The playoff matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens might be the most anticipated event of the season.
As they prepare for their second encounter, the teams are in drastically different places, despite Baltimore ambushing Buffalo by defeating them 35-10 on Sunday Night Football in Week 4 at M&T Bank Stadium.
With 11 victories in their last 13 games, the Bills are arguably the NFL’s hottest team. They have secured the No. 2 seed and home-field advantage in the divisional stage for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in the previous five seasons. The local start time of 6:30 p.m. will allow the Bills Mafia plenty of time to tailgate and prepare for the Ravens, and Highmark Stadium is a difficult place to play.
However, since 2020, when it defeated Baltimore 17-3 at home before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-24 in a historic AFC Championship Game, Buffalo has not gone past the second round. However, because the Ravens and Buffalo have a 2-2 record when quarterbacks Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson face off, the Ravens present a special challenge to Buffalo.
Unless enough voters think Allen’s performance is better, Jackson, the current MVP, might win the award again this season. However, they were the two quarterbacks selected to the first team All-Pro this season, and with the opportunity to play the Chiefs, the two-time reigning champions, on the line, they should be playing at their best.
Given that Buffalo has minus-money odds of roughly -105 and Baltimore is a slim one-point favorite with -115 moneyline odds, Vegas thinks it will be excellent as well. It might become a classic and a game that gamers will talk about for years to come.
Therefore, it will be difficult to wager on the game. Just hours before it begins, I have no idea how to place a wager. The fact that these sides will score points, however, shouldn’t be complicated, therefore anytime-touchdown betting is the best course of action.
The top Pennsylvania sportsbooks offer the following six Ravens vs. Bills anytime touchdown scorer prop bets.
Anytime touchdown scorer prop bets for Ravens vs. Bills
The touchdown of Derrick Henry (-200) at bet365 Sportsbook
BetMGM Sportsbook’s James Cook touchdown (+105) score
touchdown for Josh Allen (+110) at BetMGM Sportsbook
BetMGM Sportsbook: Mark Andrews touchdown (+175)
FanDuel Sportsbook: Rashod Bateman touchdown (+190)
Bet365 Sportsbook: Khalil Shakir touchdown (+210)
Derrick Henry anytime touchdown (-200)
Where: Sportsbook Bet365
Why: After going four games without scoring in Weeks 12–16, Henry has now scored in three consecutive games and finished tied with James Cook and Jahmyr Gibbs for the NFL lead in rushing touchdowns (16). He ran for 186 yards and scored twice as Baltimore defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 28–14 in the wild-card round.
In their inaugural encounter, the Ravens dominated the Bills. Henry led the way with 199 running yards and an 87-yard rushing touchdown on their opening scrimmage play. In the second quarter, he scored a five-yard receiving touchdown.
The Bills only gave up 13 touchdowns on the ground during the regular season, and they haven’t allowed a rushing touchdown in two of their last three games. In the one game they did, they rested the most of their players in their 23-16 defeat to the Patriots. However, in the last seven games, they have still given up seven rushing touchdowns.
Given that he finished second on the Ravens in touchdowns (4), Lamar Jackson (+195 FanDuel) could appear to be a viable option for a running touchdown. However, since Jackson scored four touchdowns from at least nine yards out during the regular season, Henry is the main goal-line back.
Although Henry’s odds might appear too low for a straight bet, some bookmakers give an implied probability of -340 for a Henry anytime TD. However, players still receive $0.53 profit per dollar bet from bet365 Sportsbook odds, which is far more profitable than the $0.20 at -200.
James Cook anytime touchdown (+105)
Where: Sportsbook BetMGM
Why: Allen is among the top two quarterbacks in terms of goal-line rushing touchdown threats, and James Cook, like Derrick Henry, concluded the regular season with 16 touchdowns. Cook has scored in seven of Buffalo’s nine home games this season and has scored in five consecutive games, including his five-yard run that put Buffalo ahead for good in their 31-7 victory over the Denver Broncos in their wild-card game on Sunday.
During the regular season, the Ravens only gave up 12 rushing touchdowns and topped the NFL in rushing defense (80.1 yards per game). Cook only had nine carries for 39 yards in the first meeting between the two teams, while Baltimore gave up just 29 running yards to the Steelers.
