Tag: Ravens

B/R says Saints should reunite college teammates with two high-ceiling trades

B/R sees Mazi Smith and David Ojabo as top trade targets for the Saints. These would be low risk trades that require minimal compensation

The New Orleans Saints aren’t in the best position to grab a lot of talent in free agency or through trade this offseason due to being cash strapped. Bleacher Report’s scouting department does have a couple of players New Orleans could trade for.

The department broke down the three top trade targets for each team. For the Saints, they chose draft picks, David Ojabo and Mazi Smith. Trading for one of the two former Michigan Wolverines are the type of moves that New Orleans may have to settle for. Bleacher Report’s scouts see these defensive linemen as players with “a high ceiling and could wind up helping a team like the Saints.”

A speed rusher and a run stuffer. That’s what the Saints need and these players are prototypes for it. Even if it doesn’t work, they give you much needed depth. Ojabo is on the last year of his deal and Smith has two years remaining. These are short term moves that could become long-term with productivity.

Neither one of these moves would prevent the Saints from making more impact moves along the defensive line in the first three rounds of the NFL draft. These could even be draft-day trades. Because they haven’t lived up to expectations, Ojabo and Smith may only demand a Day 3 pick. It wouldn’t require much and at the worst, would fill out the roster.

Smith has played all 34 games he’s been eligible for with the Dallas Cowboys, but he’s been miscast after being asked to drop a lot of weight his rookie year and then told to pack it back on the following summer. His career has been an up-and-down roller coaster because of it. As for Ojabo? Injuries have limited him to just 18 games in three years, but he’s bagged four sacks and a couple of forced fumbles. Snaps are hard to come by in Baltimore’s defense. Depending on how the Saints fill out their new coaching staff, he could have better opportunities in New Orleans.

The Saints need to get younger. Ojabo will be 25 in May and Smith turns 24 a month later. They were both better prospects coming out of college than anyone who will be available when the Saints are picking in the later rounds of this year’s NFL draft. These are exactly the kind of low-risk, high-reward moves the team should be exploring. We’ll see if either of them are actually on the trade block this spring.

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Saints involved in two trade proposals that would reshape the NFL

This B/R writer says two New Orleans Saints veterans getting traded to the AFC North could impact the NFL playoff picture:

Rebuilds typically lead to an exodus of veteran players as the team gets younger. As the New Orleans Saints begin their rebuild, reload or whatever they want to call it, they too will get younger.

Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport saw two Saints veterans as bargaining chips. He cooked up six trades that could reshape the league, and New Orleans was involved with two of them. Davenport had the Saints sending two players to the AFC North: Derek Carr to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tyrann Mathieu to the Baltimore Ravens.

Carr to the Steelers would probably make the fans in black and yellow pretty upset and fans donning the black and gold may rejoice. Carr would feel very similar to the acquisition of Russell Wilson. He’s been discussed already as a possible trade target for Pittsburgh.

While Davenport is right to say the Steelers showed they don’t need an elite quarterback to be competitive, their limitations on offense still showed. On the note of competitiveness, Davenport pointed out “the opportunity to play for a contender” could entice Carr to waive his no-trade clause.

Davenport pairs Mathieu with Baltimore to help a struggling pass defense. This trade may become less likely because the Ravens improved mightily after moving Hamilton to deep safety. It would allow Mathieu to play closer to the box, but Baltimore may not be in the market for safety help anymore.

But what would the Saints get out of this? In terms of draft picks, Davenport’s trades have New Orleans getting a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a conditional pick in 2026 for Carr, plus a fifth-round pick in 2025. As for the salary cap benefits? Trading Carr before June 1 saves the Saints $11.3 million. But trading Mathieu saves only $16,000. That’s it. The team would still be paying $11.3 million this year if they trade Mathieu before June 1. They might be better off holding onto him.

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3 keys to a Bills victory vs. the Chiefs in the AFC championship

3 keys to a Bills victory vs. the Chiefs in the AFC championship

The Buffalo Bills will play the Kansas City Chiefs on the road at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC championship game this Sunday.

