Last season under defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, the Ravens ranked sixth in total defense (301.4 yds/gm) and had the league’s No. 1 scoring defense with just 16.5 pts/gm.

In three weeks this season under new coordinator Zach Orr, the Ravens are allowing 341.7 yds/gm (10th in the NFL) and 26.0 pts/gm (T-8th in the NFL). They are the only team in the NFL to have allowed more than 25 points in all three games this season (Baltimore allowed more than 25 points in two games all of last season, including the playoffs).

If Baltimore allows 25+ points in this game, it would be the longest 25+ point streak in franchise history (four times before, most recently in the 2016 season).

Buffalo’s defensive success early in the season is particularly impressive considering the Bills are missing several key contributors due to injury:

• LB Matt Milano – a first-team All-Pro in 2022 – suffered a torn biceps in training camp that required surgery. Milano started the season as a substitute and it is still too early to say whether his season is over. Milano only played five games last season and suffered a serious knee/leg injury in Week 5
• 2023 second-round pick Dorian Williams has been a starter in Milano’s absence this season and leads the Bills in tackles (30), including a fumble recovery in Week 1 against Arizona.
• LB Terrel Bernard – one of two team captains alongside QB Josh Allen – suffered a pectoral strain in Week 2 and will miss his second game of the week.
• CB Taron Johnson — who started every game last season and was named Second Team All-Pro — suffered a forearm injury on the first drive of their Week 1 win. He has missed the last two games and is expected to miss tonight too.

Baltimore is one of six teams with at least 600 rushing yards in their first three games since 1990 (Green Bay is also on that list).

Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson are the first pair of teammates with at least 250 rush yards each in their team’s first three games of the season since 1976 (LA Rams – John Cappelletti and Lawrence McCutcheon). The last pair of teammates with more than 300 rush yards each in their team’s first four games of the season were Warrick Dunn and Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2006.

Against the Ravens, Buffalo (3-0) is trying to stay in the circle of undefeated teams that have shrunk today.

Pittsburgh (3-1) suffered its first loss, 27-24, in Indianapolis, despite the Colts losing starting quarterback Anthony Richardson in the first quarter. And in Los Angeles, the Chargers took a 10-0 first-half lead and 3-0 against Kansas City. For now, the remaining undefeated teams include Minnesota, which improved to 4-0 with a win against Green Bay, and Seattle (3-0), which plays Detroit on Monday.

As for the three teams that started the weekend without a win, this ominous difference can no longer be ignored. Cincinnati defeated Carolina 34-24 and improved to 1-3. Jacksonville (0-4) and Tennessee, which plays Monday, are still waiting.

Former Titans RB Derrick Henry, who joined the Ravens on a two-year, $16 million contract, has scored four rushing touchdowns in his first three games with the team.

The 30-year-old – who spends nearly $250,000 annually on personal care – played his first monster game with Baltimore in Week 3 and posted season highs in total carries (25), rush Yds (151) and rush TD (2).

In Weeks 1–2 (both losses), Henry had 31 carries for a total of 130 rush yards (with 2 rush touchdowns).

In the Lamar Jackson era, running the ball was the calling card of the Ravens’ offense.

Since 2018 (Jackson’s rookie year), Baltimore has been the best offense in the NFL in multiple categories. The Ravens’ commitment to the running back spanned three offensive coordinators during that span – Marty Mornhingweg (2018), Greg Roman (2019-22) and current OC Todd Monken, who took over in 2023.

This season has been no different for the Ravens – they rank second in rush offense with an average of 203.3 rush yards per game (behind only Green Day – 204.0). After an 0-2 start, Baltimore rode the run game to its first win of the season in Dallas.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s miraculous comeback reached another milestone Monday when he made his first career interception.

Hamlin intercepted Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence late in the second quarter. Lawrence overthrew receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and Hamlin was ready and waiting to receive the errant pass.

The Bills scored their fourth touchdown just a few plays later and won 47-10.

While Allen has distributed the ball in the passing game, RB James Cook is the clear No. 1 in the backfield, leading the team in carries (41), rush yards (188) and rushing TD (3).

Cook, who had a total of four rushing TDs in his first two seasons in the league (two in 2022 and 2023), has already set a career-high three rushing TDs in just three games this season.

He scored a total of three TDs (2 rush, 1 rec) in the Week 2 win at Miami and added another rushing TD in Week 3 against Jacksonville.

Cook is one of only five NFL players with over 85 scrimmage yards in all three games this season (along with Saquon Barkley of the Eagles, Nico Collins of the Texans, Alvin Kamara of the Saints and Jordan Mason of the 49ers) and is ranked in Team ranked second in catches (eight) and second in receiving yards (97).

Buffalo began this season wondering where its offensive production would come from after trading away All-Pro WR Stefon Diggs (who led BUF in catches, receiving yards and rec TD over the last four seasons) to Houston and the no. Lost 2-WR Gabe Davis (second in Rec YDs and Rec TD each of the last two seasons) in free agency to Jacksonville.

Under new full-time offensive coordinator Joe Brady, the offense has adopted an “everybody eats” mentality to replace lost production, with Allen distributing the ball while the Bills put up a league-high 112 points (37.3 pts/min). have achieved. through three weeks.

Allen has thrown seven touchdown passes this season – to six different players. In the Week 3 win over Jacksonville, 10 different Bills had a reception and six different Bills scored a touchdown.

Buffalo and Baltimore have been two of the NFL’s best teams since fielding their respective superstar QBs in 2018, yet neither team has reached the Super Bowl during that span.

The failure of the Bills and Ravens to overcome the crisis is largely due to the Kansas City Chiefs, who have reached four Super Bowls in the last five seasons and won three of them.

Both Buffalo and Baltimore finished their seasons at home against Kansas City last season, with the Chiefs defeating the Bills 27-24 in the Divisional Round and then defeating the Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship Game.

In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Bills selected Josh Allen with the seventh overall pick and the Ravens selected Lamar Jackson with the 32nd overall pick.

Allen and Jackson were two of five quarterbacks selected in the first round of that draft and are the only two still with the team that drafted them. The other quarterbacks signed were Baker Mayfield (Browns, now with the Bucs), Sam Darnold (Jets and now with the Vikings) and Josh Rosen (Cardinals. He is now out of football and is at the Wharton School of Business enrolled in UPenn).

While Lamar Jackson already has two MVPs on his resume, Josh Allen enters Week 4 as the MVP favorite with an NFL-high 9 touchdowns (7 pass, 2 rush) and no interceptions this season.

It is the first time in his career that he has opened a season without interceptions in the first three games (Allen only had three games without an INT in the 2023 regular season). He had an outstanding performance in the Week 3 win over JAX, throwing for 263 yards with 4 touchdowns (also had 44 rush yards). His performance earned him the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award