Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy led the team in total sacks with 12.5 in 2024.
Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy led the team in total sacks with 12.5 in 2024. Soft-spoken, Van Noy has thrived as a game-wrecking force for defensive coordinator Zach Orr, who will be looking to contain Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen this Sunday.
With teammate Nnamdi Madubuike on the inside and Odafe Oweh on the opposite, Orr uses a swarm attack to contain opposing quarterbacks and keep them inside the numbers. The Bills’ O-line protected Josh Allen exceptionally in the AFC wildcard game, but he still was sacked twice—a key point to remember versus the novice Broncos opponent.
Linebacker Roquan Smith mentioned in an interview on NFL Network earlier this week that the Ravens wanted to make a goal of stopping the run and forcing the Bills to be one-dimensional on offense.
Expect Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady to use quick pass plays, screens, and misdirection to nullify the defensive line’s intensity. If not, Van Noy and company may weary the Bills offensive line as the game progresses.
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is ultra-talented, and his swift cuts and churning legs make him a massive factor of concern for the Ravens’ defense. Smith, however, will be ready to meet and greet Cook, preferably in the backfield before she starts.
“I think it’s gonna be very simple for us. We just gotta stick to who we are as a group.”
Last weekend, the Bills dictated the pace, tallying 26 first downs and winning the time of possession against the Denver Broncos with a total hold time of just over 41 minutes. Cook contributed to the endeavors by producing 120 yards on 23 carries, and his backup running back, Tyus Johnson, also had 44 rush yards.
Denver had 79 rushing yards last weekend, likely due to the Broncos’ inability to sustain offensive drives. Sean Payton’s team converted just two of their nine third-down attempts, allowing the Bills to silk the clock and impose their offensive will.
With Smith piloting the agenda on the Ravens’ defense, one would have to be drunk off a gallon of Jim Bean to believe the Bills will come anywhere near 200 rushing yards in the AFC Divisional Round. However, Cook will be asked to make his impact in the ground game to make things more manageable for quarterback Josh Allen in passing situations.
Baltimore Ravens DB Marlon Humphrey knows the time is now and his decision lessen his internet podcast and focus is paying off.
Baltimore Ravens defensive back Marlon Humphrey has been the All-Pro player his team needed in 2024. Plagued last season by injury, and the distraction of his punchline podcast, Humphrey has shown an ability to refocus and be the staple in the defensive secondary.
Humphrey totaled six interceptions this season and ranked No. 3 in the entire NFL category. Humphrey’s 15 pass deflections also rank him in No. 9 amongst league defenders. Knowing that the Ravens have two all-pro defensive backs anchoring their secondary and a developing supporting cast to contribute to the team’s endeavors is imperative.
Humphrey has been operating as a slot defender in defensive coordinator Zach Orr’s passing defense for most of the season. In the slot, Humphrey has excelled, taking away the immediate and easiest targets for opposing quarterbacks by playing smothering man coverage. The Ravens’ defense has resurged with Humphrey locking down and the front seven working steadily in the pass rush.
“As the playoffs get smaller, there’s only a couple teams to talk about it… So we’ve had to change the channels in the locker room.” @marlon_humphreypic.twitter.com/hfGjSyXTo0
Sunday, Humphrey will need to have his best game versus Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. As the Ravens look to keep their Super Bowl aspirations alive, their defense must be the iron door that allows the offense to pull away in this game.
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen better watch for Baltimore Ravens DT Nnamdi Madubuike to avoid being overly sacked in the AFC Divisional Round.
Newsflash: The Baltimore Ravens know how to get home to the quarterback. Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike tallied 6.5 sacks this season. While outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy led the Ravens with 12.5 of the team’s 54 on the season, the amount of attention Madubuike demands on the inside is a catalyst.
Madubuike would not be denied in the AFC Wild Card game. He pushed vehemently through the Steelers’ run-blocking and conjured two sacks. Teammate defensive tackle Michael Pierce was also in on the action, getting his first career post-season sack. Madubuike totaled 14 tackles for loss in 2024, so the Buffalo Bills might want to think twice if they expect to run the ball down the Ravens’ throats like they did against the Denver Broncos.
