Report card: Bills top Ravens, 27-25, in NFL divisional round
The Buffalo Bills put together a 27-25 win over the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL’s divisional round at Highmark Stadium.
As the score indicates, it was a tight affair between two teams that are led by quarterbacks who are MVP candidates. However, there was an even more impactful factor than Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson. It was the weather.
Buffalo’s win sets up a date in the AFC championship with the Kansas City Chiefs. Before we do that, let’s hand out some quick marks now.
With that, here is Bills Wire’s report card following the divisional win:
Pass offense: C-
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It is surprising to see the Bills win a game when Allen was 16-for-27 passing with only 127 yards… plus Allen only mustered up 20 rushing yards on 10 carries. It just was not a good game for the passing offense in general. Khalil Shakir was the only playmaker who did much of anything with 67 yards on six catches.
Rushing offense: B+
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The numbers were not eye-popping. Running back James Cook had 67 yards on 17 carries. As a team, the Bills had 147 rushing yards and averaged 4.1 yards per carry.
What brings up the grade in the end is the Ravens defense. They were a top-flight run-stopping unit and Buffalo managed these solid numbers against them, plus three rushing touchdowns.
Run defense: C-
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Similar to grading the ground game on offense, the Ravens have to come into the equation for the Bills. Running back Derrick Henry did punch in a score but holding him to 84 yards isn’t awful. Jackson had 39 yards rushing on another six attempts and as a team, Baltimore had 176 rushing yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry.
Not great numbers for Buffalo’s defense, but the job got done and it was a talented opponent in the Ravens.
Pass defense: B
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It’s a tale of two stories for the Bills defense against the pass. Despite the weather, Buffalo allowed Jackson to throw for 254 yards. He also did not have one of his top playmakers to help him in Zay Flowers… and he still managed that.
However, the Bills forced three turnovers via two interceptions and a fumble. All three of those contributions came from the pass defense.
Special teams: A
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The efforts of kicker Tyler Bass in the weather overrides everything else special teams for the Bills. He connected from 21 and even 51 yards and nailed all of his extra points. There were huge concerns about Bass before kickoff, and he quelled them all.
Coaching: B+
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The Bills failed to get by their opponent in the division round of the playoffs for the past three years. You’ve got to give it to Sean McDermott & Co., breaking that slump is a huge positive. McDermott handled the clock well and his players played a pretty clean game.
