Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Patrick Queen, and Jadeveon Clowney are just a few of the key players that the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens lost during the offseason. Free agency and salary cap issues were expected to weaken both teams, but instead, both teams are back in the second round of the playoffs, and one will make it to the AFC Championship game.
This matchup on Sunday night, focused on quarterbacks Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, also shows how well the front offices of both teams managed to keep their squads in Super Bowl contention, even after losing important players. Many thought the Bills and Ravens might struggle after these losses, but that hasn’t been the case.
“I think the Ravens do a great job drafting and getting the key pieces in free agency,” said Baltimore linebacker Malik Harrison. “In the beginning of the year, we were still trying to figure things out, but once we started clicking, I don’t think we skipped a beat.”
A key takeaway from this Baltimore-Buffalo game is that if a team has a quarterback playing at an MVP level, losing a few key players can be manageable. However, it’s not always that simple. Both teams had to prioritize certain positions and sometimes take risks to get back to this point.
For example, the Ravens lost three starters on the offensive line and didn’t make major signings to replace them. Instead, they drafted tackle Roger Rosengarten in the second round, and Daniel Faalele, a fourth-round pick in 2022, moved from tackle to guard and has started every game this season.
“Daniel Faalele’s awesome. I thought he was a really good tackle, and he’s been an awesome guard, too,” said Baltimore’s Patrick Mekari, who has played every offensive line position in his career.
The Ravens also lost linebacker Patrick Queen to Pittsburgh. Jadeveon Clowney, who had a career-high 9 1/2 sacks for Baltimore in 2023, joined the Carolina Panthers. Though the Ravens had some issues with pass defense, they finished second in the NFL in sacks and first in run defense this season.
Despite all these departures, Baltimore managed to make some key additions. Running back Derrick Henry was one of the best free-agent signings, teaming up with Jackson to give the Ravens a powerful running game.
“They’re hard to stop. It was a good acquisition on their part,” said Bills coach Sean McDermott. “Just that two-dimensional type of weaponry, if you will, is tough on people.”
Buffalo also had its own challenges after last season. The Bills lost their top two receivers, Diggs was traded, and Davis left through free agency. Center Mitch Morse didn’t return, and their secondary lost safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde.
Instead of replacing their top receivers with one big-name player, Buffalo opted to add more depth. Khalil Shakir caught 76 passes for 821 yards, nearly double his career high. Nine different players for the Bills had at least 250 receiving yards, including rookie Keon Coleman, who had 556 yards.
Like the Ravens, Buffalo also made a big trade in the middle of the season, acquiring wide receiver Amari Cooper from Cleveland.
“Amari’s a good player. He was a good addition for us,” McDermott said. “Our offense goes kind of sum of the parts, right? He’s one of the pieces for us, and he’s done a nice job since we were able to add him.”
Sunday’s game at Buffalo will determine who moves one step closer to the Super Bowl. While the losing team will be disappointed, the past year shows that, no matter what challenges come in the offseason, neither the Bills nor the Ravens should be underestimated moving forward.