Despite Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s success in the AFC Wild Card win, the Broncos still were able to sack Allen twice in the loss. Allen and the Bills dictated the pace with 26 first downs, but they will be up against a much more experienced, hungry, and potent opponent with Madubuike and the Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round.
Ravens DT Nnamdi Madubuike said starting fast against the Steelers was the mission. Mission accomplished. He also talks about the unstoppable battery of Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. @nflnetworkpic.twitter.com/JSYKdXz2zi
As ESPN’s Jeff Saturday said this week, this match-up will depend on who operates more efficiently in the trenches. Madubuike and his comrades are most definitely scheduled for a major collision with the Bills’ offensive line.
Baltimore Ravens rookie Nate Wiggins was drafted No. 30 overall for moments just like this. Wiggins must play big versus the Buffalo Bills.
Baltimore Ravens rookie defensive back Nate Wiggins must hold his own versus the shifty Buffalo Bills wide receivers in the AFC Divisional Round. Bills wide receivers Amari Cooper, Curtis Samuel, Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakur, and Mack Hollins pose serious threats in the opponent’s pass attack.
Who has a better locker room corner? Noooooooobody!!!!!!
Bills quarterback Josh Allen has enough intelligence and throwing accuracy to thread the needle, so Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr will not be able to sit in soft zone coverage. Instead, Orr may ask Wiggins, teammate defensive back Marlon Humphrey, and Brandon Stephens to buckle up and play man coverage while he schemes up advantages in the pass rush.
Wiggins was selected No. 30 overall in the 2024 NFL draft to be effective for the pass defense. Humphrey needed a journeyman to help him and safety Kyle Hamilton sow up the problems on the back end. It’s time for Wiggins to make it happen when it matters most.
A pair of former Penn State stars helped lift the Eagles to a postseason win over the Packers.
[autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] scored his first career postseason touchdown and [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] rushed for 119 yards as the former Penn State standouts each helped guide the Philadelphia Eagles past the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card game in Philadelphia on Sunday. It was a good day for the former Nittany Lions in Eagles green.
Dotson gave the Eagles an early lead when he hauled in an 11-yard pass from Jalen Hurst in the back of the end zone for a touchdown on the third snap of the game. The Eagles forced a Green Bay turnover on the opening kickoff of the game to gain possession at the Packers’ 28-yard line. The first play of the game went to Barkley, who took off for a 16-yard gain. Two plays later, Dotson caught his first career postseason catch, good for a touchdown.
That was the only catch of the game for Dotson, but it was a big one. Dotson ended his Penn State career second on the all-time receptions leaderboard and with the third-most touchdown catches in Penn State program history.
Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Barkley made his third appearance in a playoff game, and first with the Eagles. His 119 rushing yards are a new postseason career-best for Barkley, who became the NFL’s 9th player all-time to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. The Packers defense did its best to limit the damage done by Barkley. It took until the final couple of plays of the game for Barkley to break the century mark, and he was held out of the end zone in a defensive battle.
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Barkley had an excellent chance to score a long touchdown run on the final possession of the game, but Barkley opted to slide to the ground and keep the clock running instead of adding a touchdown and another 40 yards to his rushing total, which led to some playful ribbing from his teammates on the sidelines.
Barkley and Dotson will now get a chance to keep the Eagles’ Super Bowl hopes alive with another home game next week. The Eagles’ next opponent has yet to be determined.
Former Penn State defensive lineman [autotag]DaQuan Jones[/autotag] is also moving on in the NFL playoffs. Jones had a pair of tackles in a wild card weekend romp by the Buffalo Bills over the Denver Broncos. Jones and the Bills (and the rest of the Nittany Lions on the Bills roster) will take on the Baltimore Ravens next weekend in the AFC Divisional Round.
