Stefon Diggs. Cole Beasley.
Marlon Humphrey. Marcus Peters.
It probably seems simple to say that Saturday night’s Bills-Ravens game will come down to whether one team’s star receivers can get open against the other team’s vaunted cornerbacks.
But let’s not overcomplicate this one.
Besides, its not just the fact that both position groups have elite talent, it’s how they like to play.
The Ravens live in man coverage. According to Sports Info Solutions, the Ravens had the third-most snaps in Cover 0 and Cover 1. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale trusts his cornerbacks to thrive in man coverage while he dials up exotic blitzes to get rushers free and affect the quarterback.
Due to the way that Josh Allen likes to play quarterback, the ability of the Bills’ wide receivers to get open is going to be paramount. Highlights often show him making daring plays out of structure, but the Bills can’t rely on him to make those consistently. He needs to make throws on time, get in a rhythm and move the offensive efficiently in a game like this — and that means his receivers need to create early separation. They have the talent to do that. Diggs, Beasley and Gabriel Davis all have the ability to separate against man coverage. This is one of those strength versus strength matchups that should be a back-and-forth affair.
Martindale isn’t going to shy away from who he is as a playcaller and what got the Ravens here. He’s going to live, and maybe die, by the blitz. The Bills receivers are set up to play this style of defense well, but they still have to go out there and execute.
The Ravens were second in pass defense in terms of yards per attempt allowed (6.2). The Bills were fourth in yards per attempt (8.0). The Bills might have trouble stopping Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense — everybody else has recently — so this is where the battle will have to be won for them.