Week 4 - Bills at Ravens Game Week Thread

[Scott7975]

2 minutes ago, Logic said:

Perfect. Love it.

I'd prefer the Bills be underdogs in all remaining games, and that experts always pick against them.

This team irrefutably plays better when they're underdogs and can play the "no one believes in us" card. It's been proven year after year.

As for the predictions themselves, I just think it's funny that everyone has the Bills scoring 20, when Baltimore is allowing an average of 26 points a game and the Bills are scoring an NFL best 37.3 points per game.

When the #1 PPG offense in the NFL goes against the #26 PPG defense....it's gotta results in the Bills scoring a season low 20 points, right? Weird.

 

I agree let em underrate us.  At some point though, they will have to change their narrative.  At least for the regular season.  That may happen after this Ravens game. Either that or they start saying the Ravens are a bad team.  I don't know which they would fight against more... the Ravens are bad or the Bills are good haha.

[stevewin]

2 hours ago, YattaOkasan said:

If you scrap nickel, it has to be morrow right?  Still need to cover either or andrews or likely in the middle.  I think we stay with Lewis.

Just make sure to tell the dude to go low if he meets up with Henry - don't want any flashbacks to Josh Norman 😛

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

 

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

https://forum.russellstreetreport.com/showthread.php?278360-Onto-the-Bills&s=56c4f438a1704b353318283180a4de4a

 

 

[Royale with Cheese]

It's probably going to be a really wet field.  It's supposed to rain all weekend until Tuesday with this tropical storm coming through.

[Cray51]

I like this matchup for the Bills.  Ravens have good perimeter defenders with Hamilton, Humphrey, Wiggins, Williams, etc.  However, I'm not sold on their d-line and backer core.  Smith is good, but I think we run the ball down their throat and guys like Kincaid and Knox will be open.

 

Henry needs a few gallops to get up to speed, and with our pursuit and tackle right now?  I don't think that happens too often.  Mcd knows how to limit Lamar, he has done it several times.

 

I'm thinking it's a 27-17 type of game.

[Mango]

18 hours ago, Rockinon said:

I watched some of the Ravens last game. A few times Lamar would fake a handoff to Henry. The defense came crashing down to stop Henry but Lamar would keep it go untouched for 10yds.  It's a dangerous dual threat that the Titans didn't have. It's going to be a game of deception. Our defense will need to be sharp defending this running attack.

Agreed. And as good as the defense has been Spector is still a back up and to my eye has been hesitant/indecisive at times. I think he gets picked on in closer games. 
 

I think this game will help define how far Spector, Lewis, and Williams can take us if need be. 

[Motorin']

57 minutes ago, DaBillsFanSince1973 said:

 

 

That was amazing. 

[RyanC883]

3 hours ago, Logic said:

Just saw the stat from Sal C that the Ravens have given up 16 pass plays of 20+ yards this season: MOST in the NFL.

Plays will be there for the taking in the passing game. If the OL continues to keep Josh upright and comfortable, I like the Bills' chances of putting up a lot of points on Sunday night.

we don't have an hour for Coleman to run that far

[Cash]

1 hour ago, RiotAct said:

isn’t that ALWAYS the priority?

 

 

It should be!  But I've seen teams come out looking like their top priority is keeping the other team's offense off the field.  Sometimes that leads to scores anyway, but more frequently it leads to run-run-pass with no margin for error on 3rd down.

[RyanC883]

we need to keep the foot on the gas offensively.  The D will create a few stops or turnovers.  We will win by about 10-14.  

[Mango]

3 hours ago, TFBillsfan said:

In a perfect scenario the Bills win their next 3. However, IMO the order of importance for winning the division and playoff seeding would be the following:

 

1. NYJ beat the Jets allows us to go up 2-0 in the division improving our chances of winning the AFCE again. NYJ have an easy schedule.

 

2. Houston their division is garbage and beating them improves the Bills having a higher seed come playoffs as we’d have the head to head tie breaker if it came to that.

 

3. Baltimore yes I want to beat the Ravens. However the Ravens division should be competitive and I expect them to lose some more. But a loss wouldn’t necessarily impact playoff seeding. 
 

If the Bills could somehow manage to go 3-0 and stay healthy…..lord have mercy.

 

They can’t go 0-3 which would be a major gut punch!

If they go 3-0 and then beat KC a few weeks later they’ll be hands down Super Bowl favorites by a wide margin. 
 

But talking about it and doing it are totally different things.

 

Baltimore is the biggest test so far by quite a bit. 

[Rockinon]

I think the Bills may increase the percentage of plays where there are 6 OLmen on the field. The Ravens are weak at LB and this will keep 2 TEs on the field as well. This is a great way to not only run the ball but also get our TEs involved in the passing game against those LBs. Two teams have all ready gotten more than 90yds from their TEs against this team.

