Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh is no stranger to big games, and he knows just how important the upcoming matchup between his team and the Buffalo Bills will be. This Sunday’s game in Buffalo is loaded with excitement, from the star quarterback battle between Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen to the high stakes of both teams being just two wins away from the Super Bowl.
The forecast calls for freezing temperatures, with the mercury expected to dip below 10°F (-12°C) as the Ravens (13-5) take on the Bills (14-4) in the divisional playoff round. Harbaugh, reflecting on the significance of the game, mentioned how it felt like something out of an NFL Films special.
“I can just kind of picture John Facenda coming down from the heavens and narrating the preview to the game,” Harbaugh said, referencing the legendary NFL Films narrator. “It’s a privilege to be a part of a game like this.”
The quarterback matchup alone is enough to generate hype, as Jackson and Allen are considered two of the leading MVP candidates. Both quarterbacks, drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, are dual threats who have led their respective teams to division titles. There has been much debate over who is more valuable to their team.
“That’s why you play this game to be in moments like these,” said Allen, before downplaying the individual aspect of facing Jackson. “In the history of football, I’ve never really played against another quarterback.”
Allen, 28, has had a standout year, posting over 40 combined touchdowns for the fifth year in a row, leading an offense that became the NFL’s first to score 30 touchdowns both rushing and passing.
Jackson, also 28, refused to make it about the competition between him and Allen.
“Excuse me for everybody watching, but I really don’t care who’s watching,” Jackson said about facing Allen. “We really don’t care how people feel about it. We’re trying to go in there and just win.”
Jackson has had a career year, finishing with 45 total touchdowns and leading the league in several passing categories. He ran an offense that became the first in NFL history to exceed 4,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in a single season.
For Jackson, his last visit to Buffalo still stings. In the 2020 divisional round, the Ravens lost to the Bills 17-3, with Taron Johnson’s 101-yard interception return sealing the victory for Buffalo.
“Hell, yes,” Jackson said about remembering the loss. “That’s all I’m going to say about that.”
For Buffalo, there’s a sense of redemption after the Ravens beat them 35-10 earlier in the season. The Bills, however, are dealing with the challenge of slowing down Ravens running back Derrick Henry, who ran for a season-high 199 yards, including an 87-yard touchdown, against Buffalo in September.
“We’re a lot better,” said Bills defensive back Taron Johnson, one of three starters who were sidelined during the September game. “This is a new day. Things are just going to be different. That’s just the way they are.”
The Ravens are also adjusting to how the Bills’ offense has changed since their last encounter. Buffalo’s offense has become more balanced, with running back James Cook matching Henry’s 16 touchdown runs this season, 13 of which came after Week 5. Additionally, receiver Amari Cooper was traded to Buffalo in mid-October, adding another weapon to the Bills’ already potent passing attack, which featured 13 different players catching a touchdown pass.
“We are obviously two very different teams than we were whenever that game was,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. “The biggest thing we take away from that is that it can be done, we just have to replicate that success. But I know Buffalo has a sour taste in their mouth about that game.”
That sour taste is real for the Bills. After their 31-7 wild-card win over Denver, defensive tackle DaQuan Jones immediately turned his attention to the Ravens.
“It’s gonna be a bloodbath,” Jones said. “It’s just a mindset thing. At the end of the day, you just have to have the right mindset to go into any game to be physical in order to dominate.”
