The Baltimore Ravens are the scariest team in the NFL. After stumbling through the first six weeks of the season, Lamar Jackson and co. have found their rhythm. There's no team in the league playing on their level.
This season, the Ravens have defeated plenty of other great teams. In Week 7, they took down the Seattle Seahawks and Russell Wilson 30-16. Two weeks later, Baltimore knocked off the defending Super Bowl champions in a dominant 37-20 showing. It was New England's first loss of the season.
The AFC North's leader also defeated the AFC South-leading Houston Texans in a one-sided 41-7 contest. A week later, they Ravens slashed the Los Angeles Rams 45-6. Then, in Week 13, Baltimore outlasted the San Francisco 49ers, who were the first seed in the NFC at the time.
While the Buffalo Bills are a legitimate playoff team, Baltimore completely outclasses Josh Allen's team. Even with all of their potential, the Bills will get embarrassed at their home stadium this coming Sunday.
#4 Buffalo's lack of offensive stars
While John Brown and Cole Beasley are pacing the best seasons of their careers, the Bills lack an offensive superstar. There is no player on their offense that can consistently produce big numbers against top defenses. Even Brown, who is averaging 73.5 yards per game, has just 65 rushing yards over the past two weeks. During that time, Buffalo faced two top-10 pass defenses.
The Bills deserve credit for what they've done with their limited pieces, but that doesn't stack up well against the NFL's top teams. There's a reason why Buffalo's offense is ranked 23rd in passing and 17th in yards per game.
The ground game has served the Bills better than the passing attack. They have the fifth-best rushing attack in the league, averaging 137.9 yards per game. However, the Ravens have the sixth-best run defense this season, allowing just 94.9 yards per game. It'll be hard for Frank Gore or Devin Singletary to find running room against Baltimore.
#3 An unstoppable rushing attack
No team has rushed for over 200 yards per game during the 2000s. The last team to cross that mark was the 1977 Chicago Bears, who ran for 200.8 yards per game. The 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1975 and 1973 Bills, 1973 Rams, and the 1972 Miami Dolphins also accomplished the feat.
What's important to note here is that the 1970s were a different era of football. The passing game was secondary to the run game, and defenses were more physical. Now, the league is much more pass orientated and very few teams even reach 170 rushing yards per game.
All of this makes Baltimore's 207.8 rushing yards per game even more impressive. The Ravens easily amass yards on the ground, thanks to Jackson's elusiveness and Mark Ingram's power. They're a perfect combination that the Bills cannot slow down.
#2 Baltimore's defensive advantage
Buffalo's offense has performed surprisingly well this season, and that's thanks to Allen's improved play. Last season, Allen threw more interceptions and touchdowns. This season, he's thrown 11 touchdowns and just one interception in Buffalo's previous seven games. However, that efficient streak will end against the Ravens.
Allen has faced five of the league's top 15 pass defenses this year. In those games, he has thrown four touchdowns and four interceptions. The Bills are 3-2 in those matchups. The losses came against Cleveland and New England while the wins were against Dallas, Denver, and Washington.
The Ravens possess the 13th-best pass defense, allowing 228.5 yards per game. However, the secondary features Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Peters, and Earl Thomas. Out of the five top 15 pass defenses the Bills faced, only New England's is comparable to Baltimore's in terms of talent.
The Bills are vulnerable to teams with talented secondaries because Allen still makes some questionable decisions with the football. He will make mistakes against Baltimore.
#1 Baltimore is the NFL's best team
The Ravens are beating the best teams in the NFL. In their six games against teams that are currently in the playoff picture, Baltimore is 5-1. Their only loss came against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3, before the Ravens embarked on their current eight-gaming winning streak.
With Jackson performing at an MVP level, other NFL teams cannot keep up with Baltimore. Until the league finds out how to stop Jackson, his team will continue winning games.
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