The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens will do battle on Saturday, January 16th at 8:15. Both AFC Conference teams have been competitive the whole season, despite Covid-19 limiting play and practices for each. These two groups have remained consistent throughout their games in the 2020-2021 season and will look to expand their leads further for a shot at going to the semi-finals.
Last Saturday, the Bills (14-3) defeated the Indianapolis Colts in a hard-fought fight, only winning by a field goal in the middle of the 4th quarter. Philip Rivers gained his team 309 yards for the game, using Taylor, Doyle, and Pittman Jr. as his main “go-to” offensive men. Although
the Bills were victorious; they will have to play the next game without star running back Zack Moss, who will be out the rest of the postseason due to an ankle injury.
Similarly, the Ravens (12-5) got a victory against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, earning them a spot in this Saturday’s game by reaching a crucial touchdown and field goal in the second half of the game. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was the leader in rushing yards, collecting 136 yards for himself. Jackson also connected well with Marquise Brown, who received 109 yards. Many are counting on him to lead the team to another big success this Saturday. The defense was also excellent and able to adjust accordingly to many of the Titans’ plays.
Even though both squads are going into this game feeling confident, there are some bumps they will have to workaround. Each team has multiple injured players that may not be ready to return for the game as it quickly rounds the corner. Buffalo currently has 6 (possibly 7) players with reported injuries, including starters Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, Ed Oliver, and Tremaine Edmunds. Baltimore, however, seems to be in better shape, only reporting 3 injuries. Neither team has stated that if any of the following, hurt, will for sure be out.
On top of unknowable injuries, snow is possible to hit for kickoff this weekend. At the very least, a heavy cold front is expected, which will promise to be a defining factor in the results at the end of the game.
Nevertheless, fans and spectators are hoping for a great game. Kevin Clark, a podcast speaker for “The Ringer” (an NFL podcast), expressed his excitement for this matchup, saying, “this has the capability to be maybe one of the best playoff games we’ve seen in a couple years.” Another announcer, Al Michaels for NBC, showed his enthusiasm as well, remarking, “I’m very excited about this Saturday night because you’ve got Lamar Jackson on one side and Josh Allen on the other side.” Michaels will be reporting and calling the game that evening.
Saturday’s event, set to take place at the Bills Stadium, where they will allow limited seating. This is the first time the Bills will host a playoff game.
