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Week 7: Bills vs. Ravens
The Bills come back after the bye needing the week off to recover from a devastating loss to the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. Willis McGahee should be fired up for his return to Buffalo as a member of the Ravens. Kyle Boller gets the start at QB again this week for Baltimore. The Bills will need a few wrinkles on offense as they go up against one of the best defenses in football. Trent Edwards will be at the controls for the Bills once again.
FACTS AND FIGURES
| Matchup: |
Buffalo (1-4) vs. Baltimore (4-2) |
| Place: |
Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| Television: |
CBS |
| Announcers: |
Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon |
| Spread: |
Ravens by 3 |
| Series: |
Ravens Lead 2-1 |
| Streak: |
Ravens Won 2 |
| Last Meeting: |
Ravens 19-7 in Baltimore (2006) |
| Ravens Offense: |
Rush (16th); Pass (14th); overall (19th) |
| Ravens Defense: |
Rush (3rd); Pass (11th); overall (4th) |
| Bills Offense: |
Rush (20th); Pass (31st); overall (31st) |
| Bills Defense: |
Rush (25th); Pass (31st); overall (32nd) |
INJURY UPDATE
The Bills return from the bye healthier than they have been all season. Ryan Denney and Coy Wire should be back as they are both recovered from a broken foot and sprained knee respectively. Denney hasn't played all year, Wire was hurt in the opener. The team got Keith Ellison back last week. Brad Butler and Ashton Youboty should also be available. Butler suffered a hip contusion against Dallas and missed the bye week practices. Youboty missed that game with a sprained ankle. Jim Leonhard appears to be the only player, not out for the year, that won't be ready to play this week. Leonhard has a calf injury and missed the Cowboys game as well. The team is without Peerless Price for the season with a neck injury that required surgery. J.P. Losman is also back this week after spraining a knee against the Patriots and he will be the number two QB. Ko Simpson, Kevin Everett, Paul Pozluszny, Jason Whittle, and Jason Webster are on injured reserve.
The Ravens will be without two big weapons in the passing game against the Bills. The Ravens have a bye coming up after this game and are being cautious with some players that are banged up. Starting QB Steve McNair will sit out a second straight game with a back problem. Kyle Boller will start once again for Baltimore. TE Todd Heap aggravated a hamstring injury in their win over the Rams last week and he will also likely sit out this week. DL Trevor Pryce remains out with a wrist injury. CB Chris McAlister will also miss the game with a sprained knee. Two banged up offensive linemen should return this week for the Ravens. OT Adam Terry and C Mike Flynn should be ready to go, they have been battling ankle and knee injuries respectively. OT Jonathan Ogden has been out with a toe injury, his playing status is up in the air.
 Bills Daily Injury Page
KEY MATCHUPS
LB John DiGiorgio vs. RB Willis McGahee:
The former Bill plays at his best when he has extra motivation (like his two games a year against good friend Jonathan Vilma and the Jets while with the Bills). Do you think he has extra motivation this week? McGahee will be incredibly fired up for this one as will the fans. He wants to prove that the Bills made a mistake in trading him. DiGiorgio will have to have a great game to keep him under wraps. The fact that it's McGahee's birthday gives him a little extra juice for a huge game.
RB Marshawn Lynch vs. DT Haloti Ngata and LB Ray Lewis:
Lynch may have extra motivation as well as he is the man that replaced McGahee in the lineup. The Ravens defense is tough against the run led by Ngata clogging up the middle so Lewis can make the tackles. Fans still wish the Bills drafted Ngata when they had a chance.
QB Trent Edwards vs. FS Ed Reed:
Trent Edwards gets the nod at least for this week. He has to watch out for the ball hawking Reed. He is one of the best in the game and can turn the game with a big play at anytime.
CB Terrence McGee vs. WR Derrick Mason:
McGee normally doesn't lineup on the same side as Mason but since he's the biggest receiving threat for the Ravens, look for McGee to shadow him in this game. If he can take him out of the game the sledding will be that much tougher for Boller.
WR Lee Evans vs. CB Samari Rolle:
The Ravens have a solid secondary but the Bills must find a way to get Evans involved. They may try to move him around to take advantage of David Pittman who will be playing for the injured McAlister.
DE Chris Kelsay vs. RT Adam Terry:
Kelsay should get a boost with the return of Denney. That should keep him fresh on the left side of the defense. Terry is coming off an ankle injury and still may be a bit slowed. Kelsay has played well as of late and should be able to put pressure on Boller.
GAME PLAN
When The Bills Have The Ball: Another week, another 3-4 defense they should be ready for it with an extra week to plan but the Ravens will throw some wrinkles at them. The Bills need to be ready for disguised defensive schemes. Look for the Bills to try to get the ball in the hands of Lynch and Roscoe Parrish on short passes as much as possible and to move
Evans around as much as possible to get a good matchup. It may not be prudent to test the waters deep with the outstanding secondary the Ravens have.
When The Ravens Have The Ball: They will play on the emotions of McGahee and try to run the ball as much as possible. McGahee has been used as a receiver more this year than when he was with Buffalo so look for them to try to get the ball in his hands through the air as well.
BILLS DAILY PREDICTION
The fans will be almost has fired up as they were for the Monday nighter thanks to their most hated son returning to roost in McGahee. The fans emotions should help the team play as well as they have the past two games. The Ravens are good but not as good as they have been in past years. Boller doesn't make the big plays McNair would make but he does manage a game well. Look for the Bills to pull off the upset and get the bad taste out of their mouths from the Cowboys loss:
Bills 16, Ravens 13
Season Prediction Record: (3-2)
Season Record Against The Spread: (3-2)
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