What Bills Banked on to Beat 'Really, Really Good' Ravens
The Buffalo Bills learned firsthand just how dominant the Ravens offense is in Week 4, when Baltimore delivered a 35-10 beatdown.
In preparing for the rematch in the AFC Divisional Round, Bills Defensive Coordinator Bobby Babich and his staff painstakingly reviewed every single Ravens offensive play this season.
"What Babich and his staff found only confirmed what Week 4 showed — the Ravens were really, really good," Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote. "It would take everything they had to slow down Lamar [Jackson] & Co."
The Bills also were banking on inclement weather and the Ravens committing turnovers, two factors that ended up being crucial in Buffalo's 27-25 win on Sunday.
"Through that intense film study, the coaches saw a Baltimore offense that made things simple on its players, but hard on opponents, through a lot of shifts and motions and window-dressing designed to confuse," Breer wrote. "With the weather conditions, though, there was the thought that the Bills' advantage might be in any way the Ravens slipped with their ball-handling.
"Sure enough, Jackson sailed a ball that Taylor Rapp picked off, a Damar Hamlin sack led to Jackson dropping a ball that Von Miller would collect and run back, and Terrel Bernard was able to pop one free from Mark Andrews and recover it himself. And implicit in those things happening was the belief that if the Bills kept playing, those sorts of chances would come and any one of the Buffalo players would be there to pounce."
For the Bills offense, which was held to a season-low 236 yards in the Week 4 loss, the focus was on remaining calm and being resilient.
"So where there might've been some nerves for past Bills teams going into a showdown like Sunday's, this group had none — just belief that doing the right things would keep yielding positive results, as has been the case, really, all year for the team," Breer wrote. "Against the Ravens this time around, with the chance to atone, that meant they'd just keep responding.
"Baltimore opened the game with a breezy eight-play, 73-yard touchdown drive. The Bills came back with an 11-play, 70-yard touchdown drive of their own, then scored again to take a 14–7 lead. Their 21–10 halftime lead shrunk to 21–19 after a third quarter Baltimore owned, so the Bills grinded out a few first downs and Tyler Bass nailed a 51-yard field goal to stem the tide. It happened over and over and over."
Pundits Say Playoff Setbacks Don't Diminish Jackson's Brilliance
Lamar Jackson's career thus far has been defined by the ecstasy of historically brilliant regular-season performances and the agony of crushing playoff losses.
Following the Ravens' loss to the Bills, two pundits emphasized that the latter should not diminish the former.
"Football at its highest level can be cruel, and this spirited clash between two gritty teams and two exceptional quarterbacks came down to a ghastly gaffe," The Athletic's Michael Silver wrote. "Andrews, one of the NFL's best tight ends and long Jackson's most reliable target, dropped a short pass while falling toward the right end zone pylon, depriving Baltimore of a score-tying two-point conversion.
"Worst of all, it kept the overstated narrative surrounding Jackson's postseason deficiencies alive for at least another year, and perhaps even longer."
Silver lauded Jackson for his outstanding performance in the second half after the Ravens fell into a 21-10 halftime deficit.
"In circumstances such as that — on the road, in bad weather, without his injured Pro Bowl wide receiver (Zay Flowers), against a formidable foe, with another MVP-level quarterback (if Jackson doesn't win the honor for a second consecutive year, Josh Allen will likely be the reason why) in a comfort zone — quarterbacks who 'suck in the playoffs' recede," Silver wrote. "Jackson elevated, and we should appreciate his resilience.
"I've seen Jackson do some amazing things during his seven-year career, not all of them in the regular season. … To me, Sunday's second half was right up there with his most impressive achievements. He locked in, leading the Ravens to two touchdowns and a field goal in four possessions. The only time they didn't score came when Andrews, after catching a 16-yard pass from Jackson in Bills territory, fumbled away the ball."
"Good Morning Football's" Peter Schrager had a similar take.
"Football just can be really cruel sometimes," Schrager said, "because if you go to the second half of that game and how he performed in the clutch when he was needed most, he went 12-of-15, had 131 passing yards, had a touchdown that was incredible when they needed it, and Mark Andrews drops that two-point conversion."
Though Jackson hasn't led the Ravens to a Super Bowl championship thus far, Schrager noted that Hall of Fame quarterbacks Peyton Manning and John Elway went through their share of postseason struggles before eventually winning two Super Bowls apiece.
"Lamar is just in the seventh year of his career. Instead of putting a statement down that Lamar didn't win or he can't win, let's let this breathe a little bit," Schrager said. "We're in a different era now, we're in the social media era where everything has to be now. …. Let's just slow down.
"Lamar Jackson will get back to the playoffs, I truly believe it, and then he's going to have a chance to write the script next year."
Nate Wiggins Named Ravens' Top 2025 Breakout Candidate
First-round cornerback Nate Wiggins made an impact this season and is only going to get better.
Wiggins was named the Ravens' 2025 breakout candidate by Pro Football Focus' Bradley Locker.
"His 50.0% catch rate allowed was the fourth-lowest clip among qualified cornerbacks, and he registered a 68.3 PFF coverage grade to accompany it," Locker wrote. "With Brandon Stephens set to hit the market, Wiggins will presumably be Baltimore's top perimeter corner next year — and there's every reason to expect him to play at a first-round level."
Wiggins continues the Ravens' run of standout first-round selections. Recent first-rounders Zay Flowers, Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum, Odafe Oweh, and Rashod Bateman were all key players this season.
Quick Hits
Yesterday's Most Read: Late for Work: Pundits React to Ravens' Playoff Loss in Buffalo
- After a tough fourth quarter for Mark Andrews, a Bills fan has started a fundraiser benefitting type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization Breakthrough T1D. Andrews, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 9 years old, has previously worked with the organization. The GoFundMe currently has a goal of $10,000.
