A playoff rematch will leave a lot at stake as the Baltimore Ravens head to Orchard Park to take on the Buffalo Bills. The stage is set on Sunday Night Football for both teams to show they deserve a spot amongst the league’s elite again.
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NFL Week 1 Sunday Night Football Matchup
Baltimore Ravens (-1.5) at Buffalo Bills O/U: 50.5
Josh Allen and company won this game 27-25 in the divisional round of the playoffs last year. Ravens TE Mark Andrews couldn’t haul in a game-tying 2-point conversion, ending their season in heartbreaking fashion. Now, Lamar Jackson will have a chance at revenge on two fronts. Both Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen led the league in MVP voting last year, with no other player getting a 1st place vote. Ultimately, Josh Allen won the league’s most prestigious award.
This game projects to look fairly similar to last year. Neither team suffered any team-altering losses in free agency, but both added notable free agents. Baltimore signed 2-time All-Pro CB Jaire Alexander on a one-year deal from the Green Bay Packers. An already terrifying secondary that already had All-Pro talent in S Kyle Hamilton and CB Marlon Humphrey just got scarier. Buffalo brought in a superstar name in former Chargers DE Joey Bosa. The Ohio State product has five Pro-Bowls to his name, but has missed significant time in his last 3 seasons in Los Angeles. If he can stay healthy, he can still produce on a defensive line that includes Ed Oliver and Greg Rousseau.
What’s at Stake?
Pride will be a big motivator here, but a 1st round bye and home-field advantage in the playoffs are even more important. The defending AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Chargers in Brazil, giving both of these teams the chance to take the top spot in the AFC in Week 1. The drop off from Baltimore, Buffalo, and Kansas City is noticeable. By betting odds, the Bengals, Chargers, Broncos, and Texans hover around the next best set of odds to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. All of those teams have much more glaring flaws, and their odds of +1000 to +1500 reflect that.
Getting any advantage possible is the key, and a head-to-head victory against a top team is a massive advantage. Baltimore especially needs this win. The Ravens, like most of the AFC North, face a difficult strength of schedule this year. Teams change rapidly, but they will need to go against the Lions, Packers, Vikings, Rams, and Chiefs after this, along with their own division twice. Buffalo, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same problem. The entire AFC East has a pretty light schedule based on last season’s standings, though there are still great teams waiting for them. The Chiefs, Eagles, Texans, and Bengals will be difficult but their divisional matchups should be a fair bit easier.
The lights will be bright on the first Sunday Night Football of the season, but there are few teams more equipped to shine.
Players to Watch
Mark Andrews – TE, Baltimore Ravens
Last time these teams faced off, the Ravens TEs combined for 12 targets, 9 receptions, 134 yards, and a TD. The Ravens as a whole excelled on offense but faltered due to turnovers. Isaiah Likely will not be available in Week 1, opening the door for Mark Andrews to feast all by himself. While the Bills defensive line may look impressive, their linebackers are not especially great in coverage.
The loss of Likely may be a double-edged sword, though. Although the Ravens boast an elite run game and a young WR in Zay Flowers, they lack receiving depth. The Ravens utilized 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TEs, 2 WRs) 31% of the time, 5th highest in the league according to Sumer Sports. With both players threatening in the pass game while Derrick Henry and Lamar threatened as runners, teams could seldom find ways to guard everyone perfectly. Charlie Kolar may expect a bump in usage, but his career-high in targets is only 11. It’s unlikely that he poses as great a threat as Likely.
Josh Palmer – WR, Buffalo Bills
It’s clear that the Bills’ biggest weakness is at receiver. Josh Allen has lacked an elite weapon since losing Stefon Diggs in 2024. Nobody on the roster looks to be the answer to that, but there are intriguing guys available. Sophomore WR Keon Coleman will look to build on a quiet rookie campaign, and Khalil Shakir may once again hit 100 targets. Josh Palmer will have a real chance at breaking out, though, without stiff competition.
The former Charger hasn’t posted eye-popping numbers in his 4-year career. Playing alongside Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler, and Ladd McConkey has made that difficult. Even when Palmer had 107 targets in 2022 – 2nd most on the team – he only turned them into 72 catches, 769 yards, and 3 TDs. It’s unlikely that he becomes an alpha receiver this late into his career, but he may be set for his best season yet. His first test will be a lockdown Ravens secondary that only got better.
There isn’t a better game that could have been scheduled to start Sunday Night Football. Fans should expect an intense and entertaining match between two of the AFC’s best. With the highest point total of the week, fantasy points should be abundant.
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