These teams clash while on hot streaks. The Bills have won 12 of their last 13 meaningful games while the Chiefs have won 20 of their last 21 meaningful games. Their lone loss over that time was to the Bills.

The Bills beat them 30-21 in Week 11 this year. Quarterback Josh Allen accounted for 317 total yards and a pair of touchdowns while the team converted on 9 of 15 third-down plays in the victory.

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Patrick Mahomes threw a pair of interceptions in the loss, but the Chiefs have won the last three playoff games over the Bills and it will be tougher to force them into mistakes this time around. Kansas City are favored by 1.5 points at home.

To slay the dragon and advance to the Super Bowl, the Bills will need to execute their game plan.

Here are three keys to a Bills win vs. the Chiefs:

Execution in pass coverage

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Mahomes is good enough in the pocket that he can beat you even when everyone is covered. He’s great at buying an extra second or two and finding someone uncovered down the field, and in the playoffs, tight end Travis Kelce has often been that person.

The two have incredible rapport and always find open grass when things break down. It will take multiple defenders every pass play to shut them down.

The Bills defense will need to communicate purposefully and rapidly, especially in the middle of the field, where Kelce likes to roam. If there’s one man out of place, he’ll make you pay like he has in the past.

The good news for Buffalo is the middle of their defense is much healthier this postseason compared to last. During the 2023 playoffs, they were down both linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard, this year they are both expected to be out there occupying the middle.

Keep feeding James Cook

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Handing the ball to James Cook might have been included in about ten weekly “keys to victory” this year. And it continues to prove effective under offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

The Bills went up against two of the best run defenses in their first two playoff matchups and were able to control the game on the ground. The Bills handed both the Denver Broncos (wild card) and Baltimore Ravens (divisional) the most rushing yards they’ve allowed this season.

The Bills have averaged 178.5 yards on the ground this postseason. This figure would have been good for third-most in the league during the regular season.

The Chiefs ranked ninth in defense rushing DVOA this year and eighth in rushing yards allowed per game. They’ve been a decent group, but haven’t stuffed the run like Baltimore or Denver.

Igniting Cook and the rushing game will open things up for the Bills’ passing game, especially in the middle of the field where the Chiefs have allowed the most yards to tight ends in the NFL this year (1,191).

Win matchups on the defensive line

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Getting to Mahomes and taking him down for a sack is easier said than done. But, getting consistent pressure could force errant passes or throwaways, which can make a big difference in the playoffs.

While there has been a lot of talk about the Chiefs rotating pieces on the offensive line this year and that they’ve struggled at times, Mahomes has a way of masking their offensive line’s deficiencies. They rank 16th in the NFL in sacks allowed this year (41), and if they had someone who couldn’t manipulate the pocket or make off-script plays, they’d be much higher on the list.

The Bills had 224 total pressures in the regular season, good for eighth in the NFL. They’ll need to mix things up at times by showing different fronts and blitzes, but the Bills also have some guys who can win their one-on-one matchup.

Von Miller, Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver, AJ Epenesa, and others will need to capitalize on chances to get after Mahomes Sunday.

If they can force the Chiefs into unfavorable down-and-distances and make Mahomes uncomfortable in the pocket during those plays, it would go a long way toward their chances at making the Super Bowl.

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Bills defense on doubters: ‘Somebody gives you motivation, you should take it’

Bills defense on doubters: ‘Somebody gives you motivation, you should take it’

The Buffalo Bills completed a perfect 10-0 run of home games this season including the playoffs and Sunday’s ice-cold 27-25 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

While the Bills offense usually grabs headlines, their defense shined in the win.

And they used the doubt and questioning heard in the outside noise of the media to motivate them.

“What were they all saying?” defensive tackle Ed Oliver asked postgame, via The Athletic. “I know you know. So what were they all saying?”

During the week leading into the matchup, the media scrutinized the Bills for not having enough size on defense to stop Ravens running back Derrick Henry or the ability to stop mobile quarterback Lamar Jackson.

“I didn’t hear nothing!” He replied to his own question with a smile. “I’m trying to get it right now. So they said we weren’t big enough, weren’t physical enough?”

