After taking care of business against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a pretty comfortable Wild Card win, the Baltimore Ravens have to prepare for one of their biggest challenges yet: the Buffalo Bills.
Now granted, the Baltimore did beat the Bills all the way back in Week 4, which helped to prove to fans in Charm City that their team was legit after two-straight losses to open up the season, but since that fateful day, Buffalo has won 11 of their 14 games and secured the two seed in the AFC as a result.
Now set to face off against a Bills team that just ran away with their Wild Card win over the Denver Broncos 31-7, how are the Ravens preparing for such a harrowing challenge a few hours north in Upstate New York? Well, in his first media session of the Divisional Round, John Harbaugh broke down the challenge ahead, as the Bills are a very good team for a reason.
“It's a big question because so many things stand out – they're such a good team. All three phases are playing at a very high level. I think the biggest thing that stands out is how well-coached they are, how well-tied together they are – they play complementary football. All three phases play off of each other – they have a defined personality in every phase. And as a team, they're very physical; they play very hard; they're cohesive; they're on the same page. I think offensively, they're very coordinated in terms of blocking schemes and timing of routes and pass protections and how it's all put together,” Harbaugh told Ravens reporters.
“The quarterback obviously is playing at a high level. Josh Allen is a great player. They're well built around him – they did a good job of building the offense around him, and they have a lot of complementary pieces. All of their wide receivers and tight ends and [running] backs – and the backs also serve as receivers – but they're all very talented and skilled catchers. They all understand the passing game really well. They run hard, they protect the football, [and] they're all good ball carriers, whether it's handed to them or after the catch. [They] have a big physical offensive line. Defensively, [they're] very active [and they have] a very tied together defense. [From] the back end to the second level to the front. [The] pass rush, run defense, defensive backs showing up in the run game, linebackers playing downhill in the gaps in the run game, punching out in zone coverage as well, getting their depth, breaking on the ball, tackling – just all of the things you would expect from a well-coached team like they are. So, that's the type of challenge that we're facing.”
While the Bills are a very talented team loaded with talent across the board, one area of the team where they do have a little bit of a weakness is their passing defense, where Buffalo ranked 24th in the NFL during the regular season. Fortunately, Lamar Jackson has proven time and time again in 2024 that he can attack opposing teams from all over the field with his arms and his legs, so the Ravens should be able to exploit that deficiency with ease.