In the Week 1 edition of “Sunday Night Football,” football fans will be treated to one of the premier matchups of the season as the Buffalo Bills play host to the Baltimore Ravens. Expected to once again be two of the AFC’s — and NFL’s — best teams, the Bills and Ravens last met in the divisional round of last year’s playoffs, with Buffalo emerging victorious in dramatic fashion.
The game pits the last two NFL MVPs against each other as reigning MVP Josh Allen does battle against Lamar Jackson, who won in 2023 and also was named first-team All-Pro over Allen last year. There are stars all over the field on both sides of the ball, from Derrick Henry and James Cook to Kyle Hamilton and Matt Milano and a whole lot more.
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This is a game that could have massive implications not just in Week 1, but for the race for the top seed in the AFC. Especially after the Kansas City Chiefs lost their opening game of the year, the team that gets a step ahead early on could have the other contenders chasing them all year long.
Before we break down the matchup, here’s a look at how you can watch the game.
Where to watch Ravens vs. Bills live
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 7 | Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
- Location: Highmark Stadium (Orchard Park, NY)
- TV: NBC | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Odds: Ravens -1.5; O/U 50.5 (via DraftKings Sportsbook)
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When the Ravens have the ball
The Ravens moved the ball with relative ease against the Bills in both of their matchups last season.
In the regular-season battle, Baltimore rushed for a preposterous 271 yards, with Derrick Henry getting things going on the Ravens’ opening snap of the game. The Ravens just leaned on the Bills from there, with Henry (24 carries for 199 yards and the aforementioned touchdown) and Lamar Jackson (six carries for 54 yards and a touchdown) knifing through the defense all game. Jackson also went an efficient 13 of 18 passing for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
In the playoffs, the Ravens piled up another 416 yards — nearly matching the 427 they had in the regular-season beatdown. They ran for 176 yards and Jackson went 18 of 25 for 254 yards and two scores. The problem was the Ravens turned it over three times, with Jackson seemingly blacking out on an interception and a fumble, and Mark Andrews fumbling as well. Those issues, as well as Andrews’ drop on what should have been a game-tying two-point conversion late in the game, combined to undermine an otherwise excellent offensive effort.
The Bills added some pieces on defense this offseason, the most notable of whom is Joey Bosa. When at his best, Bosa is an excellent two-way edge defender who can rush the passer and contribute at a high level in the run game. Between him and Greg Rousseau, the Bills have to very good bookend edges. Buffalo also added Michael Hoecht up front, but he’s suspended, as is Larry Ogunjobi. The other reinforcements on the defensive line are rookies in Landon Jackson, T.J. Sanders and Deone Walker, who will fill in behind Bosa, Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones. They’ll need to do a much better job against the run than the group up front did last year.
On the second level, the Bills might still have some issues. They have a glaring hole at the No. 2 cornerback spot, where first-round pick Maxwell Hairston is on injured reserve and returning free-agent Tre’Davious White is listed as doubtful. Christian Benford may be asked to shadow Zay Flowers whenever Flowers lines up on the outside, so that he does not get a matchup against a much weaker second cornerback. (Flowers missed the playoff game last year with an injury.) If Benford does follow Flowers everywhere but the slot (where the Bills trust Taron Johnson), then Rashod Bateman could be set up for a breakthrough performance.
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With Isaiah Likely out due to the injury he suffered during training camp, we can expect to see Andrews resume a bigger role in the passing game. He had five catches for 61 yards in that playoff loss to the Bills, finding himself open in the intermediate area of the field several times. Buffalo is hoping that 2024 second-rounder Cole Bishop can help take the safety unit to a different level than it was last year, when it was mostly Damar Hamlin playing next to Taylor Rapp. Either way, Andrews should have chances to eat once again.
The Bills need to find a way to get pressure to Jackson and force him into mistakes, but that’s easier said than done. Baltimore’s offensive line gelled nicely after a slow start to last season, and returns four of the five starters from last year. Jackson also showed almost no vulnerability to blitzes and/or pressures last season, easily sidestepping rushers and extending the play to both throw and run with regularity. Even against a hopefully-improved Buffalo defense, the Ravens have a very good chance to consistently move the ball and put up points.
NFL Week 1 Power Rankings: Eagles get top spot to start, but Bills will finish No. 1 with long-awaited title
Pete Prisco
When the Bills have the ball
Buffalo actually only totaled 273 yards in the playoff win against the Ravens, but it managed to hold the ball for more than half the game by routinely converting short-yardage opportunities, avoiding negative plays, going a combined 6 of 12 on third and fourth downs, minimizing penalties (just one for 10 yards) and of course, coming away with those three Ravens turnovers.
Josh Allen’s Superman routine was one of the biggest factors in that effort, of course. He ran the ball 10 times and scored twice on the ground, and he made the most of his mere 22 pass attempts by completing 16 of them. He threw for only 127 yards, but he didn’t seem to make a single mistake and he took just one sack for a loss of only one yard. He, James Cook, Ray Davis and Ty Johnson combined for 36 rush attempts, which the Bills used to control the clock and move the chains. They picked up 147 yards and accounted for all three Buffalo touchdowns.
Khalil Shakir was the most-targeted player in the passing game for the Bills in that playoff matchup, eating on swing screens and the like and totaling 67 yards on his seven targets. Shakir dealt with a high ankle sprain through pretty much all of training camp, but he practiced in full by this week and isn’t on the injury report. He’ll have to deal with a lot of Marlon Humphrey and/or Kyle Hamilton in the slot, which could prove difficult, especially if he can’t move the way he usually does due to the ankle issue.
The Bills did add to their receiver corps this offseason by inking Josh Palmer to a three-year deal, and it should be a lot of he and second-year man Keon Coleman on the outside against Ravens cornerbacks Nate Wiggins and either Jaire Alexander or Chidobe Awuzie, depending on how healthy Alexander is after getting in a pair of full practices to end the week.
Baltimore’s secondary coalesced into an elite unit by the end of last season, but is dealing with a bunch of changes here. Alexander and Awuzie are both new faces. Ar’Darius Washington, whose move to the back end helped solidify things last year, is likely out for the season after tearing his Achilles during the offseason program. And first-round rookie Malaki Starks will be counted on to play a huge role next to Hamilton right away. How things look on the back end of the defense will play a huge factor here.
The same is true of the Ravens’ ability to generate pressure and actually hurry Allen’s decision-making process, which they weren’t really able to do in the playoff matchup but did quite well during the regular season. Buffalo’s offensive line is quite good and the Ravens are once again likely to try to generate pressure with exotic looks and blitz packages rather than pure talent up front. If the Bills’ front can hold up in front of Allen, he should have time to pick apart a secondary that hasn’t played together yet, and that’ll open things up even more for Buffalo’s strong run game.
Prediction
The Ravens, to me, have the best roster in the NFL this season. They are deep and versatile on both sides of the ball, and I think they have enough matchup advantages here to overcome Buffalo’s home field. It feels like another close game, but this time one where Baltimore — which has its WR1 back in the mix for the game — comes out on top.
Pick: Ravens 27, Bills 24