 

However they do it, our TEs can absolutely exploit this team. Sometimes the best defense is a great offense.

Edited yesterday at 06:24 PM by Rockinon

[eball]

13 hours ago, appoo said:

I do think this is the week where the Bills injuries catch up to them. You're asking Baylon Spector, Dorian Williams and Cam Lewis with the slowest set of safeties in the NFL to contain Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, Isiah Likely and Derrick Henry? Nah man that ain't it.  Not even McDermott witchcraft is going to have consistent success here.

 

For the Bills to win this way, I think they need to goto a grind offense to protect their defense, and then defensively just be opportunistic, and hold them to FGs in the Red Zone.  If they Bills want to have a truly good game defensively then Ed Oliver, AJE, DJ, Austin Johnson, and Groot are going to have to have elite games on 1st and 2nd down, so they can unleash Von on 3rd and long.  

 

Offensively Spencer Brown is gonna have his biggest challenge yet with Odafe Oweh who looks like he's taken the leap. This is a DE with legit 4.3 40 speed who's currently got an 84.8 grade on PFF.  If Brown can handle him on his own that's gonna be huge - but good chance he's gonna need help

Looks like a troll post. The Bills have a big advantage on both lines.

 

[balln]

3 hours ago, Cash said:

 

Agreed!  Ravens look scariest when they play 2 TE with Henry in the backfield, and they can run Henry, run Lamar, or do playaction.  But they take Henry out when they're in passing mode.  If we get up 2 scores, I think we see more Justice Hill than Henry.

 

I don't care how much time we take, or whether it's on the ground or through the air, but the priority on offense should be scoring TDs every time out.

Likely gonna have a field day against our LB and S. Put bishop in

[sven233]

The next 3 weeks are going to be a gauntlet for sure.  Maybe the toughest stretch of the schedule.  There are a lot of seasons where I would think we would slip up, even against good teams, because of a lack of focus.  That said, while we may certainly lose a couple of these games, I am fully confident in saying it won't be because of lack of focus.

 

Josh actively pointed out that we are heading into a hostile environment and playing "2 time MVP, Lamar".  This was not on accident.  As much as Josh says MVPs mean nothing to him, and maybe they don't, I think it does actively bug him that he believes that maybe those MVPs, especially last year's, wasn't entirely deserved and I believe he will be looking at this game as a statement game.

 

Then we have Houston.  Well, we all know what that game and narrative will be about.  I honestly believe that this team, Allen in particular, has had this game circled on their calendars.  I wouldn't be surprised if this is the one game that they want to win more than any other.  I think the offense has a huge chip on their shoulder and would love nothing more than to put up 40+ on that team.  Obviously, it won't be easy because they are a really good football team, but I do think they will be 100% focused heading into the game.

 

And finally, you have the Jets.  Who knows where the records will be heading into this game, but it is obviously a Division game that means the most out of any of the next 3.  It is also a team that Allen has struggled with at times and I think he knows that he has a chance to right a lot of wrongs in that game.  He also is good friends with Rodgers and he would absolutely love to beat him.

 

So yeah......it's going to be a tough stretch for sure, but I see this team remaining highly motivated to get all of them.  In reality, 2-1 would be awesome and I think all of us would sign up for that right now.  We really need to get at least one, though.  Three......well, that would be a dream, but man, the hype train would be flying off the tracks if that happened. 

 

GO BILLS!

[theRalph]

The Ravens got a false bump from playing KC so close. Then KC needed a PI call to beat the ***** Bengals, and just got by the….FALCONS?? Yes, yes, it’s only September and maybe the Chiefs are lazy early. But the pre-season predictions for both MIA and JAX were high. It’s not that the Bills beat ***** teams. The Bills helped make them *****. Meanwhile, after losing at home to KC, BALT loses at home to the RAIDERS….who then got their asses kicked by the VISITING PANTHERS????? Then, BALT gets up on the softie Cowboys but nearly surrenders the lead (if DAL gets the ball back at the end, everyone knows they’d have won). I know anything can happen…but based on the above: I believe the Bills will clown Baltimore in similar fashion to the previous two wins.

[Buffalo4Life01]

we ready to roll!!!  let's go Buffaloooooooooo!!!  meep meep meep me nasties and away me goes!!!  

[FLFan]

3 hours ago, Scott7975 said:

They all picking against us again...

 

Democrat and Chronicle: Ravens 23, Bills 17

Sal Maiorana writes: "With the Steelers off to a 3-0 start, the Ravens are already two games behind in the AFC North and as one of the highly-rated Super Bowl contenders going into the season, they can’t continue to keep stumbling. They’re coming off a nice win in Dallas, and they’re at home so they’ll take care of business."

