The good and bad from Bills’ Divisional round win vs. Ravens

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Baltimore Ravens 27-25 in the Divisional round at Highmark Stadium.

Baltimore came out with the ball first and scored on their opening drive, however Buffalo responded quickly with a touchdown of their own on their next drive. The Bills played sound football on both sides of the ball, forcing Baltimore to turn the ball over three times which was a big reason why Buffalo won.

The Bills went 10-0 at home this year. They will now head to Arrowhead, where they will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship on Sunday, January 26 at 6:30 p.m. EST. 

The good

QB Josh Allen 

Josh Allen and the Bills offense came out on fire in the first half, putting up 21 points against one of the best defenses in the league. The Bills took care of the football and got out to an early 21-10 lead in the first half. In the second half, Allen and the Bills offense played defensive offense, taking care of the football and chewing the clock down to an ultimate 27-25 victory. Allen was 16/22 through the air, throwing for 127 yards, yet he did not have a touchdown pass nor an interception. However, Allen did get into the endzone twice on the ground. He ran for 20 yards on the ground on 10 carries. 

Bills run game 

The Bills had a good plan of attack on the ground from start to finish. Baltimore is one of the best defenses in the NFL when it comes to stopping the run, yet the Bills offensive line did their job and the running backs did what they needed to do. 

James Cook led the Bills in rushing yards with 67 total on 17 carries. Rookie Ray Davis had a rushing touchdown and finished the game with 29 rushing yards on four carries. Ty Johnson also played his part in the run game, finishing with 31 yards rushing on five carries. The Bills run game was phenomenal in their win over Baltimore and they will be looking to emulate this performance next week against the Chiefs. 

WR Khalil Shakir 

Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir led the Bills in receiving with 67 yards on six receptions. Shakir is as reliable as it gets at wide receiver and he showed that. He was once again Allen’s most-targeted pass catcher. Shakir averaged 11.2 yards per reception and had himself a good game against a great defense.

LB Terrel Bernard 

Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard was out in Buffalo’s Week 4 loss to the Ravens. In this game, Bernard made his presence felt. Bernard was all over the field for Buffalo, finishing the game with four total tackles, as well as forcing a fumble and recovering it which was a huge turnover in Buffalo’s favor. Bernard was a force in the Bills defensive game plan this week and he had a great game. Bernard will look to continue his success against one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Patrick Mahomes. 

S Damar Hamlin 

Bills safety Damar Hamlin has overcome a lot in his career over the past few years and he is now playing at an all-time high. Hamlin led the Bills in tackles against the Ravens with eight total. Hamlin also had two tackles for a loss, including a sack-fumble on Jackson that led to a long return by Von Miller.

K Tyler Bass 

Bills kicker Tyler Bass has been doubted all season long for missing kicks, yet in this one he was perfect. Bass finished the game 3/3 on extra point attempts and 2/2 on field goal attempts, his longest try being from 51 yards out. Bass scored nine of the Bills’ 27 points in this game and was a big factor in Buffalo winning. 

The bad

Containing Baltimore’s pass game 

Jackson and the Ravens finished the game with 254 yards through the air. Jackson finished the game 18/25 with a 85.8 quarterback rating despite Buffalo’s victory. Jackson had a good game outside of a couple turnovers and had the Ravens in it till the end. Isaiah Likely found himself open a few times finishing with 73 yards receiving on four receptions along with catching a touchdown. Rashod Bateman also had a great game despite his team’s loss, finishing with 66 yards on four receptions and a touchdownl. The Bills will have to clean up their coverage ahead of next week.

Holding Baltimore on third down 

The Ravens converted 70% (7 for 10) of their third down attempts. The Bills could not find a way to disrupt the Ravens offense on third down and it was a big factor in keeping Baltimore alive. The Bills will look to clean this up going forward.

S Taylor Rapp Injury 

Bills safety Taylor Rapp went down late in the second quarter of the game with a hip injury and did not come back in. Bills rookie safety Cole Bishop filled in for him. Rapp was taken to the blue medical tent and after further evaluation was taken to the locker room on a cart. He was later ruled out for the rest of the game. No reports on the extent of his injury have come out yet, but the Bills and their fans will be waiting anxiously given his importance to the secondary.