Bills vs. Ravens: 5 keys to victory in NFL Week 4

The Buffalo Bills look to make it four straight wins to start 2024 when they visit Baltimore for Sunday Night Football.

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The Buffalo Bills are flying high entering their Week 4 Sunday Night Football matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Buffalo comes in with a league-best +64 point differential and a perfect 3-0 record, but the Ravens, despite their 1-2 record, are not a team to be overlooked. Here are five keys to victory when Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson square off in Maryland on Sunday.

Two Headed Monster

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It's no secret that the Baltimore offense goes through its reigning MVP quarterback and offseason signing Derrick Henry. Bills' head coach Sean McDermott said it himself: Henry joining the Ravers is a “marriage made in heaven.” It's worked; Henry has 281 rushing yards and four touchdowns through three games. Slowing down Henry and one of the league's best-running quarterbacks in Jackson has to be the primary objective for the Bills' defense.

Make Them Pass

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This is a continuation of point number one, but it's true; the Ravens' passing attack has been meh at best. Baltimore's 65.56% completion percentage is 21st in the league. It averages just one passing touchdown per game; that's only better than eight teams. Two of those eight teams are Miami and Jacksonville, who are that low on the list because they've played the Bills. How does Buffalo accomplish this? Get off to a fast start. The Bills lead the league in points scored at 37.3 points per game. A lot of that damage comes in the first half, with 22.7 points per game in those 30 minutes also good enough for first in the NFL. Conversely, the Ravens are scoring just over 10 points per second half. It would benefit Buffalo to grab an early lead, then run and hide like they did against the two Florida teams.

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Let Josh Cook

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We're not used to the Ravens having a poor secondary, but so far in 2024, that has been their defensive weakness. Baltimore is 27th in yards allowed per pass at 7.5. The almost 300 passing yards a game it allows is the worst in the league. Looking a little deeper into its secondary, and Pro Football Focus (PFF) isn't a huge fan. Of its five defensive backs that have played at least 50% of snaps, none are graded over 72. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady has cooked up some killer attacks for Josh Allen, including a near-perfect game against Jacksonville on Monday night. Another Allen-rich recipe could be beneficial to Buffalo.

Banged Up Birds

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At the time of writing this, the Ravens were without a trio of starting offensive linemen at practice in center Tyler Linderbaum, right tackle Patrick Mekari, and left guard Andrew Vorhees. Whether or not all three of these guys miss the game is yet to be decided, but knowing they all won't be 100% is music to the ears of guys like Greg Rousseau, Von Miller, AJ Epenesa, Ed Oliver, and the rest of the Bills pass rush. If they can constantly keep Jackson off his mark and disrupt the flow of the offense, Buffalo should flourish.

Related: NFL analyst believes Bills QB Josh Allen is the 'clear leader for MVP'

 Attack the Middle of the Field

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In the Ravens' Week 1 loss to the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes was 12/15 for 177 yards over the middle of the field. In their Week 2 loss to the Raiders, it was Gardner Minshew who attacked the middle of the field to the tune of 127 yards and a touchdown on 13/14 passing. Josh Allen has four incompletions to the middle of the field all season. Attacking the Ravers with Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid, and Dawson Knox over the middle and down the seams could be vital.

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