We’ve Got a Really Tough Matchup Coming Up, Says Coach
Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott has acknowledged that the team faces a tough matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens handed the Bills a beating earlier in the season, and McDermott knows his team will have to be prepared for another strong start from their opponents.
The Bills found themselves behind early in the first meeting, much like their recent game against the Denver Broncos, which saw Denver take an early 7-0 lead. The Bills’ defense came up with two big red-zone stops to keep the game close until the third quarter.
With the game hanging in the balance, the Bills faced a fourth-and-1 at the Denver 24-yard line. McDermott had a choice: attempt a field goal and take a two-score lead or go for it all. He chose to keep the offense on the field, and the decision paid off when quarterback Josh Allen connected with Ty Johnson on a circus catch in the end zone, giving the Bills a 21-7 lead and a two-point conversion.
“This is just going to take a lot of prayer,” Allen said of the decision. “Man-to-man, I thought they played pretty good coverage on some of our underneath routes. I just extended the play, and Ty did what Ty does.”
McDermott, too, credited Allen with making a play under pressure. “Fourth down, just need to make a play there,” he said. “I was holding my breath a little bit, too, until it ended up in Ty’s hands.”
The win improved the Bills’ conversion rate on fourth-down attempts to 16-for-22 (72.7%) during the regular season. Now, they’ll face the Ravens, who handed them a tough loss earlier in the season. The Bills will need to be resilient and determined to exact revenge. “They’re resilient,” McDermott said. “It starts up front.”