The Buffalo defense held Henry to 84 yards while preventing any big breakout plays, and defended and limited Jackson.

The highest-graded Bill in the divisional round by Pro Football Focus (PFF) against the Ravens, defensive end A.J. Epenesa (82.6), commented on the motivation factor as well.

“We have a lot of pride in ourselves, what we do here as a defense,” Epenesa said. “Just speaking as a defense, we were told all week how they were going to do this, how they going to do that, and that just, I’d like to say, fueled us a little bit.”

While the Bills struggled to defend on third down, they forced three turnovers on the day including two on Jackson, and had 10 points off those takeaways.

And a motivational video helped fuel that effort as well.

“Our highlight video this week was all the media people, talking,” fellow defensive tackle Jordan Phillips shared. “They can’t do this. They can’t do that.’ Our coaches suck. We’re too small.

Well, now what?”

In the regular season, Buffalo finished with the third-most takeaways in the NFL in 2024 (32) and was facing the Ravens who were among the top clubs in the NFL at protecting the football. The question was which team would prevail.

“That was our motto all week: Let’s see who’s better,” Phillips added.

Buffalo’s offense seized those opportunities to add 10 points off the turnovers, and the team is now tied for the NFL record for consecutive games with an even or positive turnover margin (21).

All three takeaway plays were made by Buffalo starters who did not play the first meeting between the two teams in NFL Week 4 in Baltimore when the Ravens beat the Bills in the regular season.

Safety Taylor Rapp kicked things off early with an interception, outside linebacker Von Miller recovered a fumble, and linebacker Terrel Bernard caused and recovered a fumble.

“Biggest play of the game, bro. Not even close,” Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas said of the play by Bernard, who Phillips carried off the field in celebration.

“You try your best to ignore outside noise,” Bernard said, “but in games like this, moments like this, sometimes you can’t avoid it. We did see a video of outside people talking about what we can and can’t do.

“To make it this far in your career and to be a professional athlete, at some point you’ve been doubted. Everybody’s felt that. Everybody has had to deal with that. Somebody gives you motivation, you should take it.”

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Bills’ Josh Allen: ‘We don’t listen to outside noise’

Bills’ Josh Allen: ‘We don’t listen to outside noise’

On the 216th birthday of writer Edgar Allan Poe, whose work the Baltimore Ravens are named after, the team poetically fell to another Allen as the Buffalo Bills beat them 27-25.

It was the latest instance of exceeding expectations for the Bills, written off by many as a rebuild project before the season even began and an underdog at home for the first time in franchise history.

“We don’t listen to the outside noise, but everyone was saying this and that about us and that we didn’t have enough talent, weren’t good enough to be in these positions and, our guys just continue to work hard and we’re internally driven,” Allen said to the press postgame. “We love each other, and I think you saw how much we played for each other there.”

The Bills ran a clean and conservative offense that leaned on the run game in the snowy conditions of Orchard Park Sunday night.

Allen went 16 of 22 for 127 yards passing with two rushing touchdowns, guiding the team to touchdowns on three of their first four drives of the game.

Buffalo would take a 14-7 lead by the second quarter and keep the lead the rest of the way.

Much like the outside noise about the team, their head coach had a similar perspective about their fans.

“Our guys heard it all — they heard it all week long. We’re not big enough, we’re not strong enough. Not talented enough. Whatever it is, they heard it,” Sean McDermott said.

The Bills had a win by way of complimentary football, with their defensive unit playing consistently strong while forcing three Ravens turnovers including two from Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson.

“We gave our defense a chance to go make a play,” Allen said of Sunday’s win. “We made a play there at the end. I’m just so proud of our guys.”

With the win, the Bills advanced beyond the divisional round of the playoffs where they’d exited the postseason for three consecutive years.

It will be the second conference title game that McDermott and Allen will have gone to, once more returning to Kansas City for a chance to redeem a 2020 loss in the AFC Championship to the Chiefs.

The Bills have won four regular season head-to-head matchups with the Chiefs with Allen under center and were the only team to beat them this season at home. During that time the Chiefs have beaten Buffalo in all three of their playoff matchups.

