The Ravens (4-3) will face the Buffalo Bills (5-1) in a marquee matchup at Highmark Stadium this Sunday. Here are five things to know about the Bills:
The Bills are good (again).
The Bills are coming off their bye week as one of two AFC teams at 5-1, the other being the Kansas City Chiefs. Buffalo's only blemish is a 29-26 home loss to the New England Patriots in Week 4.
An eighth straight playoff appearance for the Bills is almost certain. They're far from a balanced team, as they have the NFL's top-scoring offense (32.8 points per game), but their defense has allowed the third-most points per game (28.5).
But the offense has been so productive thus far that it's outweighed the defense's struggles. That's thanks in large part to their superstar quarterback who's playing like an MVP-caliber player once again.
Josh Allen is really, really good (again).
The current era of NFL quarterbacks has been defined by all-around greatness. Their rocket arms and elite mobility make no part of the field off-limits. They can succeed under all sorts of circumstances. They can turn negative plays into hugely positive ones. They have long highlight reels of how-did-he-even-think-of-that moments.
But the most notable aspect of these all-around superstars might be the feeling of their mere presence: their teams always believe they have a chance to succeed simply because they're on the field.
Lamar Jackson has been that for the Ravens. Josh Allen has been the same for the Buffalo Bills.
This season, the 2024 NFL MVP leads all quarterbacks in expected points added (58.6). Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers and Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions are the only other quarterbacks with an EPA above 50.
Allen also owns arguably the best play of any quarterback so far this season, eluding multiple would-be sacks and connecting with wide receiver Keon Coleman for a touchdown by backhand flicking the football as if it was a hot potato.
Allen is also a historically productive runner. He leads the NFL in scramble yards in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016), which is especially notable because Allen has 469 more scramble yards than the next-closest player (Jackson).
This season, Allen leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns with eight and rushing EPA while having the third-most scramble yards of all quarterbacks. Against the Los Angeles Rams, he ran for a career-high 121 yards, with 91 of them coming in the fourth quarter and overtime. At 6-foot-5 and around 240 pounds, Allen is tough to take down in the open field, especially because he's willing to take hits.
"When [Allen] pulls it down to run, it's a little bit like our guy [Jackson]," Ravens Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver said. "It's a big play waiting to happen."
Part of why Allen leads the league in rushing touchdowns is his effectiveness at the goal-line. Seven of those rushing scores have come from inside the 2-yard line, the most among all quarterbacks.
He's scored a touchdown on 43 of his 53 career rushing attempts from inside the 2-yard line (81.1%), which is the highest percentage of any NFL player with at least 30 such attempts since play-by-play data became available in 1977.
Allen does have kryptonite. While Allen has made plenty of magical throws deep down the field in his career, his ability and willingness to take shots has also led to some interceptions.
Allen also has eight fumbles over the past two regular seasons, the third-most of any player. In Buffalo's Divisional Round overtime loss to the Denver Broncos last season, Allen threw two interceptions and fumbled three times, losing two of them.
Overall, though, Buffalo has been more willing to tolerate the negatives because the positives have been so high. Again, the Bills have the league's highest-scoring offense at a whopping 32.8 points per game. Only 11 teams this century have averaged that number or more over a full season, including the 2019 Ravens.
The Bills have also averaged a sky-high 15 points per game in the second half, including 41 in their last two games combined. The Ravens, meanwhile, have a point differential of minus-70 in the second half this season and have been outscored in the final two quarters, 48-0, over their last two games. If Baltimore wants to change its late-game struggles on defense, it'll have to come against a potent second-half offense.
James Cook leads Buffalo's supporting cast on offense.
One of the NFL's most explosive running backs, Cook led the league in rushing yards last season and is third in rushing yards this season.
Cook has scored a touchdown in five straight games and has at least 95 rushing yards in four of his last five games. His 22 runs of at least 10 yards lead the league this season.
Cook is an average tackle-breaker, but opponents haven't had much success bringing him down soon after he receives a handoff: Cook has the third-most rushing yards before contact, and only 11.1% of his runs have gone for zero or negative yards, the second-lowest among running backs with at least 400 rushing yards, per Next Gen Stats.
Like Allen, Cook's kryptonite is ball security. His 10 fumbles since the start of last season lead all players and are five more than any other running back. Cook had two fumbles against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5, including a critical cough-up in overtime. Luckily for Cook, the Bills blocked the Rams' field-goal attempt on the ensuing drive, and Allen's legs helped set up a game-winning field goal from Tyler Bass.
After the game, Bills Head Coach Joe Brady told reporters that Cook could lose carries if the fumbling issues persisted. Cook didn't fumble in Buffalo's next game against the Las Vegas Raiders, but Brady's comments could implore a shakeup in carries if Cook loses the ball again this Sunday.
As for the wide receivers, top wideout DJ Moore has missed the past two games with a shoulder injury, but he combined for 167 receiving yards in two games against the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers. Moore has been a limited participant in practice this week.
Coleman is tough to guard in man coverage and made a couple of sensational catches in a 116-yard outing against the Patriots.
Elsewhere, Khalil Shakir is a tough and speedy slot receiver who made a few big-time catches against the Rams, including a long catch-and-run in overtime. Tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox have also been go-to options for Allen in recent seasons.
The Bills have a pair of electric members of the front seven.
Outside linebacker Greg Rousseau has been one of the NFL's best pass rushers this season. He has six sacks and leads the NFL in quarterback hits, as well as forced fumbles. He also blocked Rams' would-be game-winning field goal in overtime.
Second-year defensive lineman Deone Walker has also broken out this season, as he leads Buffalo with 20 run stops, per Next Gen Stats. He'll provide another tough test for Baltimore's interior offensive line that's already faced some of the NFL's best interior defensive linemen this season.
Defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who gave the Ravens trouble in last year's season opener, returned to practice this week from a knee injury and seems ready to play.
As a whole, however, Buffalo's defense has been a problem area.
The Bills have given up at least 29 points in five of their six games. They have played some of the league's most explosive offenses, including the Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, and Los Angeles Rams.
Still, only two teams have allowed more passing yards than Buffalo, and only three teams have allowed more passing touchdowns. The Bills also rank No. 27 in third-down percentage allowed.
While Rousseau has been Buffalo's best sack master, he hasn't had a sack or tackle for loss since Week 3, and every other Bills player has combined for just five sacks.
Sunday could also provide the Ravens with a golden opportunity to reverse their recent offensive woes late in games. The Bills have given up a whopping 12 points per game in the fourth quarter, including 37 total over their last two games.
