September 28, 2024

Pollock Prediction: Bills vs. Ravens is all about Lamar Jackson vs. Josh Allen

By CHUCK POLLOCK, Wellsville Sun and Olean Star Senior Sports Columnist

Now the gauntlet begins.

When the NFL schedule was released last May, the first six games on Buffalo’s slate stood out.

The opening three were home with Arizona, at Miami and, finally, back in Orchard Park against Jacksonville, both of them with post-season aspirations.

The hope was the Bills could start 2-1 before entering a brutal stretch of road games: Baltimore, Houston and the Jets, all playoff contenders.

But a funny thing happened.

Nobody told Buffalo it wasn’t supposed to go 3-0 to start the season, yet here they are, one of five league unbeatens and headed into that brutal road stretch starting Sunday night at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium (8:20 NBC-TV, Bills Radio Network) against the Ravens (1-2).

Baltimore lost a tough, one-score game to the Chiefs at Kansas City in the season opener, gave away a 26-23 decision to the Raiders in Game 2 at M&T and, last week, held off the Cowboys by a field goal in Dallas.

After a tense 34-28 survival against the Cardinals at Highmark Stadium that wasn’t decided until an incompletion at the goalline on Arizona’s final offensive play, Buffalo found its mojo.

Two eye-opening wins followed: 31-10 over the Dolphins at Miami Gardens and a 47-10 evisceration of the Jaguars in Orchard Park.

Beating those teams by a combined average of 39-10 was hard to ignore. They were a pair thrashings by a Bills roster with an inexperienced wide receiving corps and a defense without five starters from last season.

BALTIMORE is a 2½-point favorite mostly because the Ravens are playing at home and their elite quarterback, Lamar Jackson, is off to an impressive start. He leads all quarterbacks with 254 rushing yards, the most in the first three games for a QB in NFL history. His trio of TD passes with one interception translate to a 95.7 passer rating.

But on Sunday he’ll face a QB with even better numbers.

Buffalo’s Josh Allen has thrown seven touchdown passes without a pick and a glittering 133.7 QB rating.

Both teams also have quality running backs, Derrick Henry for the Ravens, James Cook for Buffalo.

JOHN HARBAUGH, the Ravens coach, is fired up about the quarterback matchup.

“Im just grateful to be a part of it and to be around it,” he said. “These are the things that you’re going to look back on and going to say, ‘Wow, wasn’t that cool to be there for that?’”

Harbaugh added, “I love watching (Allen) play because every play is never dead with him. He’s got a crazy ability to keep plays alive and make guys miss and then get the ball downfield, so he’s a special player.”

Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy added of Allen, “He’s just an incredible player playing at such an extremely high level. They’re in sync right now, and they have a great pulse of their offense with their identity, and they’re doing an extremely good job of just getting everybody involved.”

Indeed, the Bills have adopted the phrase “everybody eats” to indicate this has been a team-wide effort and it’s impossible to miss that the players have bought in and are playing for each other.

BILLS COACH Sean McDermott is equally effusive about Jackson.

“(Baltimore) had the best record in pro football last year (13-4) and it’s driven by him,” he said. “He’s such an incredible athlete, an incredible player. He’s changed a lot of things around the NFL because of the way he plays and I have the utmost respect for him.

“He’s the reigning MVP for the NFL for a reason and they were the No. 1 seed (in the AFC) for a reason.”

McDermott continued, “It’s always a challenge (defending against Jackson) even when you have veteran players. With our new players that have never played against Lamar, it’ll be an adjustment … trying to get them to understand the techniques you have to use and how on-point you have to be.

“You’re never gonna stop a player like that … he’s just too good. You just have to hope you win more than you lose.”

BUT WHILE Buffalo has Cook and his four touchdowns, Baltimore has the ultimate weapon at that position in the 6-foot-3, 247-pound Henry, who has four TDs, two each against the Raiders and Cowboys.

McDermott explained of Henry, “It’s incredible what he’s been able to do with his career … (he’ll be) a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and is a once-in-a-lifetime back who’s hard to stop. It’s a marriage made in heaven what they do (with Henry and Jackson) and how coach Harbaugh wants to play.”

And though it’s Harbaugh’s first season with Henry, his approach has worked. He’s an impressive 20-3 in prime-time games and has beaten Buffalo three of the past four meetings.

Still, what McDermott has accomplished without the safety tandem of Jordan Poyer (Miami) and Micah Hyde (retired?), leading edge rusher Leonard Floyd (San Francisco), linebackers Matt Milano (torn biceps, out until December) and Terrel Bernard (pectoral) and nickel back Taron Johnson (forearm) has been remarkable the past two games.

Indeed Bernard and Johnson won’t play against the Ravens.

When asked about Baltimore, McDermott summarized, “It’s a team that’s explosive and creates a ton of big plays.”

But of his own ‘D’ he added, “Our defensive coaches and staff have done a really good job of developing and shaping game plans that play to our strengths. And the younger players themselves have taken ownership of ‘Hey, this is my opportunity to step up for the team’ and being ready to do that.

“Those players who were already in the starting line-up are continuing to, one-by-one, take their game up to a new level. It’s probably not one person, it’s really a combination of things. And the offense and the complementary football we’ve been able to play has really helped.”

Pollock’s Prediction: Ravens 31, Bills 27

(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun and Olean Star senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)

Read more about the Bills, Bonnies and more from Chuck Pollock:

• St. Bonaventure speaks out, “We got Woj”

• The Bills are buying into McDermott’s mantra ‘everyone eats’

• Suddenly, the Bills turn everything around

• Josh Allen on the electricity of Monday Night Football

• Why Bona was worth more than EPSN’s millions for Woj

• Win by the Buffalo Bills may be been McDermott’s finest job as head coach

• Chuck Pollock with a historical look at Bills training camp for fans and the media

• Tony Hunter’s passing evokes memories of Jim Kelly in the draft

• Mark Schmidt on the NIL deals and the Bona NIT mess