the league in both categories. The Ravens’ secondary, led by Marcus Peters, is the one bright spot on that side of the ball, but he cannot do it all by himself.
Ravens Offensive Keys To Victory
Keep Von Miller and Gregory Rousseau away from Lamar long enough for receivers to get open
Get the ball out under 4 seconds to avoid Bills pass rushers
Utilize Dobbins to limit the pass rush
Andrews needs to exploit the Bills’ zone defensive scheme
Create ways to isolate Bateman on Bills’ rookie CB Kaiir Elam
Score early and often, win the shootout
Ravens Defensive Keys to Victory
Avoid the temptation to blitz
Pressure Allen with the front four
Maintain discipline in coverage schemes, not allowing Diggs to be one on one
Take away deep passes and keep the ball in front of them
Contain Josh Allen inside the pocket, do not let him scramble
Fantasy Projections and Final Score
Stat Projection
Josh Allen: 38-47/365/4, 8/45/1,
Stefon Diggs: 9/112/1
Gabe Davis: 6/55/1
Dawson Knox: 4/52/1
Isaiah McKenzie: 3/38/1
Devin Singletary: Rush – 8/55/0, Rec – 4/27/0
James Cook: Rush – 4/12/0, Rec – 3/20/0
Final Score
This game is going to come down to the effectiveness of the defense on each team in stopping the opposing QB from imposing his will. Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are two of the very best in the NFL and can score via the pass or running the ball themselves.
Buffalo has a more well-rounded team and is getting some of their starters back. Expect them to come out firing on all cylinders this week, looking to avenge a loss that they knew should not have happened.
Buffalo Wins – 38-27
GO BILLS!
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