This AFC clash features key battles between specific players, units, and coaches.
The Baltimore Ravens will continue their quest to reach the Super Bowl on Sunday, facing the Buffalo Bills for the second time this year. The clash between the AFC powerhouses is the most anticipated bout of the Divisional Round as it will pit the top two candidates for league MVP against each other for just the second time in the playoffs in a game where the Ravens will enter as slight one-point favorites. Below are a handful of key matchups that could be deciding factors this weekend.
Ravens heavy offensive personnel v. Bills nickel defensive front
The biggest mismatch in this game not just on paper but in proven concept on film from their first matchup and against each other and throughout the season against most opponents is Baltimore’s formations involving multiple tight ends and extra offensive linemen against Buffalo’s lighter typical base front. The Bills deploy a third cornerback, veteran Taron Johnson, more than any other defense in the league.
Even if they opt to deviate from their bread and butter and try to load up the box to try to slow down Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson on the ground, the Ravens are the best offense in the league running into eight and nine-man boxes. They can also generate explosive plays through the passing game out of those bigger formations as well with the dynamic talent at tight end running back.
Ravens tight ends v. Bills safeties
With Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers listed as doubtful to play on Sunday, Baltimore’s passing attack could flow through their elite tight end tandem of Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, who are a nightmare in coverage for linebackers and safeties alike. While the Bills’ starting safety duo of Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp have been solid this year, peak Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde are not.
In the Ravens’ Wildcard Round win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Andrews and Likely combined for five catches on seven targets for 80 receiving yards with Likely finishing as the team’s leader in receiving with 53 yards. The two of them are also excellent and tenacious perimeter blockers in the run game so they could cross paths and lock horns with Rapp and Hamlin even when they’re not running routes.
CB Brandon Stephens v. Bills pass catchers
The Ravens’ fourth-year pro was the fifth-most targeted cornerback in the league during the regular season and has given up more than his fair share of plays and way more than the fans or his coaches’ would like despite consistently being in great coverage. Allen will certainly try to test him early in the game. If the Bills fall behind but more than a single score at any point, he will most likely try to heavily target him no matter who is lined up across from him as was the case last week when the Steelers offense went from being shut out in the first half to finding a spark coming out in the third quarter.
Whether he is lined up on the outside at right corner in the slot over a tight end as dime linebacker, Stephens can expect a busy night especially if the Ravens are successful in making the Bills offense one-dimensional. For those clamoring for Stephens to see the field less in this game, he could possibly split more snaps at corner with veteran Tre’Davius White who will be playing against his former team for the first in his career after being released in the offseason.
“Just a regular game, man. Ultimately, we want to win the Super Bowl, so Buffalo is the next team in the way,” White said. “We just got to go in, play good team football and do everything that we’re supposed to do and we’ll come out on top.”
WR Rashod Bateman v. CB Christian Benford
Even if Flowers plays, it’ll likely be in a limited capacity or on some sort of a snap count given he hasn’t practiced the past two weeks since suffering his knee injury in the regular season finale. This likely means the top battle on the outside in the passing game will be between the Ravens’ fourth-year breakout and the Bills’ third-year stud who happens to be a Baltimore native. While Benford has been lights out on coverage this season, Bateman is one of the best route runners and separators in the league and has proved that he doesn’t need a high volume of targets to make a profound impact.
Bateman’s ability to uncover and gain separation in the red zone has made him one of Jackson’s most trusted targets in that area of the field. He has also shown he can be a dangerous threat down the field and after the catch as evidenced by his average of 16.8 yards per catch during the regular season.
“Lamar [has] been able to find me, and I’ve been able to get open,” Bateman said. “I’ve got to be consistent with that and hopefully continue to score touchdowns.”
Ravens inside linebackers v. Bills running backs
Buffalo heavily involves the running back position in their plan of attack on offense and has a stable of talented options with dynamic playmaking ability. They’ll find it extremely difficult to get much going on the ground against a Baltimore run defense that finished tops in the league in 2024 and only allowed one explosive run of 25-plus yards all year. The head-to-head battles between Pro Bowler James Cook and All Pro Roquan Smith will set the tone for what kind of game it will be early on.
However, they could look to exploit a potential mismatch in the passing game. One nightmarish matchup in particular that the Bills will certainly look to make the most of is Ravens versatile veteran Malik Harrison against Ty Johnson who is one of the best pass-catching running backs in the league. Harrison has been playing a much larger role since the defense’s turnaround started in Week 11 but has struggled to keep up with opposing running backs with a prowess for making plays as receivers out of the backfield. Buffalo will try their best to get Johnson singled up on Harrison in man coverage whenever they’re both on the field especially when Allen needs to convert through the air during such instances.
DB Kyle Hamilton v. QB Josh Allen
Whether they’re matching wits in coverage and trying to get the other one guessing on passing downs or squaring up in the open field on a scramble or designed quarterback run, these two All Pros are the most freakishly impressive and athletic force multipliers on their sides of the ball for their respective teams. Allen has a knack for running through and over most defensive backs who try to impede his path to a first down or across the goal line as well as squeezing perfectly-placed passes into tight windows down the field over their heads or behind their backs.
Hamilton (6-foot-4, 224 pounds) isn’t like most defensive backs. He is longer, stronger, plays with a lot more physicality and since being moved back into a more traditional safety role, has gotten to showcase his impressive range and ball skills even if he doesn’t have a bevy of interceptions to prove it. His mere presence on a particular side of the field is enough to dissuade opposing quarterbacks from throwing in that direction.