Bills face 2023 NFL MVP in third straight primetime game: What to know about Week 4

ORCHARD PARK - With 2:40 left to play in the first half of the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals , the Buffalo Bills found themselves in a somewhat shocking 17-3 deficit and a sellout crowd at Highmark Stadium was wondering what in the world was happening.

In the 152 minutes and 40 seconds of game time since then, the Bills have outscored the Cardinals , Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars by a cumulative 109-31 and as a result, they are one of only five teams who have started the 2024 season with a 3-0 record.

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Right now, they look like the best team in the NFL, but things are about to get a whole lot more difficult as the Bills begin a meat grinder portion of their schedule with the first of three straight road games against fellow AFC playoff contenders, and it starts Sunday night in Baltimore against the Ravens.

Forget Baltimore’s 1-2 record; this is one of the best teams in the league, even though it somehow found a way to blow a 23-13 fourth-quarter lead and lose to the Raiders in Week 2. Just ask Josh Allen.

“We got a short week and we’re going into a really hostile environment with the Ravens and two-time MVP Lamar (Jackson), so we’re gonna have to turn this real quick and, start focusing on them ASAP,” Allen said following his four-TD performance in Buffalo’s 47-10 wipeout of the Jaguars Monday night.

Here’s a look ahead to the Sunday Night Football showdown:

Buffalo Bills keys to victory

Allen is playing at an MVP level and he’s coming off a masterful performance against the Jaguars . He threw four TD passes, converted five first downs when he ran, and he did not throw an interception for the third week in a row. Playing clean will be hugely important against an aggressive and opportunistic Ravens defense on the road. Running the ball will be tough as Baltimore leads the NFL allowing just 2.8 yards per rush, so this might be a game where Allen has to shoulder a bigger load and quite frankly, that’s probably a good thing.

Baltimore Ravens keys to victory

Jackson has started three games against the Bills counting the postseason and he has never had much success as his passing yardage high is 162 and his rushing high is 73. However, now he has Derrick Henry, a player who from his Titans days has often killed the Bills. Henry has already rushed for 281 yards in his first three games with the Ravens, and he could be facing a Buffalo defense playing without LB Terrel Bernard and tackling machine nickel corner Taron Johnson . With the Bills defending the pass so well, not only in coverage with their varied nickel and dime packages but with 11 sacks, the Ravens will try to get Henry in a groove and augment him with designed runs by Jackson.

Bills vs. Ravens matchup to watch

Jackson is a two-time MVP and is usually considered the gold standard of dual threat QBs, but I refuse to believe that he’s better, or more dangerous, than Allen and here’s why: Allen may not be as straight line fast as Jackson, but when he drops back to pass and is forced to run, he almost always makes a positive play. And as a passer, it’s not even close between the two. Now Allen has offensive coordinator Joe Brady giving master classes in scheming receivers open and he is thriving the way he did in his best years with Brian Daboll.

Top players for Ravens

∎ QB Lamar Jackson: Once again, his running was far more impressive than his passing Sunday in the victory over the Cowboys. He was 12 of 15 for 182 yards and a TD, but he ran for 87 yards and a TD and his 254 yards rushing rank eighth in the league, No. 1 as a QB.

∎ RB Derrick Henry: The former Titan, who has killed the Bills in the past, has new life in Baltimore. He crushed the Cowboys with 151 yards and two TDs and through three games his 281 yards rank fifth in the NFL.

∎ WR Zay Flowers: He leads the Ravens with 16 catches for 148 yards and has one TD, and the Ravens have used him three times on jet sweeps for 17 yards.

∎ TE Isaiah Likely: He has overtaken Mark Andrews as the primary passing game tight end which is quite a thing given how great Andrews has been. Likely has 12 catches for 141 yards and a TD.

∎ DT Nnamdi Madubuike: He’s coming off a magnificent 2023 when he made 13 sacks, but where the 305-pounder really shines is in the running game.

∎ LB Roquan Smith: The leading tackler with 29 also has an interception and two other pass breakups.

∎ NCB Marlon Humphrey: His size at 6-foot and 201 pounds makes him a bit unique in the slot and he takes advantage of his physicality. He has one interception and two other pass breakups along with 13 tackles.

∎ S Kyle Hamilton: He’s one of the best in the NFL, a rangy player with speed, great instincts, and the ability to hammer receivers. He has 21 tackles, second-most on the team.

Who wins?

The Bills are flying high at 3-0 and coming off a tremendous performance against the Jaguars, but this is a tough spot. With the Steelers off to a 3-0 start, the Ravens are already two games behind in the AFC North and as one of the highly-rated Super Bowl contenders going into the season, they can’t continue to keep stumbling. They’re coming off a nice win in Dallas, while the Bills are on the road on what is a short week, and they might be due for a bit of a come down. Defense will rule the night and Baltimore is the more desperate team. Ravens 23, Bills 17.

What time does the Bills vs Ravens game start?

Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium

Who is favored to win Bills vs Ravens?

The Ravens have opened as a 2.5-point favorite for the game, the money line is Ravens minus-135 (bet $135 to win $100) and Bills plus-115 (bet $100 to win $115). The over-under is 45.5.

How to watch Buffalo Bills vs Baltimore Ravens game on TV, streaming

∎ Cable/Network TV: NBC. The game will be available locally via the following stations: WHEC channel 10 (Rochester area), WGRZ channel 2 (Buffalo area), WSTM channel 3 (Syracuse area), WKTV channel 2 (Utica area), WETM channel 18 (Elmira area), WNYT channel 13 (Albany area), and WBGH channel 20 (Binghamton area).

∎ Online streaming services: You can watch games on NFL.com and the NFL mobile app, and you can subscribe to NFL+, the league’s own streaming service, though you can’t cast the games to your TV - you must watch on your phone or tablet.

∎ TV streaming: You can also stream if you have subscriptions to Spectrum, DirecTV, fuboTV, Sling, Vidgo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Peacock.

On the radio: How to listen to the Bills vs Ravens game

You can listen on SiriusXM satellite radio on channel 226 (Bills feed) and channel 225 (Ravens feed), and on traditional radio, the Bills Radio Network has stations all across the state. Chris Brown has the play-by-play, Eric Wood is the analyst, and Sal Capaccio is the sideline reporter. The network includes:

• Rochester (WCMF 96.5 and WROC 950 AM)
• Buffalo (WGR550, 550 AM)
• Syracuse (WTKW 99.5/WTKV 105.5)
• Binghamton (WDRE 100.5FM)
• Ithaca (WIII 99.9/100.3 FM)
• Bath (WVIN 98.3 FM)
• Newark (WACK 1420 AM)
• Dansville (WDNY 93.9 FM)
• Elmira (WNGZ 1490 AM)
• Auburn (WAUB 98.1 FM/1590 AM)
• Geneva (WGVA 95.9 FM, 1240 AM)

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, and he has written numerous books about the history of the team. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills face 2023 NFL MVP in third straight primetime game: What to know about Week 4