The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens are preparing for another showdown between two AFC teams with Super Bowl aspirations. And once again, much of the conversation centers around Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
But there’s more to this matchup than two superstar quarterbacks.
Baltimore enters this game with questions surrounding its defense, a new head coach in Jesse Minter, and uncertainty about Jackson’s health. Meanwhile, Buffalo will look to take advantage of a Ravens team coming off a disastrous second half against Cincinnati.
To get a better understanding of what’s happening in Baltimore, I reached out to Kyle Goon, Sports Columnist for The Baltimore Banner, for six questions about Sunday’s matchup.
We discussed Baltimore’s defensive struggles, the Allen–Jackson rivalry, life after John Harbaugh, the pressure on both quarterbacks to win a championship, and his prediction for Sunday.
And let’s just say Bills fans might disagree with Kyle on one particularly familiar MVP debate.
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1. Attacking Baltimore
Joe from Queens: If you’re the Buffalo Bills, how would you approach attacking the Ravens offensively? And on the other side of the ball, what’s the best way to defend Lamar Jackson and Baltimore’s offense?
Kyle Goon: It’s not novel but if I’m the Ravens, I’m worried about Josh Allen’s scrambling ability. This defense hasn’t really had to face a real mobile threat yet, and here’s one of the best. After last week, the defense has to be very sensitive to missed tackles that helped them be outscored 35-0 to the Bengals. When I think of how Allen hurt the Rams with his legs, I worry Baltimore’s defense might be susceptible the same way.
With Lamar and the offense, teams have found a ton of success recently collapsing on the Ravens’ outside zone runs. Derrick Henry has been rendered ineffective the past two weeks. I think if the Ravens have Lamar on Sunday, that will help them attack the secondary and go deep, where obviously the Bills are vulnerable. That might loosen things up in the run game, but it’s hard to know how ready Jackson will be.
2. Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson
Joe from Queens: Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have been two of the NFL’s most exciting quarterbacks for years. Do you ever get the sense there’s a genuine rivalry between the two fan bases, particularly online? And do you think the national media sometimes fuels that debate unnecessarily?
Kyle Goon: I’m going to ingratiate myself to your readers immediately and say: Lamar Jackson should have been the 2024 MVP. I don’t love how the voting was handled, with some deciding that the best offensive player was not also the most valuable player. Statistically, Lamar was miles ahead of Josh as a passer that year, and I believe his gravity as a running threat helped open up a lot of things for Henry who obviously had a phenomenal season. The Ravens absolutely thrashed the Bills head to head in the regular season that year, which was the game which mattered for the voting process.
That being said, I don’t know that Josh or Lamar has control over the narratives about them. I think each fanbase is fiercely protective of their guy, and rightly so. Allen has definitely gotten the better of the Ravens in the playoffs, which matters a lot. “Unnecessary” fuel to the debate is probably not the right adjective to use — I just think pretty naturally, tribalism occurs when you have two quarterbacks that are this good. I think Lamar deserved the 2024 MVP, but I don’t think they were that far apart so it’s not exactly silly for Buffalo fans to disagree with me.
3. Baltimore’s Biggest Weakness
Joe from Queens: What is the biggest weakness on this Ravens team that Buffalo can exploit? Is there something you’ve noticed watching Baltimore every week that opposing teams haven’t taken advantage of enough?
Kyle Goon: I think every single flaw was on display last week as the Ravens were dismantled 35-0 in the second half by the Bengals. The secondary was overmatched. The tackling was bad. They couldn’t finish pressures with sacks. The run game stunk. Tyler Huntley missed a lot of throws. The Ravens killed themselves with pre snap penalties.
I’m not really sure there’s more to say than that, honestly. The Ravens simply have to do everything better than they did last week.
4. Life After John Harbaugh
Joe from Queens: After 18 seasons under John Harbaugh, the Ravens have a new head coach in Jesse Minter. From what you’ve seen so far, what are the biggest differences between the two in terms of coaching philosophy, preparation, in-game decisions, and how they run the team? Has Minter brought something to Baltimore that you felt was missing during the final years of Harbaugh’s tenure?
Kyle Goon: This is a really tough week to answer that question. Minter comes in from L.A. with the reputation of a defensive genius. I don’t think anyone who saw the second half of the Bengals game feels that way right now. His initial game plan was great, and Joe Burrow couldn’t get anything going. But once the Bengals started to play better, it seemed like no one, including Minter, had strong answers.
I think Jesse has less of a hardass edge than Harbaugh, who came from the Bo Schembechler school of coaching and only mellowed out after Ravens vets in his early years told him to. But this is a decisive moment for Minter. He is in the tough position (like Joe Brady) of trying to elevate a good squad to greatness. But without Jackson playing, it’s been tough, and the last two games have plucked at old wounds this franchise has about second-half leads — which Bills fans will know well from the game in 2025.
5. The Playoff Narrative
Joe from Queens: Both the Bills and Ravens have regularly been among the AFC’s best teams, yet both quarterbacks have faced criticism for not winning a Super Bowl. Do you think the criticism of Allen and Jackson is fair, or have expectations become unrealistic considering they’ve had to compete in an AFC dominated by Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City?
Kyle Goon: Of course it’s fair. I don’t think playoff success should be the only metric by which great quarterbacks are measured. But this is our football culture now. Greatness demands validation through trophies. We know Allen and Jackson are good enough to win championships, so we want to see them play in Super Bowls. That’s just where the greats belong.
I think Lamar is lacking in his playoff resume. The piece that I ding Lamar for is his turnovers: The playoff game in Buffalo felt so uncharacteristic of regular season Lamar games. But I honestly don’t believe Josh has that much better of a track record than Lamar does. It would be great to see both of them play in the Super Bowl eventually before they hang it up. I’m sure at least one of them will get there one day.
6. Prediction and X-Factor
Joe from Queens: What’s one player or matchup that Bills fans should pay particularly close attention to? And ultimately, how do you see this game playing out? Give me your final score prediction.
Kyle Goon: The position group that probably faces the most strain this week is the Ravens linebackers. Roquan Smith and Trenton Simpson will have to contain Allen, who is actually (I think) bigger than them. If they can limit the damage Allen and James Cook can do on the ground, that would go a long way to helping this defense recover from last week. I’d rather have the Bills receivers trying to beat this secondary with their routes than Allen and Cook beating the front with their legs.
That being said, after last week, even if Lamar comes back, I feel it’s disingenuous to pick the Ravens to win. The Bills are going to be favorites and for good reason, especially at home where Baltimore has struggled in their last few visits. I see this game going to the Bills: 28-21.
You can read more of Kyle’s work at The Baltimore Banner and follow him on X (@kylegoon).