However, Buffalo’s first game went horribly wrong, as they trailed 21-3 at halftime and fell behind the game script. Additionally, in the third quarter, Ty Johnson scored from three yards out, vultured a rushing touchdown.
Cook also had two receiving touchdowns, so if the Ravens’ run defense is strong in short yardage, he might also be a force close to the goal line. Even with Baltimore’s strong run defense, it is imperative to wager on Cook at plus-money because he had the same number of all-purpose touchdowns as Henry (20).
Josh Allen anytime touchdown (+110)
Where: Sportsbook BetMGM
Why: Allen is a weapon close to the goal line and one of the sport’s most exciting players. With the exception of his one-snap start in Buffalo’s season finale versus New England, he has scored nine touchdowns in his last eight games, six of which have come from within four yards.
Given that the Ravens finished 31st in the NFL in passing yards per game (244.1) during the regular season, Allen should be able to put Buffalo in the red zone. Russell Wilson and the Steelers defeated Baltimore by 251 passing yards in the Wild Card round, albeit a large portion of that was due to the game script because the Ravens had a 21-0 lead at the half.
Cook and Allen are a distinct red zone combination that other opponents have not been able to throw at Baltimore if the Bills can get the ball into the red zone, particularly inside the 10-yard line. Therefore, on Sunday, one or both should score.
Mark Andrews anytime touchdown (+175)
Where: Sportsbook BetMGM
Why:Andrews six-game touchdown streak was snapped by the Steelers on Saturday night, but he still has been red hot after failing to score in Baltimore s first five games. Andrews led Baltimore with 11 receiving touchdowns, with each of his scores coming over the past 13 weeks.
Andrews did not have a catch and was targeted only once in the teams first meeting. But again, Baltimore ran the ball 34 times, and Jackson only attempted 18 passes since they played from ahead from their first play from scrimmage on.
Even though the Ravens hit the Bills in the rushing game during their regular-season meeting, Buffalo was exploitable through the air all season. Buffalo finished tied for 25th in passing touchdowns against (28) and was tied for 23rd in receiving yards against per game (241.2), which means Jackson should have a big day passing.
Buffalo has allowed a touchdown to a tight end in two of its past four games not including offensive lineman Dan Skipper s nine-yard receiving touchdown in the Bills win over the Lions in Week 15.
Rashod Bateman anytime touchdown (+190)
FanDuel Sportsbook is where
Why:Bateman was second to Andrews in receiving touchdowns (9) and finished second to Zay Flowers in receiving yards (756) on the Ravens as well. Flowers seems unlikely to play for Baltimore while he nurses a knee injury since he has not practiced at all this week.
So that makes Andrews and Bateman the primary receiving options for Sunday, with Isaiah Likely and Nelson Agholor clearly in line as secondary targets. We detailed Buffalo s struggles defending the pass, and it also gave up a 43-yarder to Troy Franklin on Denver s opening drive, a score that Bateman could very well duplicate if Baltimore gets the ball first.
Vegas expects this to be a high-scoring game, sinceFanDuel has the over/under set at 51.5 points. That means each team is likely to score at least three touchdowns, and if they do, Bateman seems like the wide receiver most likely to cross the goal line.
Khalil Shakir anytime touchdown (+210)
Where: Sportsbook Bet365
Why:The Ravens pass defense surrendered most of their yards and points against all season, and given Allen s dominant passing of late with 13 passing touchdowns in his past seven games, Buffalo should put up at least one score through the air.
Even though the Bills lack a household name leading their receiving corps, Shakir was their clear No. 1 wideout, since he led the team in targets (100), receptions (75), and yards (821), even though he only finished with four receiving touchdowns, which still was tied for second most on the Bills behind Mack Hollins.
The Ravens allowed more than 1.5 receiving touchdowns per game, and even though Keon Coleman (+275- BetMGM) has emerged as a great No. 2 option, Shakir is the pick since he is more likely to be targeted and could turn a catch and run into a lengthy score since three of his four touchdowns came from 10 yards out.