Nearly all of the division-round NFL playoff games are set as of Monday. Houston will head to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. The upstart Washington Commanders face a tall task as they hit the Motor City versus the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions.
In the other NFC divisional round game, Philadelphia will be hosting the winner of the Rams-Vikings game.
The last divisional game, undoubtedly with the most hype, will be the Baltimore Ravens going on the road to play the Buffalo Bills. This is the game we’ve all been waiting for.
Early lines have the Bills as a one-point favorite. The two teams did square off versus another way back in Week 4. Baltimore hosted the game — and pasted Buffalo by a score of 35-10. Derrick Henry ran all over the Bills defense, accruing 199 yards on 24 carries. Lamar Jackson added 54 yards on the ground, and the team as a whole rushed for a whopping 8.0 YPC (271 yards on 34 attempts).
We’d be shocked if we saw another blowout. Buffalo — a perfect 8-0 at home this year — dominated Denver in the wildcard round by a score of 31-7. Josh Allen did his usual Josh Allen things. He threw for 2 TDs on 20-of-26 for 272 yards. He also scampered for 46 yards on eight carries. But it was James Cook giving the team some much-needed balance. He rushed for a game-high 120 yards and a score on 23 carries.
Defensively, Buffalo held Denver to only 224 yards of total offense.
Baltimore also took care of business in the wildcard round. The Ravens hosted Pittsburgh, and soundly thumped the rival Steelers by a score of 28-14. The game was never in question, as Baltimore jumped out to a three-score lead inside the first half.
Henry ran roughshod over Pittsburgh’s vaunted defense. He finished with 186 yards and 2 TDs on 25 carries. Lamar Jackson added 81 yards on 15 attempts. In total, Baltimore rushed for a cool 299 yards on 50 (!) carries. Jackson was a tidy 16-of-21 for 175 yards and 2 TDs.
Buffalo did have some issues when it came to stopping Bo Nix from running the football. Of course, Jackson is on another level when it comes to escapability. Henry is clearly in a zone right now, as is Baltimore’s offensive line.
The storylines for this contest truly will be endless. Jackson and Allen are the two top contenders to become this year’s MVP. One can make a case that they, along with Patrick Mahomes, are two of the top three quarterbacks in the entire league.
Buffalo’s tortured fan base is more than thirsty for a shot at another Super Bowl. Baltimore’s track record makes them an immensely tough out despite the Bills not dropping a single game at Highmark Stadium this season.
Each defense plays with enthusiasm, speed, and aggressiveness. Both head coaches are defensive-minded, and there should be no shortage of motivation for either team in this contest.
Scheduled as the late-game next Sunday, all eyes will be on what should be a frigid yet exhilarating setting in upstate New York for what could ultimately be the best game of the NFL postseason up to this point.
