The Ravens (1-2) will face the Buffalo Bills (3-0) at 8:20 p.m. Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. Here’s what you need to know about their Week 4 matchup.
TV: NBC, Chs. 11, 4 (Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark)
Stream: NBC Sports
Radio: Westwood One Sports (Ryan Radtke, Mike Golic); WBAL (1090 AM, 101.5 FM), 98 Rock (97.9 FM) and SiriusXM Radio Chs. 85, 225 (Gerry Sandusky, Rod Woodson); WLZL El Zol (107.9 FM) (David Andrade, Allen Gutierrez)
Forecast: High 60s, cloudy
Line: Ravens by 2.5 (as of Saturday night) | Over-under: 46.5 points
Uniforms: The Ravens will wear black jerseys and black pants.
History: The Ravens lead the all-time series 6-5, but they’ve dropped their past two matchups against Buffalo.
The big question: Can the Ravens’ disappointing pass defense stop Bills quarterback Josh Allen? Allen has been perhaps the NFL’s most valuable player through three weeks, ranking first in QBR (92.5) and passer rating (133.7) and second in completion percentage (80.3). That’s bad news for a Ravens secondary that ranks last in the NFL in passing yards allowed. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr will need a creative game plan to stop Allen, whose scrambling ability makes him a threat against man-to-man coverage and whose arm talent can cut through most zone defenses.
Players to watch: All-Pro Roquan Smith hasn’t looked like one of the NFL’s best linebackers over the season’s first month. He’s struggled to tackle in space, and the Ravens’ pass coverage over the middle of the field, a strength last year, has been one of the NFL’s worst. The team’s communication has also been spotty, a weakness the Bills will test with their high rate of presnap motion. “Ten guys can do their job on a play,” Smith, the Ravens’ defensive signal-caller, said Friday, “and if one doesn’t do their job, then it can make everybody on the defense look crazy.”
Bills cornerback Christian Benford, a Randallstown High School graduate, sat out Buffalo’s game in his hometown of Baltimore two years ago because of a hand injury. He returns as one of the Bills’ breakout stars, rated the NFL’s No. 3 overall cornerback by Pro Football Focus among qualifying players. Benford lines up on both sides of the field and should match up often with Ravens wide receivers Zay Flowers (148 yards in 2024) and Rashod Bateman (121 yards). If the Ravens’ ground game can take charge against a relatively light Buffalo front, Benford’s coverage will be critical on longer-developing, play-action deep shots.
Injury report: The Ravens will likely be without starting left guard Andrew Vorhees, who suffered an ankle injury in their Week 3 win over the Dallas Cowboys, and rotational defensive lineman Michael Pierce, who hurt his shoulder against Dallas. Both are considered doubtful. Starting center Tyler Linderbaum (knee) was listed as questionable but was a full participant in practice Friday. Cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis, primarily a special teams contributor, was placed on injured reserve Saturday because of a hamstring injury.
The Bills ruled out starting linebacker Terrel Bernard (pectoral), who led the team in tackles last year, and cornerback Taron Johnson (forearm), one of the NFL’s top slot corners. Reserve offensive lineman Tylan Grable (groin) was placed on injured reserve.