The Ravens dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers in a game that included a couple of tackles and a sack by former Penn State standout [autotag]Odafe Oweh[/autotag]. While most will be focused on the quarterback battle between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson in the Bills-Ravens game next week, Penn State fans will be watching their former defensive linemen try to make a play against an MVP-caliber QB.
Former Penn State offensive lineman [autotag]Juice Scruggs[/autotag] will be in the next round of the playoffs as well. Scruggs and the Houston Texans pulled away from the Los Angeles Chargers, coached by former Micigan national championship head coach Jim Harbaugh. The Texans will face the Kansas City Chiefs in the next round.
Baltimore Ravens DC Zach Orr continues to thrive with LB Roquan Smith orchestrating plays that has the team defense fully optimized.
Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr and linebacker Roquan Smith have fully amalgamated after 18 weeks of NFL football. The Ravens led the entire NFL in opponent rush yards allowed per game this season, and their dominance over the Pittsburgh Steelers offense in the AFC Wild Card round was yet another indication of performance.
Orr and Smith just aren’t allowing anybody to pummel the Ravens up front when it comes to defending the run. Orr likes to stuff opponents on first and second downs, force them into passing situations, and then unleash his pass rush that has rendered 54 sacks this season. The 54 sacks helped the team rank No. 2 in the NFL in sacks this season.
In hindsight, Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson did finish the game, having completed 20 of his 29 pass attempts, including two impressive touchdown passes. However, Orr is doing his best to accommodate the flaws in the defense’s back end by ensuring he coaches his team to give up minimal yards and points.
The 2021 first round pick out of Penn State brought the pressure on Saturday night, and the Steelers offense had no answer for it.
In the AFC Wild Card round, the Baltimore Ravens’ 28-14 win over their archrivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, involved numerous heroes. Some of those heroes are unsung, including linebacker Odafe Oweh, who showed up and showed out tonight.
While he only had two total tackles, they were both enormously consequential.
Both his tackles were for a loss, including a sack on Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson.
More importantly, he led the game with three QB hits. The 2021 first-round pick out of Penn State brought the pressure on Saturday night, and the Steelers offense had no answer.
Oweh enjoyed the best regular season of his career in 2024, notching a new personal best in sacks with 10. That number was good for 16th best (tied) in the NFL, as the Hackensack, New Jersey native established himself as one of the league’s prominent pass rushers.
The Ravens nearly doubled up the Steelers in time of possession (39:33-20:27) and almost tripled them in first downs (29-11). You don’t dominate your opponent like that unless you decisively win the battle at both lines of scrimmage.
Oweh was a massive part of that for Baltimore’s defense tonight.
Top photos from the Baltimore Ravens 28-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in AFC Wild Card game
The Ravens are peaking at the right time and look like the most complete team in the AFC after a 28-14 win over the rival Steelers on Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium.
Baltimore will now wait for Sunday afternoon’s conclusion of the Buffalo Bills’ matchup against the Denver Broncos. If the Bills win, the Ravens will travel to Buffalo, while a Broncos win will see John Harbaugh’s team host the Houston Texans next week.
Baltimore Ravens advance to AFC Divisional Round with 28-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Wild Card game
The journey isn’t complete, but the Ravens avoided embarrassment and moved onto the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs with a convincing 28-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday night.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson was 16-21 passing for 175 yards, two touchdowns, and a 132.0 rating. Jackson rushed 15 times for 81 yards, while Derrick Henry carried the night, logging 186 yards on 26 rushing attempts and two touchdowns.
Baltimore’s defense held Pittsburgh to 280 yards of offense, with just 29 yards rushing on the ground. Najee Harris finished with six carries for 17 yards, and Jaylen Warren had two for six yards on the night. The Steelers had the football for just 20:27.
Baltimore will now wait for the conclusion of the Buffalo Bills matchup against the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon.
If the Bills win on Sunday, the Ravens will travel to Buffalo, while a Broncos win will see John Harbaugh’s team host the Houston Texans next week.
(@NFLonCBS) 