The Bills will look to avenge a 2020 AFC Championship loss next Sunday against their AFC rivals to take their place in NFL lore.

But to get there they needed to beat Baltimore first, and they did just that. Quoth the Raven, nevermore.

Lamar Jackson goes off after loss to Bills in Divisional Round

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson went off after the team’s Divisional Round loss to the Buffalo Bills

The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round by a final score of 27-25. This heartbreaking playoff defeat felt chillingly familiar to fans of years past.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson had two costly turnovers in the game. He discussed his performance and the team’s inability to hold the ball in big moments. He said he was tired of turning the ball over when they were moving it so well.

“We’re a team. In the first half, I had two costly turnovers. Me not holding the safety, me just knowing the coverage and knowing it was man [coverage], I threw a B.S. interception. It was 7-7 at the time. I believe they scored after that. We battled back, fumbled the snap trying to make something happen. It was like an RPO play, so I couldn’t really throw the ball to [Isaiah] Likely [because] the offensive line was down the field, so I tried to make something happen, tried to squeeze the ball. It slipped out of my hand, [and the Bills] picked it up, got some yards that I think lead to points for them, so it’s a team effort out there. [Mark Andrews has] been busting his behind. He’s been making plays out on that field for us. [We] came up short, and like I’ve been saying all season, every time we’re in situations like this, turnovers play a factor. Penalties play a factor. Tonight, the turnovers … We can’t have that [expletive]. That’s why we lost the game, because as you can see, we’re moving the ball wonderfully. It’s just hold onto the [expletive] ball. I’m sorry for my language. I’m just tired of this.”

The offseason begins in Baltimore, and many tough decisions must be made. This is a loss that the organization won’t forget, and it needs to be added fuel to their fire to get the job done next time.

 

Sights and sounds from first half as Bills hold a 21-10 lead over Ravens in divisional round

Sights and sounds from first half as Bills hold a 21-10 lead over Ravens in divisional round

The first half appeared to be a reverse of Week 4, and two Lamar Jackson turnovers played a pivotal part in Baltimore trailing 21-10 after 30 minutes of football in Buffalo. The Bills held the Ravens to 73 yards rushing in the first half and 28 offensive plays. According to Next Gen Stats, Jackson has been under pressure on over half of his dropbacks (54.5%) for the first time since Week 4, 2023. He’s been pressured 6 times and sacked once on 11 dropbacks (as of Damar Hamlin’s strip sack).

With the second half underway, here are seven takeaways from the first 30 minutes.

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MVP voter gives wild take on Ravens QB Lamar Jackson

An MVP voter gave a wild Lamar Jackson take ahead of the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills matchup

The Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills will face off in the Divisional Round, and a trip to the AFC Championship is on the line. Both teams are incredibly talented and must take advantage of their opportunities to advance.

The MVP conversation features both quarterbacks from this Divisional Round contest, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. The debate has gotten far out of hand, and on “The Facility”, Emmanuel Acho gave one of the more questionable takes on Jackson that caused people to get upset due to his logic.

If Jackson is on the hook to get harshly criticized after big losses, but others aren’t, he needs to stop being put in conversations with those below him. This is a massive game for both sides, and a win would mean something for Jackson, as it would Allen.

Causes for concern as the Bills take on the Ravens in the Divisional round

Causes for concern as the Bills take on the Ravens in the Divisional round

The Buffalo Bills will play the Baltimore Ravens at home at Highmark Stadium in the NFL’s Divisional round.

The Bills have won 11 of their last 12 meaningful games while the Ravens are winners in eight of their past 10.

The Bills are home underdogs as the Ravens are favored by 1.5 points. With the year that quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry have had, it’s no surprise they are the favorites. The game will be one of the best Divisional round matchups in recent memory.

There are a few things that will make beating the Ravens difficult, and the Bills will need to be wary of them.

Here are three causes for concern for the Bills against the Ravens:

Ravens defense playing at a high level

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The Ravens defense has put together an impressive stretch of play to end the regular season and into the playoffs. In their last five games played they haven’t allowed more than 17 points. In total, the Ravens allowed 21.2 points per game this year, good for eighth in the NFL.

