Week 14 sees the high flying Baltimore Ravens travel to upstate New York to take on the Buffalo Bills. The Ravens are 10-2 and have won each of their last eight games. This has tied a franchise record for the longest win streak. The 9-3 Bills are a game behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East.
This will be the ninth meeting all-time between these two teams. The Ravens hold a 5-3 advantage over the Bills and have won the last two, including a 47-3 mauling in Week 1 of the 2018 season in a game that saw NFL debuts for both Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen due to the blowout.
Let’s take a closer look at Buffalo to give us a better look at what we can expect to see from them on offense and defense.
Offense
The Bills offense is based around the ground game. They rank No. 5 in rushing yards in 2019 but only 23rd in passing. In overall yardage, they rank 17th. While they can run the ball effectively, they haven’t been able to turn that into as many points with 18 teams having scored more points than them this season. The Bills have run the 13th most plays on offense in 2019. They have a pass to run ratio of 1.14. This is the sixth-lowest mark in the NFL.
They are not an offense that has consistently put up huge numbers, nor is it one prone to costly errors. 31.7% of their drives this season have ended with a score. This is the 11th lowest mark in the league. But only 9.4% of their drives have ended in a turnover. This is the ninth-lowest among all teams. Only six teams have more giveaways on offense than the Bills.
The Bills line up in 11 personnel (three wide receivers, one running back and one tight end) on 68% of their offensive plays. This rate is the 8th highest in the NFL. They lean towards the pass when lined up in this formation, doing so on 61% of their plays. The Bills average 7.3 yards per pass attempt out of 11 while also averaging 5.3 yards per rushing attempt. They have a 12:7 TD to interception ratio when passing and have taken 26 sacks.
Their secondary formation is 12, with two tight ends and a single running back joining two wideouts 10% of the time. The Bills are fairly balanced between run and pass when in 12, with a 45%-55% split. Passes out of 12 average 7.1 yards per attempt while rushing attempts average 4.5 yards on the ground.
Defense
Defensively the Bills have shown very little respect towards the line of scrimmage and have crossed it to make plays almost at will. They’ve allowed the 3rd fewest yards and points on the back of their smothering pass defense. They rank No. 3 in terms of passing yards allowed. The Bills have 37 sacks and 74 tackles for loss this season. These numbers are good for No. 8 and No. 1 respectively. 21.6% of drives against the Bills end in a score, a mark bettered by one team in 2019.
The Bills blitz on 32% of their defensive plays, No. 11 in the league. If there is one slight criticism of the Bills it is that they are not exactly experts at taking the ball away from opposing offenses. 10.4% of drives against them have ended with a turnover. This is the 13th lowest rate in the league. They sit at No. 19 in the NFL with just 15 takeaways.
Despite only allowing 6.3 yards per pass attempt, teams are still opting to pass on the Bills on 62% of their plays. Teams have lined up in 11 personnel on 61% of their offensive snaps against the Bills. They have passed 74% of the time when doing so. The Bills have given up 6.4 yards per pass attempt against 11. They enjoy an eight to seven interception to touchdown advantage. 26 of their sacks have come against 11.
One formation that has been somewhat successful against the Bills is 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end, and two wide receivers). Teams have only averaged 6.2 yards per pass attempt out of this formation. But they’ve averaged 6.1 yards per rush attempt. The Eagles hit on a huge play on the ground against the Bills back in Week 8 with both Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders on the field.
