Buffalo Bills vs. Baltimore Ravens preview:
Ravens look to continue Bills’ woes
In a battle of what some would bill as the league’s best team versus the league’s worst team, the Ravens will host the winless Bills this weekend. The Bills are
coming off a bye week, while the Ravens are coming off a 23-20 overtime loss in New England, a game in which they blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. The Bills may be what the Ravens need to bounce back, because let’s face it; they’ve looked just awful.
Every matchup to look for in this game seems to favour the Ravens. While Baltimore’s offence has been somewhat disappointing at times this season, the Bills’ offence is worse. They’ve failed to utilize
their electrifying rookie CJ Spiller and they have a career backup leading them at quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick. Granted, Fitzpatrick has given them a courageous effort, but the Bills don’t have the weapons on offence to help him. They’re ranked 30th in
the league in yards per game (251) and 26th in points per game (17.4).
The two defences are miles apart. The Bills are dead last in total defence in the league, giving up a whopping 32 points per game. They’re also giving up 382 total yards per game, for 29th in
the league. Here’s the stat that the Ravens will be drooling at; the Bills are last in the league in rushing yards allowed (182.4) per game.
With the Ravens trying to get Ray Rice going again, it’s no secret what they’ll be trying to do Sunday. Rice should be their feature player while Willis McGahee and Le’Ron McClain should get their share
of carries as well. Baltimore will come out running the football as often as they can and will control the game. It may be a long day for the Bills’ defence.
The Ravens are also starting to devise a solid passing game. Joe Flacco is showing some signs of improvement and his savvy receiving corps helps. With veterans like Derrick Mason and T.J Houshmandzadeh
and tight end Todd Heap at his disposal, these receivers should be able to exploit the Bills’ average secondary. Oh and there’s Anquan Boldin who’s showing he can be a number one receiver in any system. After being a number two option with Larry Fitzgerald
in Arizona, Boldin has come to Baltimore as advertised, leading the team with 32 receptions for 426 yards and four touchdowns. All the Ravens have to do is continue building chemistry and more success will come.
Baltimore’s defence; need we say more? Ray Lewis and company are still dominating opponents, ranked second in the league in total defence. They’re second in points allowed per game (15.8), third in yards
allowed per game (280) and third in passing yards allowed per game (175). They shouldn’t face much of a test in Buffalo, and Ed Reed may make his return. Reed has been on the physically unable to perform list and is active, but he may not need to play. The
Ravens should be able to handle the Bills’ porous offence without him.
This game is billing up as the blowout of the week. The Ravens have the Bills outmatched in every category you can think of and if the Ravens were able to give the Patriots trouble on the road, imagine
what they can do at home against the Bills. This may not be the game to watch this Sunday, unless you’re a Ravens fan.
Kickoff is at 1:00 from M&T Bank Stadium.
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