 

The Arizona Republic: Ravens 24, Bills 20

Jeremy Cluff writes: "If the Ravens can get to 2-2 after the 0-2 start, it will be a great sign for the rest of their season. We think the defense will be key in beating the Bills."

 

The Sporting News: Ravens 23, Bills 20

Vinnie Iyer writes: "The Bills have been having fun running the ball to support Josh Allen in their diverse and balanced offense. The Ravens can be relentless running at a high level with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, and that's how to attack Buffalo's defense. Allen will run into some turnover trouble against Baltimore's back-end looks after the Ravens apply some good inside pressure on him."

 

Sports Illustrated: Ravens

Iain MacMillan writes: "It's time to sell high on the Bills. They have got off to an unbelievably strong start to the season, but I believe we're going to see some regression from this team in the coming weeks. A road game against the Ravens could be the time for exactly that to happen. Despite being 1-2, the Ravens rank fifth in the league in Net Yards per Play and their offense is averaging a blistering 6.6 yards per play, the best mark in the NFL. More important than the Ravens' offense is their defense, specifically their ability to stop the run. The Ravens have allowed just 2.8 yards per carry, the fewest in the NFL by 0.7 yards per rush. That's going to be a tough challenge for a Bills team that has embraced the run this season, running at a top five rate amongst all teams. I'll take the Ravens in this must-watch Sunday Night Football showdown."

 

CBS Sports: Ravens 23, Bills 20

John Breech writes: "It took three weeks, but the Ravens have finally figured out how to win games: They just need to run the ball. ... With Derrick Henry, the Ravens offense is basically a freight train that's rolling down the tracks at full speed, and not many teams have a strong enough defense to slow down a freight train. The Bills have struggled to stop the run this year, surrendering an average of 118.3 yards per game and that number is likely only going to get worse after this showdown on Sunday night. The Bills are coming off a short week after playing on Monday night in Week 3, which is definitely an advantage for the Ravens. 

 

ESPN: Bills win

ESPN's Football Power Index gives the Bills a 56.7% chance of winning the game.

 

Dimers: Ravens 25, Bills 22

Dimers states: "After extensive simulations, our model gives the Bills a win probability of 41%, while the Ravens have a win probability of 59%."

Bill Wolcott is a producer who helps cover the Buffalo Bills, high school and Rochester sports in general. The lifelong New Yorker has been a journalist for 30 years.

These takes are all bad, but the CBS Sports blurb is particularly clueless. I guess the media is back on the Ravens bandwagon.   The Ravens have not figured anything out.  They played a team with a historically bad rush defense, as many Bills fans will recall from last year. The Bills “struggles to stop the run” this year have been primarily a result, as anyone who actually watches the team would attest, of the Bills encouraging the run and short passes by scheme.  The Bills overall defense has actually performed much better than Baltimore this year, who does stop the run, but cannot stop anyone from passing on them.  They are dead last in that area.  This is a matchup tailor made for Buffalo.  
 

I do expect Henry to get his yards, but I do not expect a dominant running game like they had against Dallas, with 45 total rushes at nearly 6 yards per.  Not going to happen.  Lamar is going to have to pass to win this game with his very subpar OL, especially at OT.  Lamar cannot beat the Bills with his arm in my opinion.  
 

All that said, tough game, in a tough place to play, but the Bills again are the better team, with the better QB and the better defense and should prevail.
 

 

[Scott7975]

13 minutes ago, FLFan said:

These takes are all bad, but the CBS Sports blurb is particularly clueless. I guess the media is back on the Ravens bandwagon.   The Ravens have not figured anything out.  They played a team with a historically bad rush defense, as many Bills fans will recall from last year. The Bills “struggles to stop the run” this year have been primarily a result, as anyone who actually watches the team would attest, of the Bills encouraging the run and short passes by scheme.  The Bills overall defense has actually performed much better than Baltimore this year, who does stop the run, but cannot stop anyone from passing on them.  They are dead last in that area.  This is a matchup tailor made for Buffalo.  
 

I do expect Henry to get his yards, but I do not expect a dominant running game like they had against Dallas, with 45 total rushes at nearly 6 yards per.  Not going to happen.  Lamar is going to have to pass to win this game with his very subpar OL, especially at OT.  Lamar cannot beat the Bills with his arm in my opinion.  
 

All that said, tough game, in a tough place to play, but the Bills again are the better team, with the better QB and the better defense and should prevail.
 

 

 

Completely agree with everything you said.  People say the Bills haven't beat anybody.  That may be true but the Cowboys are a nobody as well. They are the Dolphins of the NFC and have had a terrible run defense both this year and last year.  The Cowboys were behind all game and almost managed a comeback in just the last quarter.  

 

Tough game but the Bills have shown they can stop Lamar and also Henry before.  Joe Brady has called great games and actually looks to game plan against opponent weakness, unlike Daboll and Dorsey.