The day has finally arrived for the Buffalo Bills to compete in a game that affects their win/loss record. Buffalo will be taking on the Baltimore Ravens, which could be one of the best games on the entire NFL schedule this year.
Buffalo and Baltimore match up well. Both teams could represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this season, so it would be great for the Bills to secure a victory.
Buffalo No Longer Favored to Beat Ravens
Although the Bills will be playing at home for the upcoming game, they are not considered the favorite to win. When the betting line opened this week, Buffalo was initially a 1.5-point favorite. This means that if someone wanted to bet on the Bills to cover the spread, they would need Buffalo to win by at least two points for the bet to cash.
According to Brandon Gustafson from CBS Sports, the Ravens are now favored to win by 1.5 points.
“The Bills opened as favorites at home against a Ravens team they beat in the playoffs last year, but they now find themselves as slim underdogs,” Gustafson wrote Saturday. “The Ravens have arguably a better roster top to bottom, but the Bills knocked off Baltimore in a thriller in the AFC Divisional Round after Mark Andrews dropped a game-tying two-point conversion attempt. Each side has effectively the same roster as last year, with the biggest acquisition for either team being cornerback Jaire Alexander signing with Baltimore after an oft-injured end to his Packers tenure. The Ravens blew out the Bills last year in the regular season, though that game was in Baltimore. Buffalo is down two notable cornerbacks while tight end Isaiah Likely and fullback Patrick Ricard are out for Baltimore.”
Bills And Ravens Will Both Have New Kickers
Buffalo is facing several injuries, including that of kicker Tyler Bass, who has been placed on injured reserve due to a left hip and groin injury. The 28-year-old kicker successfully made 24 of 29 field goals last season and was perfect on attempts over 50 yards, converting four of them.
The Bills signed 18-year veteran Matt Prater to fill Bass’s shoes for at least the first four games or maybe longer. Last year, Prater appeared in four games for the Arizona Cardinals before being placed on injured reserve with knee soreness.
The kicking game is always critical in the NFL since most of the time, three or fewer points win games. Buffalo isn’t the only team running out a new kicker. The Ravens cut 13-year veteran Justin Tucker this offseason after allegations of misconduct. Tucker was a seven-time Pro Bowler and had many game-winning kicks throughout his career. Rookie kicker Tyler Loop will be the Ravens’ starter this season. Loop was a sixth-round pick this past April out of the University of Arizona. During the preseason, Loop made five out of six field goals in the Ravens’ win over the Dallas Cowboys, with his longest being 53 yards.
The kicking game is unknown for both teams. One team is throwing a rookie kicker, while the other has a 41-year-old kicker who hasn’t played in over a year.
The Bills will also be down their rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston and veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White. Baltimore’s quarterback, Lamar Jackson, could take advantage of a weak secondary.
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