The Texans, Ravens, and Chargers are the three teams the Bills could play. Which one do you want?
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There are three possible teams the Bills could play in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, assuming they beat the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Which team would you prefer to see across the field in Orchard Park? I’ll lay out my rationale for each, and want you to weigh in below!
Baltimore Ravens (No. 3 seed)
Divisional Round Path
If the Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, they will be the team that comes to Buffalo.
What scares the Bills about the Ravens?
The Ravens are built to run right through the Bills’ defense. Derrick Henry rattled off a huge run to start their game earlier this season and Buffalo did not really recover. Lamar Jackson is the best player in the league not named Josh Allen this season and he’s been incredibly efficient. Kyle Hamilton, Greg Van Noy, and the Ravens defense is also pretty good, and they limited the Bills to just 10 points in late September.
What shouldn’t scare the Bills about the Ravens?
Baltimore’s playoff track record is not very good, specifically Lamar Jackson. Buffalo has shown the ability to limit the former MVP in playoff games before, and if the Bills were being particularly cagey, they may not have thrown everything they could at Jackson in their first matchup this year in anticipation of seeing them in the postseason.
Houston Texans (No. 4 seed)
Division Round Path
If the Steelers beat the Ravens and Houston beats the Chargers, the Bills will welcome Houston to the frosty confines of Highmark Stadium.
What scares the Bills about the Texans?
Houston beat the Bills in early October and Josh Allen was 9-of-30 for 131 yards through the air in his worst game of the season. C.J. Stroud hooked up with Nico Collins for a 67-yard bomb and Stroud finished with 331 yards through the air. Houston has a pretty good pass rush, too.
What shouldn’t scare the Bills about the Texans?
Houston is a completely different team since the early October game between the two teams and they haven’t beaten a team that finished the year with a winning record since then. Receivers Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs were both lost to season-ending injuries and Houston’s offense has looked bad-bad. They have only scored more than 27 points three times this season and haven’t topped 24 points since November. Not to mention, this game won’t be in the dome in warm Houston, it’ll be chilly.
Los Angeles Chargers (No. 5 seed)
Divisional Round Path
If the Steelers beat the Ravens and the Chargers knock off the Texans, the Bills would host the Chargers in the Western New York cold.
What scares the Bills about the Chargers?
The Chargers boast the NFL’s top scoring defense and they were all the top defense in the red zone. They get off the field on third down thanks in large part to a pass rush that doesn’t quit including former University at Buffalo standout Khalil Mack. Derwin James is a great safety on the back end, too. On offense, Ladd McConkey has been outstanding, especially as the rookie’s season has given him NFL experience. The offense doesn’t make many risky plays, finishing the year first in the league in turnover percentage. The Bills have relied on turnovers in 2024, so if that doesn’t happen, they might be in trouble.
What shouldn’t scare the Bills about the Chargers?
As good as Justin Herbert is, he was just 28th in passing attempts as Jim Harbaugh reset their offense, and Los Angeles did not move the ball well in 2024. They were 20th in yards and 19th in yards per drive. If Buffalo doesn’t turn it over, it will be difficult for LA to drive the field. LA was also not good against the run, allowing 4.7 yards per attempt.
My favorite team to face would be the spiraling Houston Texans, but if they beat the Chargers this weekend, maybe they won’t be spiraling anymore. The Chargers would be another solid matchup for Buffalo, though their lack of turnovers would give me some pause because of how Buffalo has relied on those this season. I think The Ravens’ rushing game presents a massive problem for the Bills’ defense, but playing the game in Buffalo with Playoff Josh Allen would level the playing field, even in a shootout.
First things first, take care of the Broncos.
Let me know in the comments which team you’d want to face.
Welcome to the weekend, Buffalo Bills fans. After a long week, it’s time to blow off a little steam. Use this thread to talk about… well, whatever it is you’d like to talk about. Maybe you’d like to share a cool story from your week.