It’s a heavyweight matchup in Buffalo on Sunday
It’s hard to believe, but we’re already into the divisional round of the 2025 NFL playoffs. There are just eight teams left that have a chance at the Super Bowl — four in each conference. And we’re spending this week doing tale-of-the-tape-style breakdowns of those teams, and their specific matchups.
In the space below, we’re going position by position and deciding which of the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens has the advantage. We’re taking the entire position group into account, not just the most notable player there.
Coaching Staff
These are two very, very good coaching staffs. We have seen that not only throughout this season, but over the last eight years since Sean McDermott took over the Bills. (We already knew by then how good a coach John Harbaugh was.) Todd Monken and Zach Orr, as well as Joe Brady and Bobby Babich, appear to be among the best coordinators in the NFL. We give the slight edge to Baltimore here due to Harbaugh’s ability and willingness to be flexible, and to consistently press his team’s advantages with aggressive decision-making.
Advantage: Ravens
Quarterback
Folks, there is a reason that the MVP race this year is so close. Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson were the two best players in the NFL this season. I’m not sure anyone else was all that close. They each then played terrific games in the first week of the playoffs. They have remarkably similar skill sets for players who are built so differently — they can absolutely annihilate you from the pocket when well protected, and they will destroy your defense and stick a dagger in your heart if they “have to” create outside of structure. They are the two best running quarterbacks in the league, but they do their damage in entirely different ways. If you think there is a clear advantage on either side of the ball here, I think you’re crazy.
Advantage: RavensBillsBillsRavens 🤷♂️
Running Back
As good as James Cook has been this season, and as much of a jack-of-all-trades contributor Ty Johnson has turned out to be, this one isn’t all that close. Derrick Henry is a physical marvel the likes of which we have never seen. Justice Hill is just as good as Johnson as a passing-down back, if not better. The Ravens have the edge here, even if Buffalo’s run game is damn good in its own right.
Advantage: Ravens
Pass Catchers
This is less of a competition if Zay Flowers is out there. If he plays, the Ravens have the two best pass-catchers among the two teams, with him and Mark Andrews. Throw in Isaiah Likely and Rashod Bateman, and you see why Baltimore was cooking with gas for most of this year. Buffalo’s pass-catching corps is more well-balanced, with everybody other than Khalil Shakir mostly being a well-defined role player. (And even Shakir is, for the most part, a short-area threat in the slot.) If Amari Cooper plays up to his talent level rather than the level he established during his time in Buffalo, that could swing things here. But based on what we’ve seen this season, we have to give the Ravens the edge.
Advantage: Ravens
Offensive Line
This is another area where the units are really close in quality. Buffalo’s offensive line has played really well this season, and if you look at certain metrics (Pro Football Focus’ blocking grades), has been about the equal of Baltimore’s. If you look at others (ESPN’s blocking win rates), the Ravens were the far superior unit during the regular season. I tend to lean toward the two units being about as good as one another, but Baltimore’s superiority in the run game tips the scales in the Ravens’ direction.
Advantage: Ravens
Defensive Line
I was ready to give this advantage to the Bills. Greg Rousseau has had a breakout season. A.J. Epenesa and Von Miller are doing well across from him. The interior linemen do a good job of pushing the pocket, and there’s a bunch of depth. But Baltimore is getting healthier up front, and playing as well as it has all season. The Ravens have had one of the NFL’s best run defenses all season, and they have actually gotten pressure at a higher rate this season than have the Bills. There might not be many big names beyond Nnamdi Madubuike, but it’s a really good unit.
Advantage: Ravens
Linebackers
It feels strange to give this advantage to the team that does not have Roquan Smith on it. But between Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard, Buffalo has the next two best players on the second level of the defense, and we feel better about them than guys like Malik Harrison and Chris Board, who have been getting the most snaps alongside Smith.
Advantage: Bills
Secondary
It would have been unthinkable for the Ravens to have the advantage in the secondary against anybody about two months ago. But once they settled on their perimeter corners, moved Marlon Humphrey into the slot full time, bumped Kyle Hamilton back to safety and inserted Ar’Darius Washington in favor of Marcus Williams, this has been one of the best defensive back groups in the NFL. The Bills are also really, really good at corner with Christian Benford, Rasul Douglas and Taron Johnson, but the Ravens’ advantage at safety over Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin ultimately swings this in their direction.
Advantage: Ravens
Specialists
In most years, this would be a slam dunk for the Ravens. But with Justin Tucker‘s struggles this season, Baltimore is quite a bit shakier in the specialists department than it would usually be. Buffalo’s punt unit downed kicks inside the 20-yard line more often and had a lower touchback rate, while the two teams were about equal in the return department. We’re therefore giving the advantage to Buffalo, even if Tyler Bass also didn’t have his best season.
Advantage: Bills
