Crow-Magnon

I have to disagree. The Ravens were Flacco’s team when Jackson was drafted. The offense at that time was geared solely towards Flacco, not Lamar. The Ravens were floundering at 4-5 when Jackson became the starter after Flacco went on IR due to a hip injury and finished with a 6-1 record and a AFCN title. The Ravens offense was not geared towards Jackson until 2019, when the Ravens went 14-2, and they ended 2020 at 11-5. The kid is a winner, at least so far. Whether that’s sustainable is the question, but he’s proven himself to be a QB who can win in the NFL. I guess we’ll see how far he can go come Saturday night.

Jackson is 31-9 overall (30-7 regular season) as a starting QB in 2-1/2 seasons. No matter what his detractors say, that’s a pretty good start to a career.

Being talked about ad nauseum during the week means jack once the coin flip is over. Win. The. Game. That’s all that counts.

Not knowledgeable ones!

It’s amazing watching a game from only one year ago and hearing so many names on both teams that are no longer here.

You know what the worst part of that game was? Dan Fouts was broadcasting the game. Ya know...he was great in The Waterboy!

True. The difference lately is that a slowed-down Mark Ingram has basically been riding the pine at the expense of Dobbins. Early season Dobbins was lucky to get 3-5 carries a game. Since the backfield roster was set as Jackson, Dobbins and Edwards the dynamic has changed. Year-to-year stats show a drop in overall rush yards from 2019 to 2020. But as of late, the three-headed monster of Lamar, JK and Gus has been pounding the rock.

I get that. But...are you (or the Bills) afraid to face the Ravens defense? No. But I’ve seen defenses that other teams were not to keen to play lol. Rule changes have put the kibosh on what a really good defense can do anymore.

I have to take issue with this. I would not label the Ravens defense as “ridiculously good”. It’s a good defense, better than most. I don’t think any NFL team in 2020 has a defense I would call ridiculously good. And I’ve seen some good defenses! If the DL and LB’s do their job against the run and pressuring the QB, the secondary can look great. But if a QB has time or the play-action is working, this secondary can give up the big play. Especially if Jimmy Smith is out injured, which is frequent.

Yeah, you’ve had a a tough road to hoe these many years. Regardless of what happens Saturday, I think the Bills have a bright future ahead. The Pats Reign of Terror is over lol. It should be the best game this weekend. Although if Collingsworth jinxes Tucker again I’ll scream.

Yes, I am a Ravens fan! Were the Titans good defensively? Not as good as last year, but they weren’t really great last year, either. The Ravens ended 2019 at 14-2 and ended their season with a lackluster performance against the Titans. Why? Well, sometimes it simply the defensive scheme is such that the offense just never gets in rhythm. Sometimes it’s because the other team’s offense takes over and controls the game (aka Derrick Henry). So the Ravens put stock in the DL with Campbell and Wolfe to compliment Williams to ensure they could stop big, bruising backs like Henry and Chubb. Most of the year was up and down. COVID, injuries, lack of true OTA’s and camp...it took a while for the DL to gel. And that they did last week. They stuffed Henry and made him a non-factor. But what about the Titans passing attack? Well, it looked good in the first quarter. Tennessee was up 10-0 in the first 15 minutes and to be frank, I was starting to sweat a bit. I saw shades of 2019. But the HC and the OC/DC didn’t sweat. Knowing that the play-action was no longer a factor with Henry gaining no yardage to speak of, the Ravens secondary switched from mostly man-to-man to zone defense, and that change only gave up 3 points in three quarters. Yes, Vrabel took the “safe” route and his call to punt may have cost them the game. Maybe not, but it sure took the ball out of the Titans’ offense’s hands. So who knows what will happen Saturday night? Does Buffalo shut down the Ravens rushing attack and force Jackson to pass? Do the Ravens get to Allen and cover the Bills receivers tight and take away the big play and scoring opportunities? Maybe. Maybe Jackson runs for 145 yards and two TD’s and Allen throws for 345 yards and three scores and the final is 45-42, wither either team getting the W. All those scenarios are possible IMO.

