Ravens Edge Bills; Saints ousted by Bucs

8:15 p.m. ET (NBC) | Bills Stadium (Orchard Park, New York)

It’s the best game of the week thanks to Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, two quarterbacks backed by two rosters set to win the Super Bowl right now.

While recency bias may be at play here, my slight advantage goes to the Ravens because the Bills defense that came up in the Wild Card Round looked too much like the Bills defense in the first half of the season. The Bills have given up more than 200 rushing yards twice this year and seven times since Sean McDermott took over. Indianapolis had chances to win last week because the Buffalo defense was overwhelmed by a consistent rushing offense that came on the outside in key moments.

Baltimore’s defense, meanwhile, is reaching its peak. The Ravens won’t be able to subject Allen to a lightning bolt like they did at the end of last regular season, but even a handful of negative plays and turnover would be enough in a game unlikely to involve any damage. many defensive stops. The Buffalo pass rush is also unlikely to bother Jackson, putting too much pressure on linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano to consistently save the day.

Allen is the X factor. In a quarterback league, no one plays better. Even if the Ravens have the right game plan, he can make some impossible to defend plays outside of the pocket. The same could be said of Jackson, even though the Ravens’ passing game is more sporadic. This may be the best mobile young quarterback game in NFL playoff history, and I’m excited to watch it no matter what.

1. Josh Allen will have more combined passing and rushing yards than Lamar Jackson. I love Jackson, but Allen had over 1,000 more combined yards in the regular season. Allen’s legs are also a big factor in the playoffs, like last week.
2. The total points scored in the game will be greater than 50.5. Weird number, which should be close to 56. A great offense beats a good defense in 2021.