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Orchard Park, New York – After Lamar Jackson torched the Tennessee Titans for 136 yards – including a scintillating 48-yard touchdown – in an AFC Wild Card game, the talking heads thought the Baltimore Ravens were ready to throw the ball in the throat of the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills had allowed 160 yards or more in seven games this season and came off a narrow 27-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts where they gave up 165 rushing yards.
Buffalo hasn’t been great against the race all season, but closer examination revealed an improvement over their seven-game winning streak. In four of those games, the Bills have held their opponent to within 100 yards on the ground and had already proven a year ago when they faced Jackson for the first time they could limit him as a runner.
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The Ravens ran for 150 team yards, but Jackson was held to just 34 of those yards on nine carries. Buffalo’s basic turn, but doesn’t break, the defense gave up a few long runs but tightened on their side, keeping Baltimore just 3 points to secure their place in the AFC title game with a 17-3 win.
How did the bills work?
Defensive end Jerry Hughes, who finished the game with two sacks, credited this week’s recce quarterback: Bills wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie.
“Throughout the week, Isaiah played the role of quarterback for our scouting team. I think it gave us a great look, ”said Hughes, who tied Bruce Smith, Daryl Talley and Jeff Wright as the Bills’ fourth player since 1982 to surpass five career playoff sacks. “Someone with the right speed because he’s probably as fast, if not faster, than Lamar.
“Throughout the training week, it allowed us to really gauge our vision of how fast this quarterback is and what he can do with his arm. I think Isaiah did a fantastic job doing what he does best, just being quick, quick, and nimble, and letting us reach that speed. I think it helped tonight.
Jackson was under pressure throughout the game. According to ESPN’s NextGen statistics, the bills have generated pressure on nearly 37% of Jackson’s dropouts. Hughes led the way with seven of his own. When the Bills sent in six or more passing throwers, they generated QB pressure on almost 56% of those plays.
It wasn’t just Hughes who may have wreaked havoc on the defensive line. Defensive end Trent Murphy was activated for just the second time since the Bills’ week off in mid-November due to an injury to second-year DE Darryl Johnson. Murphy helped put the advantage and contain Jackson for three quarters before leaving with a concussion on the final play of the third quarter. Murphy had a tackle for a loss where he read Jackson’s scythe on a zone reading keeper and knocked him out. Murphy also put the blow on Jackson who ended his night after a bad snap.
Buffalo heard all the fuss this week about how the Ravens were playing and all the pundits picking them to win. But the Bills had a seven-game winning streak and took it as a challenge.
“A lot of us, just because we had that late night game, we sat down, we watched TV, we love football. This is our job. It’s our passion. So when we see the guys on TV talking about not playing defense in Buffalo, we’re going to give up 30 points. It’s a challenge we all see, ”said Hughes. “We went over there and we played like we had something to prove, and that’s how you’re supposed to play football at home, especially in the playoffs.
Bills coach Sean McDermott credited defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and the rest of the team’s defensive assistants for doing a good job practicing a specific game plan they believe could work against Jackson.
“We just wanted to get on the pitch right from the start of those tackles. We just knew they were really big, strong guys. We wanted to be on the edge early, show them that the B gap open, and then block late, ”explained Hughes. “That’s something we’ve been working on all week with (defensive line) coach (Eric) Washington, is turning that corner and being able to block late because you know he’s going to climb.” in the pocket and take off and run.
Jackson made one of those runs on a 3rd and long in the third quarter as the Ravens tried to level the game after the Bills opened the third quarter with a touchdown. But on a 3rd and 9 near the goal line, Jackson threw an interception and Bills cornerback Taron Johnson sent him back for a touchdown to put the game out of reach.
“I think everyone on our defense, we knew the kind of points we were going to get,” Hughes said. “So it’s just up to us to be disciplined with our eyes. I think it showed as everyone was flying towards the ball. We had people. We’ve had guys throwing body shots at ball carriers, and that’s what we want.
Bills Safety Micah Hyde said Buffalo knows the challenge it faces. All week, the players have focused their plan on attacking Baltimore and the way they like to attack. This preparation has borne fruit.
“No one was really talking about our defense before this game. This was our attack versus their defense, and not much was said about our defense, ”Hyde said. “We knew we were going in the right direction. We continue to play better. “
“We feel like we gave up some things in this game that we shouldn’t have had, but at the end of the day we gave up three points.
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