Ravens vs Bills NFL Divisional Round picks

The DIvisional Round of the NFL playoffs is set and on Sunday evening, the Baltimore Ravens will travel to Highmark Stadium in Buffalo to take on the Bills. From Lamar Jackson to Josh Allen plus Derrick Henry and James Cook to two defenses playing lights out right now; it’s all the star power you would want in a playoff matchup. It’s almost a shame that the two teams that have played the best all-around football have to meet in the Divisional Round, but it should make for one heck of a showdown.

With a matchup that could steal the show amongst all the games leading up to the Super Bowl, let’s dive into our Ravens vs Bills best bets for this huge clash.

Ravens vs Bills Predictions

Pick #1: Baltimore Ravens -1.5 over Buffalo Bills (-102)

Pick #2: Under 51.5 (-115)

Pick #3: Derrick Henry over 97.5 rushing yards (-110)

Pick #1: Ravens -1.5 over Bills (-102)

We’ll begin our Ravens vs Bills picks by taking the Ravens as a slim 1.5-point favorite on the road in frigid Buffalo. The Bills have been awesome this season as they’re powered by whatever Josh Allen feels like doing. Whether it’s using the short passing game as a de facto run game with Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel, handing the ball off to James Cook or even keeping the ball himself, Allen will use everybody available if it means getting the Bills a win.

Despite this game being in Buffalo, the Ravens have looked much more like a complete team and that was evident in their 28-14 win over the Steelers; a team that saw them two other times this season. The Ravens are the top team in the NFL in EPA per play and the Bills are second. On defense, the Ravens are eighth in EPA per play while the Bills are 13th. It’s two evenly matched teams meeting here, but the Ravens have the more dynamic weapons and this game could go a long way to determining who hoists the Lombardi Trophy. The Ravens as short favorites look the right side to be on.

Pick #2: Under 51.5 (-115)

The next pick in our Ravens vs Bills predictions is taking the under, which is set at a lofty 51.5 points. With the weather forecast showing temperatures in the teens for Sunday evening and a slight chance of snow during the game, that could bring the overall scoring down a tad. We know that the Ravens and Bills are both driven to run the ball and use that to set up the pass. With Derrick Henry and James Cook plus the rushing ability of both Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, why would either team throw that playbook out the window?

On the Ravens’ side of the offense, Zay Flowers (knee) may miss yet another game after missing five consecutive practices. That may lead the Ravens to lean further into the run, where they have a luxury no other team has: the services of Henry. King Henry put up 209 total yards and two touchdowns in the Week 4 regular-season meeting between these teams in Baltimore. Running the ball lowers total possessions, raises time of possession and should keep this game from getting too out of hand.

Pick #3: Derrick Henry over 97.5 rushing yards (-110)

Our Ravens vs Bills best bet of the game is for Baltimore running back Derrick Henry to exceed 97.5 rushing yards. While that is a high number, the standard of Henry’s play recently justifies taking the over. Going back into the final three regular season games and adding in last week’s victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Henry has averaged a monstrous 158 yards per game. The Bills of course know how good Henry is and still couldn’t stop him in Week 4, as Buffalo let up 199 yards and a touchdown.

Frankly, the Bills can put eight in the box against Henry and it still might not matter, as Henry was 10th among running backs with 4.7 yards per carry with eight or more defenders in the box. Henry was also third in the NFL in yards created (1,380), which is yards created by the running back after an evaded or broken tackle. While the Ravens have had to get by in recent seasons with a committee backfield approach thanks to injuries at the position, Henry gives the Ravens the best chance they’ve had to get to the promised land. Look for Henry to reach triple figures on the ground.