After announcing themselves to the world last Monday night, the Bills travel to Baltimore for a heavyweight clash with the Ravens in Week 4. Fresh off a victory themselves, the Ravens will challenge the Bills unbeaten record in another primetime showdown.
While the Ravens have started slow, they still have one of the NFL's best rosters on paper. Their loss to the Raiders in Week 2 was dreadful, but they were a toe's length (literally) from sending Kansas City to overtime in Week 1 and for three quarters on Sunday, they dismantled the Super Bowl hopeful Dallas Cowboys.
The Bills, on the other hand, have looked mostly unstoppable through their first three games, even though they've suffered significant injuries on defense and experienced great turnover to their roster this offseason.
But the Ravens will be their toughest opponent yet. In fact, this could end up being a playoff preview between two teams with high expectations for themselves. For the second time in three years, the Bills will travel to Baltimore — and this time they'll face Derrick Henry, who seemed to find his old legs in a dominant performance against the Cowboys.
Without further ado, here are three key matchups to look for on Sunday Night Football:
Josh Allen vs. Ravens Secondary
Mel Kiper Jr. won't get his way, but he's right in saying that the 2-high safety shell has limited quarterbacks from taking shots down the field, at least for the most part.
In the Bills case, this appears to be true as according to Next Gen Stats, opposing starting quarterbacks are 0/9 with three interceptions on passes thrown 20+ air yards against the Bills zone-heavy defense. However, the Ravens secondary has allowed opposing starters to go 7/11 with two touchdowns on such passes.
It's also true that Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady hasn't asked Josh Allen to throw the ball downfield very often since taking over in Week 11 of last season — but perhaps that could change on Sunday night.
Assuming the Bills think they can also exploit the Ravens secondary on a handful of shot plays this weekend, look for Allens rocket-arm to be a factor. While he's only completed 2 of his 8 passes that have travelled 20+ air yards this season, his arm strength will always pose a threat.
CB Cam Lewis vs. WR Zay Flowers
In Week 3, the Jaguars made a point of getting the ball to wide receiver Christian Kirk when he was lined up in man coverage against Lewis — and Kirk won most of those matchups, recording 8 catches for 79 yards on Monday night.
While Kirk has been more prolific in the slot, having played 114 of his snaps (80.3% rate) from that part of the field through three weeks, Flowers can also win from that same position. While he's played in the slot at a much lower rate (32.4%), the average target distance (ADOT) to Flowers is only 6.2 yards after three games.
So the Bills backup nickel cornerback Lewis will surely have his hands full against one of the most dynamic young recievers in football. In fact, the Bills should expect the Ravens to try and match Flowers up against Lewis after watching the All-22 coaches film from the Bills matchup against Jacksonville.
In his toughest test yet, Lewis will be responsible for shutting down the Ravens leading receiver in targets and yards — and while he does that, he'll have Derrick Henry in his peripherals.
Bills Run Defense vs. Ravens Rushing Attack
In Week 3, the Ravens exploded for 274 rushing yards against the Cowboys defense. Not only did Henry rush for 151 yards and two touchdowns, but Lamar Jackson added 87 yards and one touchdown with his own legs, equating to an all encompassing 6.1 yards per carry for the offense.
Now, the Bills rank in the top half when it comes to stopping the run in 2024, but with injuries piling up in the second level of their defense, an opportunity presents itself to the Ravens. The Bills haven't stacked many boxes, instead they've dared opposing quarterbacks to throw the ball against them. If the Ravens are patient enough to keep feeding Henry, they could rack up yardage on the ground.
In this case, they could control the clock and keep the ball out of Allen's hands. Not to mention, their own rushing defense ranks first in stopping the run through three weeks.
So far, the unlikely combination of Dorian Williams, Baylon Spector, and Lewis have stepped up to the task. But like some other matchups on Sunday night, the Bills are in for their toughest test of the season, thus far.
The Ravens have started slow, but they found their legs (excuse the pun) in Week 3 — and there's a reason that they finished within 7 points of reaching the Super Bowl last season. As a result, it's really no surprise that this game is much-anticipated heading in Week 4.