Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills look to stay unbeaten when they visit Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo (3-0) at Baltimore (1-2)

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EDT, NBC

BetMGM NFL Odds: Ravens by 2 1/2

Against the spread: Bills 2-1, Ravens 1-2

Series record: Ravens lead 6-5.

Last meeting: Bills beat Ravens 23-20 on Oct. 2, 2022, at Baltimore.

Last week: Bills beat Jaguars 47-10; Ravens beat Cowboys 28-25.

Bills offense: overall (13), rush (14), pass (14), scoring (1)

Bills defense: overall (8t), rush (16), pass (8t), scoring (7)

Ravens offense: overall (1), rush (2), pass (10), scoring (11)

Ravens defense: overall (23), rush (1), pass (32), scoring (24t)

Turnover differential: Bills plus-5; Ravens plus-1

Bills player to watch

WR Khalil Shakir has established himself as QB Josh Allen’s safety valve and most reliable playmaker. He has caught all 14 attempts thrown his way for a team-leading 168 yards and two touchdowns. Going back to last season, Shakir has caught 27 of 27 targets, matching the best run by an NFL wide receiver since at least 1991.

Ravens player to watch

RB Derrick Henry is coming off rushing for 151 yards and two touchdowns at Dallas, by far his best game since joining Baltimore. He was limited to 46 yards in the season opener at Kansas City and 84 in Week 2 against Las Vegas but scored in each of those games. With how much the Ravens rely on the run, Henry is an X-factor most times they play.

Key matchup

Allen against Baltimore’s defense, not just the pass rush but the entire unit given how willing he is to take off and run. The 6-foot-5, 237-pounder has 17 carries for 85 yards and two touchdowns, along with 634 yards passing. The Ravens just allowed Cowboys QB Dak Prescott to throw for 379 yards, so facing Allen is an even bigger challenge and a chance to bounce back.

Key injuries

The Bills ruled out starting linebacker Terrel Bernard, who will miss his second consecutive game with a pectoral injury, and starting nickel CB Taron Johnson, who’s been out since hurting his right forearm in Week 1. … Baltimore’s offensive line is full of questions with C Tyler Linderbaum dealing with a knee injury, RG Andrew Vorhees an ankle injury and RT Patrick Mekari a neck injury. … Starting DT Michael Pierce (shoulder) and depth CB Jalyn Armour-Davis (hamstring) also missed practice early in the week, and LB Roquan Smith (ankle) was limited.

Series notes

The Bills have a two-game winning streak against the Ravens, counting the teams’ meeting in the 2020 playoffs. Baltimore won the previous three in the regular season, a run that predates Allen and Jackson entering the league. … These teams have each made the playoffs five of the past six seasons, joining Kansas City and Philadelphia as the only four to do so. Allen and Jackson, drafted in 2018, each made his NFL debut in a backup role in Baltimore’s 47-3 season-opening rout of Buffalo later that year. Allen, picked seventh, entered early in the third quarter in replacing turnover-prone starter Nathan Peterman and went 6 of 15 for 74 yards with 26 yards rushing and sacked three times. Jackson, taken 32nd, mopped up for Joe Flacco and finished 1 of 4 for 24 yards, added 39 yards rushing and was sacked once. … The Bills have won eight in a row in the regular season going back to last year, the league’s longest active streak. … Buffalo is making its third consecutive prime-time appearance, and opening a three-game run of road games. … The Ravens are 20-3 in prime-time home games under coach John Harbaugh since he arrived in 2008.

Stats and stuff

The Bills have gone an NFL-record 43 consecutive games without losing by more than six points. The streak began the week following a 41-15 loss to Indianapolis on Nov. 21, 2021. … Buffalo’s 34 points in the first half against the Jaguars were the fourth most in the first half in team history and the second most in the Super Bowl era. … Allen has lost a fumble but has yet to throw an interception this season, after throwing a career-high 18 last year. The seventh-year starter is 27-4 when not committing a turnover and 39-26 when he does. … The Bills are 5 of 5 on fourth down, including RB James Cook scoring a game-opening TD against Miami two weeks ago. … Buffalo’s six takeaways have all led to touchdowns, including Ja’Marcus Ingram’s pick-6 against Miami. … DE Von Miller has a sack in each of the first three games this season after he failed to get one in 14 games, including playoffs, last year while returning from a torn ACL. Miller is the NFL’s active leader with 126 1/2 and tied for 17th on the career list with Derrick Thomas. … Baltimore has rushed for 100-plus yards in 36 consecutive games, the fifth-longest streak in NFL history. … The Ravens’ 47 plays of 10 or more yards this season rank second in the league behind San Francisco’s 48. … Jackson leads QBs with 254 yards rushing, the most by a player at the position through the first three games of a season. He has 11 TDs and one INT over his past five regular-season games and is 6-1 in games on Sunday night. … WR Rashod Bateman led the team with 56 yards receiving at Dallas. … S Kyle Hamilton had a career-high 12 tackles.

Fantasy tip

Tight end production around the league is down, but Buffalo’s Dalton Kincaid could be in for a big night after the Ravens allowed Dallas’ Jake Ferguson to make six catches for 95 yards. Kincaid had four receptions for 41 yards and a TD against Jacksonville, so Allen is not afraid to look his way in important moments.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl