When the Buffalo Bills met the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this NFL season, the AFC matchup registered as maybe the most anticipated heavyweight showdown of the year. And yet, with the divisional round of the playoffs upon us, it’s possible we have a new king among must-see showdowns, and it features the two frontrunners for this season’s MVP award: Buffalo Bills vs. Baltimore Ravens.
Josh Allen has done his best Superman impression for the Bills, helping Buffalo to a 13-4 finish and wild-card rout of the Denver Broncos despite a remade and oft-shuffled group of skill weapons. Lamar Jackson, meanwhile, may well be on his way to a third career MVP award after airing it out for a career-high 41 touchdowns, while also starring on the ground as the electric running mate to Derrick Henry.
These two Super Bowl hopefuls met back in September, when Jackson’s Ravens rolled to a 35-10 victory, but Buffalo has basically been a powerhouse since then, going 11-1 over their last 12, not including the regular-season finale in which key starters rested.
Can the Bills continue their momentum to advance to the AFC Championship, or will Jackson prevail again? Either way, it’s a can’t-miss matchup for NFL fans.
How can you tune in? Which player matchups are most pivotal? And who’s primed to walk away with the win? Here’s our preview and sports betting prediction:
Bills vs. Ravens where to watch
Date: Sunday, Jan. 19 | Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Highmark Stadium (Orchard Park, New York)
TV: CBS | Stream: Paramount+ (click here)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Ravens -1, O/U 51.5 (SportsLine consensus)
Key questions for Bills vs. Ravens
USATSI
- How will Buffalo counter the Ravens’ bruising ground attack? Tackling Derrick Henry is hard enough. Defending both he and Jackson proved too difficult for Sean McDermott’s defense back in Week 4, when Baltimore’s top two rushers combined for more than 250 yards on the ground. On top of it, Buffalo’s defense is used to deploying an excess of defensive backs. Will they adapt to an unfamiliar setup in order to beef up the front seven? Or will they simply hope for better results this time?
- Will the weather benefit one club over another? Wintry forecasts are nothing new for the Buffalo area, but with temperatures set to dip into the single digits and potentially blend with snow showers on Sunday night, it stands to reason the run-heavy Ravens will have a slight leg up. That’s not to say Buffalo can’t move the ball on the ground; James Cook is an underrated weapon by Allen’s side. But Baltimore is more dynamic in this area thanks to Henry’s supersized ruggedness.
- Can the Ravens’ pass catchers step up again? Zay Flowers is easily the team’s top perimeter playmaker, but he missed the wild-card round due to injury and looks to be a long shot for this one as well. That could mean another important workload for the club’s pair of tight ends in Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews. It also means, in the event Allen and the Bills jump out to an early lead, Jackson and the Ravens could be shorthanded and more hard-pressed to push the ball downfield.
Prediction
This is, in many ways, a legacy game for both Allen and Jackson and their respective contenders: Neither quarterback is in danger of slipping from the widely accepted tier of transcendent talents under center, but both signal-callers are desperate to forge their own defining postseason run, and ultimately eclipse the hulking shadow of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. As such, we’d expect both to make their fair share of splash plays on Sunday, even and perhaps especially if the wintry weather strikes.
The real question is, which supporting cast is better suited for the occasion? And while the Bills are underrated as a rushing team thanks to Cook’s explosiveness, Baltimore has been the more well-rounded contender at its peak, boasting a rejuvenated defense and a physical, methodical offense that was practically built for cold-weather playoff games. We like Henry’s chances against McDermott’s front seven, especially after what he did to Buffalo back in September, and project Baltimore’s return to the AFC title game.
Pick: Ravens 27, Bills 24
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