Talking heads lol. Remember, they get paid to write and speak. They called for the Baltimore Colts to defeat the New York Jets by 17 in SB III. How’d that prediction work out?

There are quite a few NFL QB’s who can run. You should know. Allen is one. Murray is one. But Lamar is a QB who is an integral part of the rushing attack (designed runs) as well as a serious threat to get big yards when he takes off out of the pocket when coverages open big holes for him to exploit (like his TD run against the Titans). He is a threat to run at any time and has the speed to escape anyone on the field if he has space to accelerate. The Ravens have built their offense around Jackson’s skill set. It would have been easy to let him run while trying to set him up as a typical pocket passer, but with foresight the Ravens decided to build an offense around Lamar’s unique talents. To be honest, I was skeptical. Yeah, he took over from Flacco in a down 2018 and took Baltimore to the post-season, but showed last year he could win games (his W-L record as a starter proves that). Even without the MVP honors, he proved he was a winner. And he has this year as well. Even with getting COVID-19 he bounced back and ended 2020 at 11-5. All Jackson wants to do is win. He does not care about personal stats like total pass yardage, TD passes or being the only QB who has rushed for over 1,000 yards twice. All he wants is a ring. His fellow Ravens love him because he is all about the “team”. He actually appears to be a polite and humble young man.

You’re right. My mistake. Forgot about that! Interesting both Allen and Jackson both won their first playoff game last week and now face each other. You can’t script that!

Hello, Bills fans! My first post here (had to wait a long time for approval!). I have been a fan of the Baltimore Ravens since 1996 (and the Baltimore Colts long before that), but I am not here to talk smack. I’m here because I like to debate the merits of the game with fans of other teams (I post a lot on a Steelers forum). I hoped for this matchup rather than the Chiefs. Not because I simply chalked in a W against the Bills for a trip to the AFCC, but due to the fact that KC has been the Ravens’ nemesis the past few years. So were the Titans, but the Chiefs (when on their game) are on another level. I have reservations about this game. If both teams are on their marks, it should be a close game (27-24, etc.). The Ravens should be able to control the clock via the rushing attack, limiting the time Allen has to score points with his arm. But the Bills should have success in the air and can score points quickly with the deep ball (trust me, as a Terps fan I know all about Diggs). I think this game could come down to intangibles that cannot be determined beforehand. A pick-six, an untimely fumble, a long return on a kick-off or punt, or as last week showed us, either a terrible or gutless call by a head coach (yeah, that’s YOU Tomlin and Vrabel). Both QB’s are very new in the careers. Jackson is now in his 4th playoff game, but just one his first last week against the Titans. Allen played in his first playoff game last week (and Buffalo’s first since 1995), and came away with a W. So this is the first second playoff game in the same season for both. That’s a lot on a young man’s shoulders. Allen can run, but no one is calling on him to win with his legs. Jackson can pass (don’t be fooled by stats like total yardage-look up his TD:INT ratio in the red zone), but no one is expecting him to win this game with his arm. If either Allen’s passing or Jackson’s rushing gets stymied early, it could have a big impact on their psyche. We likely can't even comprehend the stress of the responsibility on their shoulders. I believe the Ravens have what it takes to win this game, but it will not be easy. They have a HC who’s very experienced in post-season play and will not be rattled if things go awry early. They have likely the best kicker-punter-long snapper combo in the NFL, and if it comes down to a last-second 49 yd FG for the W, I’d take Tucker over Bass any day of the week and twice on Saturday. He won’t get the jitters lining up for a big kick. But if the Ravens lose, I hope the Bills win it all (even if I lost big money years ago betting on the Bills in the SB lol). They have an excellent fan base that’s supported the team for a long time when down on their luck (and playing in the same division as the Pats). So does Cleveland. But I just don’t see them beating the Chiefs. If they do, and it’s Brown-Bills in the AFCC, it will be the story of the 2020 season. Although I’d rather see Browns-Ravens lol.