ORCHARD PARK - It’s not like the Buffalo Bills burned the tape from their 35-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens way back in Week 4, but as it pertains to Sunday’s AFC divisional round playoff showdown, it’s mostly inconsequential.
That night in Baltimore, the Bills were 3-0 and playing with a little house money, while the Ravens, having lost their first two games including one in inexplicable fashion to the awful Raiders, were a somewhat desperate team looking to avoid falling into a 1-3 hole.
And then there was the weakened state of the Bills roster as they played without linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard, and cornerback Taron Johnson - three of their best players - and then lost safety Taylor Rapp during the game, plus their best wide receiver, Khalil Shakir. So yeah, 35-10 was explainable.
“I’d say it’s small, really,” coach Sean McDermott said of usefulness of that game as the Bills prepare for Sunday’s high stakes affair. “This game is different.”
Added defensive tackle DaQuan Jones of watching that tape, “I wouldn’t say really difficult. I mean it’s a learning experience. We lost the game early in the season. We learned from it and just ready to go back out there and just play our style of football. We know we left a lot out there that we can go out there and really execute on and make a difference in the game. And we’re ready to do that.”
Here are five Bills not named Josh Allen who will have a big chance to impact the game:
RB Ty Johnson
Obviously, James Cook is going to be the primary ballcarrier in the run game, but the Ravens are No. 1 in the NFL against the run, so there’s a chance the Bills won’t be able to move it effectively in that manner.
They could end up in some less favorable down-and-distance situations, and that’s where Johnson could become a key factor, first as a pass protector, but then as an outlet for Allen. Last week in the victory over Denver, Johnson and Cook each played 34 snaps, but Johnson had 19 pass snaps (including one where he made a great TD reception) compared to Cook’s nine pass snaps.
The Bills should be able to get Johnson matched up on the Ravens’ LBs where he’d have a clear advantage as a receiver, a role he has grown into late in the season.
“It comes from him accepting the role in this offense,” Allen said. “A lot of guys in this offense had to accept a little bit of something different than maybe they thought they were going to be in. It’s not the most glorious thing to be a third-down back, but he’s taken advantage of every opportunity that he’s had. I’ve said for a long time that he’s the best third-down back in the game, and he just continues to make play after play for us.”
OG O’Cyrus Torrence
The second-year player has not been a strong run blocker and among the Bills’ offensive linemen, he has the lowest Pro Football Focus grade. His matchups inside against the 305-pound Nnamdi Madubuike, 338-pound Travis Jones, and 355-pound rotational DT Michael Pierce - all of whom have been keys to why the Ravens have the NFL’s best run defense - are going to be difficult.
Torrence, with help from C Connor McGovern and RT Spencer Brown, has to be able to hold up and create cutback running lanes for Cook and Johnson.
“They present a lot of challenges to an offense, our offensive line in this case, being able to run the football,” McDermott said. “They’re really big inside and they put the roster together, I’m sure, with that in mind.”
WR Amari Cooper
Last week against the Broncos, the Bills’ big trade deadline acquisition played the fewest snaps among all the WRs at 36%. Part of that was because the Bills’ plan was to hammer Denver on the ground and Cooper is not a good blocker in the run game. The Bills keep saying Cooper has helped their offense, but it’s tough to see.
He has played nine games and has just 22 catches for 305 yards and two TDs. Yes, everyone eats in this offense, but this is a big-time game and Cooper needs to be a big-time player.
“Amari’s a good player, he was a good addition for us,” McDermott said. “Our offense goes kind of sum of the parts, right? So he’s one of the pieces for us, and he’s done a nice job since we were able to add him. You know, the ball’s going to find who the ball’s going to find, and that’s the key part for us.”
DE Von Miller
The hope was that by using the 35-year-old mostly on third down and/or obvious passing situations during the regular season that he’d have more in the tank once the playoffs began. Well, last week might have been one of Miller’s best games as he led the Bills with five pressures on just 16 pass rush snaps.
“Personally, I’m rested,” Miller said. “And most of (my) snaps are pass-rush situations where it’s me delivering the contact, not somebody else running against me or making tackles. So not a whole lot of pressure on my body, and it’s just a testament to the type of guys that we have here in the rotation that we have. I’m fresh and I’m ready to go. I’m ready to go out there and play as much as I need to play or as little as I need to play to get the win.”
Sacking Jackson is difficult, but one of the big keys for Buffalo will be Miller and edge rushers AJ Epenesa and Greg Rousseau staying disciplined in their rush lanes while also setting the edge against the run in trying to keep Jackson from getting outside the tackles on his patented RPO’s and scrambles.
LB Matt Milano
Like Miller, Milano also stepped up against Denver and for the first time since he returned to action on Dec. 1, he looked like the player he’s long been. He was moving well and using his outstanding instincts to make plays, particularly when he was spying Broncos QB Bo Nix.
The Bills probably won’t use Milano to spy on Jackson because containing him is a team-wide effort, but what Milano needs to do is hold up well against the run, whether it’s Jackson or Derrick Henry, and then do his best to limit the damage that TEs Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely can do in the pass game.
“Time on task is everything,” McDermott said. “And that’s part of what we’ve missed with Matt being out. (Milano and Bernard) have a strong relationship, but the relationship that occurs on the field, that then leads to execution, right. So I saw some improvements in that this past weekend. And it’s important that continues to grow along with the connectivity with Taron.”
