While Mark Andrews deliriously thinks playing a football game is like going to war, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh gave respect to Josh Allen. However, the Buffalo Bills X-factor versus the Ravens in the 2025 NFL Playoffs is not Allen.

In the weekend’s marquee game, Allen will lead the Bills against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Buffalo is favored, but only by one point. So it’s a tossup.

However, the Ravens land on the safer side of things because they steamrolled the Bills 35-10 in the regular season. It’s unlikely the outcome will be similar this time around. The game will probably come down to the final drive in the fourth quarter.

Bills WR Khalil Shakir holds the key

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir breaks through several tackles for a first down during the second half of the Buffalo Bills wild card game against the Denver Broncos at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Jan. 12, 2025.

OK, we all get it. Josh Allen brings home the bacon. But in the real world, Allen can’t do it by himself. Everybody wants to give sole credit for Allen’s throw to Ty Johnson last week. But Allen threw the ball to a spot, and Johnson made the best end of the play. Allen gets too much credit, just as he will get too much blame if the Bills fall to the Ravens.

Allen needs help, and Shakir has been his biggest help this season. Getting a team-high 100 targets, Shakir led the Bills with 76 catches for 821 yards. Nobody even posted a close second to either of those totals. And in the first playoff game, Shakir caught a team-high six balls for 61 yards.

Shakir, at 6-foot and 190 pounds, isn’t a typical No. 1 receiver. But he has functioned well in that role this season. Against the Ravens, he will need to have a game like he did against Seattle or the Rams. In each of those contests, Shakir had over 100 yards receiving.

The Bills may not have played their best football yet, according to ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg.

“This team might not have peaked yet,” Getzenberg wrote. “Coming into the game against the Broncos, cornerback Rasul Douglas said the Bills still had not played their best, and Saturday's win suggested he might be right. Buffalo scored 31 unanswered points, and the defense limited the Broncos to 2-of-9 on third down despite not forcing a takeaway, one of the unit's strengths. But the Bills will look to avoid another slow start.”

And if the Bills soar to their highest level against the Ravens, Shakir will likely be a big part of that mix.

Josh Allen still the focus

Still, it’s hard to convince people that Allen isn’t a one-man show. ESPN basically said he is the sole reason the Bills will win.

“Josh Allen. Forgive the obvious answer here, but it's just the reality. It's fourth-and-short? Allen can deliver with his legs and barrel through a defense for a conversion. Third-and-long? He can unleash an absurd pass like his outrageous touchdown throw to Ty Johnson in the wild-card round (which actually came on fourth-and-1, but you get the idea). And he does all that while being the best in the NFL at limiting mistakes. He had the lowest sack rate (2.6%) and ranked second in turnover rate (1.2%) through the regular season.”

RB James Cook also a key factor

The Bills can’t afford any three-and-outs. They’re going to have to move the football because the Ravens will eat clock every time they have it. That means Cook needs positive yards every time he carries the ball.

Physicality enters the equation for Cook, according to Jeffri Chadiha of nfl.com.

“As much as the Bills’ championship hopes rest on the shoulders of quarterback Josh Allen, Cook has carved out his own role as a critical player in this team’s pursuit of that elusive Lombardi Trophy,” Chadiha wrote. “(Cook’s) ability to gain yardage behind a dominant offensive line allowed Buffalo to wear down a disruptive Broncos defense and set up Allen to succeed with play-action passing later in the contest. It was an impressive strategy deployed by Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady because it required Allen to patiently do less in the first half while the game plan worked in his team’s favor. This is a scary element that Buffalo can lean into in the coming weeks.”

Cook ran for 1,099 yards in the regular season and totaled 18 touchdowns.

Add it up and the Bills enter the game with tons of confidence, tackle Dion Dawkins said according to a post on X by Herd w/Colin Cowherd via buffalobills.com.

“Yes, this is the best that that I've felt,” Dawkins said. “This is the best that the team has felt. This is the best that I've seen Josh. (And) this is the best that I've seen McDermott. This is the best that I've seen my coordinator. And with having a quarterback with his head calm and his head on, you know, just calm, cool and collected all day, every day, that takes a big toll on the team. He comes in to work every day positive… This is the best Buffalo Bills team I have ever been a part of in my eight seasons that I've been here.”

Pat McAfee said the NFL loves this matchup.

“It's like two perfect quarterbacks drafted to perfect places that have gotten behind them in such a way that have led both of their teams to a position of, ‘hey, let's go win the big one,” McAfee said. “It's like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have become the rivalry that it is in the highly anticipated fight this upcoming weekend … Which one of these guys is going to finally get over the hump? I'm eager to watch it… What a perfect stage for the NFL to have.”