John Harbaugh of the Ravens sheds light on the “biggest” challenge ahead of the showdown with the Bills

After conducting business against Pittsburgh Steelers in a fairly comfortable win in the Wild Cardthe Baltimore Ravens they must prepare for one of their biggest challenges yet: the Buffalo Bills.

Sure, Baltimore beat the Bills all the way to Week 4, which helped prove to the fans in Charm City that their team was legitimate after two straight losses to open the season, but since that fateful day, Buffalo has won 11 of its 14 games and as the result ensured the two seeds in the AFC.

Now set to face a Bills team that just escaped with their Wild Card win over the Denver Broncos 31-7, how do the Ravens prepare for such a harrowing challenge a few hours north in upstate New York? Well, in his first media session of the Divisional Round, John Harbaugh broke the challenge before usas the Bills are a very good team for a reason.

“It’s a big question because so many things stand out – they’re such a good team.” All three stages are played at a very high level. I think the biggest thing that stands out is how well coached they are, how well connected they are – they play complementary football. All three phases differ from each other – in each phase they have a defined personality. And as a team, they are very physical; they play very hard; they are cohesive; they are on the same page. “I mean offensively, they’re very coordinated in terms of the blocking schemes and the timing of the routes and the pass protection and how it’s all put together,” Harbaugh told Ravens reporters.

“The quarterback is obviously playing at a high level.” Josh Allen is a great player. They’re built around him well – they’ve done a good job of building the offense around him, and they have a lot of complementary pieces. All of their wide receivers and tight ends and (running) backs – and the running backs also serve as receivers – but they’re all very talented and skilled receivers. They all understand the passing game really well. They run hard, they protect the football, (and) they’re all good ball carriers, whether it’s given to them or after the catch. (They) have a big, physical offensive line. Defensively, (they are) very active (and have) a very connected defense. (From) the back end to the second level to the front. (The) pass rush, run defense, defensive backs coming up in the run game, linebackers playing downhill in gaps in the run game, hitting in zone coverage as well, getting your depth, breaking the ball, catching — just all the things you’d expect from well-coached team as it is. So that’s the kind of challenge we face.”

While the Bills are a very talented team loaded with talent throughout, one area of ​​the team where they have a bit of a weakness is their pass defense, where Buffalo ranked 24th in the NFL during the regular season. fortunately, Lamar Jackson has proven time and time again in 2024 that he can attack opposing teams from all over the field with his hands and his legs, so the Ravens should be able to take advantage of that disadvantage with ease.