NFL power rankings expect Bills vs. Ravens to be epic matchup: What the experts say

We've reached the divisional round of the playoffs, where every play call, tackle or catch can polish or tarnish a player’s legacy.

No matchup embodies this more than the battle between the Baltimore Ravens (third seed) vs. and the Buffalo Bills (second seed) on Sunday evening in Highmark Stadium.

Based on the early power rankings, this game is a coin toss, with the Bills holding a slight edge (3.0 average ranking) over the Ravens (3.34 average).

Here's what NFL power ranking experts have to say heading into Sunday's clash between the two leading MVP candidates:

Sporting News

Bills ranking: 1

Ravens ranking: 3

Bills: Everything is there for the Bills to have the ultimate Super Bowl breakthrough, including the key home-field advantage in a tough rematch with the Ravens. If Josh Allen, the defense, and the running game all jell at the right time, Buffalo shouldn't be beaten the rest of the way, but little mistakes or turnovers need to be avoided to shake off past major disappointments.

Ravens: The Ravens deserve this big jump because of how they methodically throttled the Steelers with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry taking turns doing the damage from play to play, drive to drive. Baltimore's pass defense still can spring a few leaks, but it dominates against the run and also has revved up the pressure of late. They are better than last year, and if they can flex by the Bills in hostile Buffalo, they will emerge as strong Super Bowl-winning favorites.

Yahoo! Sports

Bills ranking: 4

Ravens ranking: 2

Bills:  The Bills had 210 rushing yards against Denver, and are averaging 161.3 per game since their bye week (seven games). The Ravens were the NFL’s top team in yards per rush allowed during the regular season, so it will be interesting to see what Buffalo’s game plan is.

Ravens: It gets harder and harder to figure out how to stop the Ravens' offense. Lamar Jackson should be the MVP (but probably won’t be) and Derrick Henry has four straight games with at least 138 rushing yards. Oh, and Baltimore's defense is really good now, too.

Inside the Iggles

Bills ranking: 2

Ravens ranking: 5

Bills: Maybe recency bias affects this ranking somewhat, and yes, we realize they beat a limited Denver Broncos team. For now, however, we place them ahead of Philly because we believe, had the Super Bowl been this past weekend and had these two teams played each other, Buffalo would have won that game.

We may not feel like that tomorrow, but that's how we feel today. Thankfully, there are a few weeks separating a possible showdown between the Bills and Birds in New Orleans.

Ravens: Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are good enough to lead this team to the promise land. We've seen Philly manhandle them once though, and we think they can do so again.

Also, past performance may be the best indicator of future success in this case. We've seen what happens to Lamar Jackson on the big stage, and it isn't pretty. This is a different Ravens team, nut are we certain they won't falter again.

Pro Football Network

Bills ranking: 3

Ravens ranking: 2

Bills: For the first time this season, we have a trio of teams in the “A” category. Josh Allen, the MVP front-runner, is doing a bit of everything to make his group of lesser-known players one of the most formidable units in the game.

The Buffalo Bills’ offense ranks second in the league in points per drive and EPA per play, which is a scary thought when you consider that Dalton Kincaid and Keon Coleman are nearing full strength.

James Cook (14 rushing touchdowns this season after pushing just four carries across the line in his first two seasons) has shown great growth this season. Plus, the backup tandem of Ty Johnson and Ray Davis gives Buffalo’s offense a level of balance that we didn’t expect.

Allen is the heavy favorite to win 2024 MVP honors and is seemingly making history weekly. The Bills may not be perfect, but they have every chance to give this franchise its first championship.

Ravens: The Ravens didn’t just beat the Steelers in Saturday’s Wild Card showdown — they humiliated their AFC North rival in the 28-14 victory.

Derrick Henry rushed for 186 yards, the third-most rushing yards in a player’s postseason debut with a team behind only Miami’s Lamar Smith (209) and Green Bay’s Ryan Grant (201). Baltimore outrushed the Steelers 299-29; this +270-yard difference is the third-largest in NFL playoff history.

The Ravens outgained the Steelers 308-59 in the first half, which marked the fourth-largest yardage differential in a playoff game since 2000. In addition to boasting the second-best offense in PFN’s Offense+ metric, Baltimore’s defense has also been playing really well. The Ravens have won five straight and they are playing their best football at the perfect time.

Sports Illustrated

Rankings based off odds of each team winning the Super Bowl.

Bills ranking: 4

Ravens ranking: 3

Bills: Buffalo blew out Denver on NFL Wild Card Weekend behind a huge performance on the ground, but things get a lot tougher against Baltimore in the divisional round. I lean with the Ravens in that game, but the Bills, Ravens and Chiefs may be the three most viable contenders in the entire league -- they just happen to all be in the AFC.

Ravens: Baltimore turned in a commanding performance against Pittsburgh on Saturday, further solidifying it as a contender in the AFC. A tough matchup with the Buffalo Bills awaits, but with a win the Ravens will have shown they are truly one of the elite teams in the NFL.

NFL Spin Zone

Bills ranking: 4

Ravens ranking: 5

Bills: After starting off in a 7-0 hole against the Denver Broncos, the Buffalo Bills absolutely Cooked the Denver Broncos. Pun fully intended.

James Cook said to Josh Allen, “Don’t worry about this one. I’ve got it,” and absolutely ran all over the Denver Broncos. Cook and the Bills’ rushing attack racked up over 200 rushing yards against a defense that hadn’t allowed even 150 rushing yards to an opponent all season long.

It was a totally dominating performance by Buffalo’s offensive line and they are going to need the offensive attack to be equally efficient when they host the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round. If you want a shot at the Kansas City Chiefs (not to overlook the Texans), you’re going to have to play a near-flawless game against this Buffalo team. Josh Allen is just on a different plane than we’ve seen him throughout his NFL career.

Ravens: The Baltimore Ravens are a well-oiled machine. I think everyone expected the Ravens to coast in the Wild Card Round against the Pittsburgh Steelers and that is exactly what they did. And they did it without Zay Flowers in the lineup…

As if this Ravens team could be any scarier, we’ve seen them completely roast a solid opponent without arguably their best weapon in the passing game. Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are now set to clash in a battle of top-tier teams in the AFC and it’s a shame that the Chiefs don’t have to face one of these teams right away.

I find it absolutely astounding that five teams managed to outscore the Ravens this season. It doesn’t make sense when you watch them play. They are so well-rounded and the only explanation is that there were some total lapses at times defensively because this has the look of a team that might have accidentally lost one game this year, not five games overall.

Now, they’ve got to go to Buffalo where the Bills have only lost one game in two calendar years.

— Bill Wolcott is a producer who helps cover the Buffalo Bills, high school and Rochester sports in general. The lifelong New Yorker has been a journalist for 30 years.