The Ravens (1-2) will face the Buffalo Bills (3-0) at 8:20 p.m. Sunday in Baltimore. Here are game predictions from The Baltimore Banner’s sports staff.
Kyle Goon, columnist
It would be silly of me to ignore the painstaking film study of my colleague Jonas Shaffer while making a prediction, and his breakdown worries me. The Bills have done better than expected against the run, and Josh Allen and the offense have exploited the middle of the field. Of all the great quarterbacks the Ravens have faced so far, Allen is the hottest. With the way he’s spread the ball out, he has made it difficult to spotlight one go-to target the Ravens can focus on taking away.
I tend to think the Ravens are more like the team we saw against the Cowboys than the one we saw against the Raiders. But, with uncertainty on the offensive line and its defensive inability to take away the middle of the field, Baltimore feels vulnerable in the places where Buffalo is primed to attack.
Bills 27, Ravens 20
Giana Han, reporter
The Bills have looked way better than the Ravens. But the Ravens need this more. Sure, they’re no longer winless. But they have lofty aspirations, and 1-2 is not the start they wanted. They have the talent to take down the Bills; it’s just about execution. With the way the locker room looked after the win — serious and locked in rather than celebratory — it’s clear this team, led by Lamar Jackson, expects more of itself. In a blackout game with the home crowd behind them, I think the Ravens will eke out another one.
Ravens 27, Bills 24
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Jonas Shaffer, reporter
The Ravens have the crowd, the coaching and the personnel to knock the Bills out of cruise control. But should they really be field goal favorites? Quarterback Josh Allen looks like the NFL’s best player. Buffalo’s offensive line is superior. And its defense — while perhaps not as talented as the Ravens’ and certainly not as healthy — has been far more reliable. Only a fool would count out Lamar Jackson in prime time, but games come down to those crucial advantages.
Bills 26, Ravens 24
Paul Mancano, ‘Banner Ravens Podcast’ co-host
I’m happy for Josh Allen. No, really. He’s finished in the top five in MVP voting thrice but never won the award. With gaudy numbers through the first three games — 75% completion rate, 133.7 quarterback rating — Allen appears ready to break through to claim the NFL’s top honor.
But one thing that doesn’t seem sustainable is Allen’s 7-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Only Sam Howell racked up more picks than Allen did in 2023, and though the Ravens have nabbed just one INT this year, this defense led the NFL in takeaways a year ago. Marlon Humphrey and Brandon Stephens have looked sticky in coverage, and Kyle Hamilton is just getting warmed up. If Baltimore can win the turnover battle, it could make Buffalo’s offense look mortal.
Ravens 24, Bills 17
Chris Korman, editor
It’s been raining for days and shows no signs of stopping. I think we’re in for a wild game full of fluky plays featuring two dynamic, at times polarizing QBs who always try to take the extra second to make a play. I think it’d be nice to watch them both operate on a pristine field protected by a dome, but this will not be that.
So give me the Ravens in a game where it should be useful to have a hulking running back who can slosh his way to yards. And I think Baltimore’s secondary will figure out how to cover the middle of the field. Remember Mike Macdonald’s first games calling the defense here? They were quite messy. Zach Orr — have you read Kyle’s masterpiece of a story about him? — will acclimate soon. Allen will get his yards thanks to the way Joe Brady has him spreading the ball around, but so will Jackson because Todd Monken does the same thing.
My bold prediction is that two vets who haven’t been themselves will be. So: Mark Andrews with a TD, Justin Tucker with the game-winner from 51. Take that, technique problems.
Ravens 18, Bills 17
Brandon Weigel, editor
Expect another Derrick Henry game, folks. Although it’s unlikely Henry will rack up 151 yards and two touchdowns as he did against Dallas, the Ravens should rely heavily on the run to control the clock and keep the ball away from Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, who has looked like one of the best players in the league three games into the season.
Buffalo has a much more talented front than Dallas, but the defense is surrendering 4.7 yards per carry. Its work defending the pass, meanwhile, has been elite. The Bills have allowed just 5.1 yards per attempt — second best in the league — and recorded four interceptions while only giving up three passing touchdowns.
The key factor will be the oft-torched Ravens secondary finally ironing out its issues in coverage against Allen. As I’ve said before, the talent is there. Allen has somehow gotten through three games without throwing a pick, and that gunslinger mentality is in there somewhere. I’m betting he doesn’t get to four.
Ravens 24, Bills 20