On the season, they rank top-10 in both defense passing DVOA (8th) and defense rushing DVOA (4th).

They posted the second-most sacks in the NFL this year (54) and they allow a league-low 80.1 rushing yards per game. A pretty good combination for a team that is seemingly finding its stride down the back stretch of the season.

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The force that is Derrick Henry

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When these teams met in Week 4 this year, Henry ran all over the Bills. He ran for 199 yards, including an 87-yard scamper for a score on his first carry.

On the year, Henry racked up 1,921 rushing yards, good for second in the NFL behind Saquon Barkley. He also ran for 16 touchdowns, which tied James Cook for the most in the NFL.

In last week’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Henry ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.

Teams have stacked the box against the Ravens at the second-highest rate in the NFL (28.3%) and yet they are still allowing Henry to pick up big chunks on the ground. The Bills will need to limit his production if they want to take control of the game.

Ravens have an MVP candidate, too

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Josh Allen has been the favorite for the NFL MVP for much of the year, but Jackson has been up there consistently all year, too. And, after Jackson was named First-Team All-Pro by the Associated Press while Allen received Second-Team honors, some are questioning whether Allen will win the MVP despite still being the favorite.

Jackson has had an incredible year. 41 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions, a league-leading 119.6 passer rating, 915 rushing yards, and another four touchdowns on the ground.

Defending Jackson both through the air and on the ground is a big task for a defense, especially when you have to account for Henry. The Bills know this and will do their best to keep him in check on Sunday.

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3 keys to a Bills victory vs. the Ravens in the Divisional round

3 keys to a Bills victory vs. the Ravens in the Divisional round

The Buffalo Bills will play the Baltimore Ravens at home at Highmark Stadium in the Divisional round.

The Bills have won 11 of their last 12 meaningful games, while the Ravens have won 8 of their last 10. This is a high-profile matchup between two of the best offenses in the league and two of the best quarterbacks.

The Bills are home underdogs in this one, with the Ravens favored by 1.5 points. The last time these teams met was Week 4 in Baltimore. The Ravens won that matchup, 35-10. Baltimore ran for 271 yards, with Derrick Henry accounting for 199.

The Ravens finished the regular season as league leaders in both yards per game and rushing yards per game.

Buffalo will need to execute its game plan to advance in the postseason. Here are three keys to a Bills win vs. the Ravens:

Limit explosive runs

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The Ravens led the league in the regular season in rushes over 10 yards with 89 such plays. They had 13 more than the second-most. They did this while facing stacked boxes at the second-highest rate in the NFL.

Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson are threats for big plays on the ground at any moment. The Bills witnessed it firsthand in Week 4 when Henry took his first touch 87 yards for a touchdown. Jackson also scored a rushing touchdown that game while averaging nine yards per carry.

If the Bills do a better job taking away big runs in the Divisional round than in Week 4, they’ll have a much better chance at winning.

Stay steady in pass protection

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Much like the matchup against the Denver Broncos last week, the Bills offensive line will be facing another top-tier pass rush. While the Broncos led the league in sacks in the regular season, the Ravens were second.

The Ravens posted 54 sacks despite blitzing at the seventh-lowest rate in the NFL (20.5%). Unless Baltimore changes their tendencies and blitzes more, expect to see some good battles in the trenches between an elite Bills offensive line and a productive Ravens defensive line.

If the Bills continue to pass protect the way that they have been, they won’t have a problem. In last week’s win over Denver, they allowed just one sack and five total pressures.

Win the time of possession

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In the Wild Card win over the Broncos, the Bills dominated the time of possession. They had the ball for over 41 minutes.

The Bills were moving the ball effectively and making timely stops on defense. In turn, this kept Bo Nix and the Denver offense on the sideline for more than two-thirds of the game.

This type of ball domination would surely help in the Divisional round. Jackson and Henry can’t cause headaches for the defense while on the sideline.

Last week was a masterful offensive plan by Joe Brady that both chewed up the clock and put points on the board. If they can maintain long, sustainable drives, they have a good chance at advancing in the playoffs.

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