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Though much different now, Ravens defense hopes to repeat Week 4 script against Buffalo

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The Ravens and Buffalo have all-world quarterbacks and offenses that score at will against just about anyone, giving Sunday’s divisional-round showdown the potential to be one for the ages.  

But what happened 3 1/2 months ago in Baltimore makes the rematch all the more interesting. 

We all remember the pass defense being nothing short of a mess through mid-November, but that didn’t stop the Ravens from holding Josh Allen and the Bills to season worsts in points (10), total yards (236), first downs (12), and sacks allowed (three) in a 35-10 blowout victory in Week 4. Aside from Week 18 when multiple starters sat out, Buffalo scored at least 20 points in every other game and registered 30 or more 12 times, one more than even the high-octane Ravens.

And since making notable changes at safety and inside linebacker over the second half of the season, Baltimore has fielded one of the league’s best defenses. 

So, how much stock do you put in a defensive performance that felt like an anomaly at the time? Acknowledging the Bills’ overall body of offensive production, do you chalk it up to a bad night made worse by the Ravens scoring touchdowns on each of their first three drives? Or did Baltimore find sustainable answers that will apply the second time around regardless of the changes made to the defense? 

All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith suggested it’s “going to be a totally different game” after barely recognizing the Ravens defense he reviewed on film. Four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey said they “haven’t really watched too much” of that first matchup since the defense “has a different identity” in terms of both scheme and personnel. 

For context, Marcus Williams — who hasn’t even been active since Week 12 — played 54 snaps at safety in that game, and former starting inside linebacker Trenton Simpson logged more than 60% of the defensive snaps. Meanwhile, Ar’Darius Washington, Malik Harrison, and Chris Board — who played a combined 82 snaps in last week’s playoff win over Pittsburgh — logged a total of 26 defensive snaps in Week 4. We know Kyle Hamilton and Washington have more than stabilized the deep safety spots that were a major problem through early November.

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Per Sharp Football, the Ravens played their highest rate of zone coverage of the season against the Bills. However, they finished the 2024 campaign deploying a top 10 rate of man coverage, according to Pro Football Focus. 

“We are obviously two very different teams than when we were whenever that game was,” Hamilton said. “The biggest thing we take away from that is that it can be done. We just have to replicate that success. I know Buffalo has a sour taste in their mouth about that game, so it’s going to be a tough one. I think we’re prepared for it. We are going to go up there and do what we need to do.”  

That sour taste and Buffalo’s home-field advantage make it unrealistic to expect the Ravens to hold the Bills to 10 points again, but what can they take away from Week 4 beyond confidence?

Defensive coordinator Zach Orr noted the physicality with which the defense played, a quality that wasn’t as consistent through the first 10 games of the season. Despite Buffalo sporting one of the league’s best offensive lines, Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh combined for three sacks and the Ravens hit Allen eight times. According to Next Gen Stats, the Ravens’ 41.7% pressure rate was their second highest of the season. And after the fast start from the Baltimore offense put the Bills in a big hole, the league’s ninth-ranked rushing attack managed just 81 yards on 23 carries. 

The Ravens would love to make Allen one-dimensional again.

“We were talking about quarterbacks we hate playing the most based off who would be closest to Lamar [Jackson] and how he’s able to keep a play going,” Humphrey said. “The play is really never over, and then when he runs, he is a big dude. He can juke you, but he can run you over and keep running very easily, so just a super tough quarterback to go against. That’s the biggest thing.”

With the way the defense played in Week 4 and then evolved into one of the league’s better units over the second half of the season, the Ravens should have plenty of confidence even playing on the road. But the Bills also have a much better quarterback and offense than anything Baltimore has seen since at least the Week 14 bye. 

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The second half of last Saturday’s wild-card playoff win also renewed an old concern as Pittsburgh completed six passes for 20 or more yards. The Ravens had allowed a total of eight pass plays of 20-plus yards over their final six games of the regular season.

Whether Baltimore merely lost focus with a big lead over the Steelers or not, you know the Bills were paying attention. 

“The difference between that moment and early in the season is it would have snowballed,” Orr said. “It would have just kept on happening — going, going, going. But now, guys were able to put the fire out, and I was happy to see that. It was a good lesson to learn that, especially this time of year.” 

And it’s something the Ravens may not be able to get away with against Buffalo.

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