Kickoff is just a couple hours away in Orchard Park and we will soon be watching an AFC heavyweight battle between the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens. In a rematch from last year’s divisional round game, both teams are looking to make a statement tonight to the rest of the league.
The Ravens come back to the place where their hearts were broken, while the Bills are looking to show that the Ravens are all hype, which is what they have been this entire offseason.
Obviously, fans are going to be paying attention to the two star quarterbacks to make the big plays. However, there are matchups that fans should be paying attention to, including one listed by Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus (PFF). That matchup is Bills’ wide receiver Khalil Shakir vs. Ravens’ corner Marlon Humphrey.
Khalil Shakir vs. Marlon Humphrey is perfect non-QB matchup to watch on SNF
Here's a bit on what Locker said about Shakir going up against Humphrey:
"During both the regular season and playoffs, Humphrey bottled up Shakir. The cornerback permitted just two catches to Shakir for 15 yards on only three targets, with the other swatted by Humphrey. Buffalo will have to more heavily engage Shakir — particularly against Humphrey — if it wants to avoid a similar fate to the outcome it suffered in Week 4."Bradley Locker, PFF
Coming off a career year last season, Shakir was rewarded with a brand new four-year extension that keeps in Buffalo for the long haul. As a former fifth-round pick, Shakir has exceeded expectations and has become Josh Allen’s go-to guy in the passing game.
Humphrey is one of the best corners in the game so he should be following Shakir around on primetime. If Buffalo finds themselves playing catch up, the Bills are going to have to rely on Shakir in crucial situations. If he can’t separate from Humphrey, that’s going to cause some issues for Buffalo.
Fans should be watching this matchup in passing situations to see if Buffalo can excel in the pass, or have to adjust on the fly.