The Baltimore Ravens venture north this week as they take on the Buffalo Bills for Week 14. While the Ravens have been on a roll — winning eight straight coming into this week — the Bills are no slouch either at 9-3. While most experts believe Baltimore will extend their winning streak this week, it’s a potential playoff matchup that will test both teams in the final weeks of a long season.
Before sitting down and watching the game, here are the four storylines you might want to know about the Ravens vs. Bills in Week 14.
Ravens could be playoff bound:
It’s a pretty rare spot Baltimore is in entering Week 14. They’ve usually had to fight into the final week of the season to get into the playoffs and at times have had to get a little outside help to find a wild card berth. But this week, the Ravens simply need to win and they’ll be guaranteed a place at the table in the AFC.
It gets even better than that though. A win and a little help from the NFC and Baltimore can not only clinch a playoff spot but seal up the AFC North for the second consecutive season. Claiming the division would ensure the Ravens have at least a top-4 seed regardless of how they finish out the final three games. Plus, it also sticks it to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who would be mathematically eliminated from winning the AFC North this season and put the pressure on them to squeak into the playoffs as a wild card.
A win in the NFL is nice but guaranteeing a playoff berth and getting to claim some superiority over a division rival is so much better.
Strength of schedule:
Much has been made this week about Buffalo’s schedule and how that might be easy to overlook a very talented Bills team. The argument is that Buffalo hasn’t faced many top contenders, making their 9-3 record more of a mirage than a stamp of approval. Others have argued that no NFL team should be considered an “automatic” or “easy” win, regardless of who they’ve faced and what they’ve done, and that Baltimore had to endure the same type of misguided talk throughout this season.
Regardless of where you fall on this argument, the disparity in the strength of schedule between the Ravens and Bills is as big as it gets. According to TeamRankings.com, Baltimore has had the toughest schedule to this point while Buffalo has had the easiest.
Ultimately, that makes the Bills pretty tough to accurately gauge where they’re really at. Without having been tested often by some of the better teams in the league, there’s no clear indication of how Buffalo can handle a team like the Ravens. That adds a little intrigue to an already interesting matchup.
December to remember:
Going north on the East Coast is always a daunting task in December, regardless of the opponent. Though the weather is about as nice as can be expected for Buffalo in December (expected to be 45 degrees and sunny), it’s a month the Ravens haven’t been very adept at under coach John Harbaugh.
The Ravens are 28-22 (56.0%) in December since 2008. Compare that to their 25-12 (67.6%) record in September over the same time and it’s easy to see Baltimore tends to fade at the end of the season historically.
But the Ravens are carrying a bit of pressure along with them this December. They currently hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture, are able to clinch a playoff spot and even potentially clinch the AFC this week. Not to mention, winning their final four games of the regular season would give this team the best final record in franchise history.
It’s not a stretch to say quite a lot is riding on how Baltimore finishes this season. While they seem like shoo-ins for the postseason regardless of what happens, they have a chance to ride into the playoffs with an important first-round bye and homefield advantage as they eye a Super Bowl run. But they gotta continue to handle their business this season, including in a month they typically fall apart in.
Lamar Jackson on track to make history:
Jackson has had a truly transcendent season thus far, becoming the face of an ever-changing NFL. While he’s grown dramatically as a passer, his skill as a runner has kept opponents on their toes and is making for an electric highlight reel in his second season. Thanks to his rushing ability, Jackson is just 63 yards away from breaking Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record for quarterbacks (1,039).
Jackson is already the frontrunner for the NFL’s MVP and rightfully so. But setting such a huge record could help correct the doubts of any MVP voters this season and cement Jackson as the award winner before the season is even wrapped up. And if the length of Vick’s record is any indication, Jackson will have his name written into an NFL record book for quite some time regardless of how the rest of his career goes.
