The Buffalo Bills have had a busy few days since returning from their bye in Week 7 to prepare to take on the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. 

The Bills will be looking to continue their winning ways, but coming away with a victory against the 4-3 Baltimore Ravens, who are in last place in the AFC North.

With starting franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson expected to be back in the lineup after missing several weeks with a high ankle sprain, the Ravens will undoubtedly be rejuvenated, despite losing two straight.

And, given that Buffalo will be without starting nickel cornerback Dee Alford and possibly a few others on both sides of the ball, it’ll only make matters more difficult.

There are some matchups that the Bills must either look to exploit or keep under wraps.

Here are four areas to watch out for.

1. Ravens’ WR Zay Flowers vs. Bills’ banged-up secondary

Probably unbeknownst to many casual fans around the NFL, Ravens’ fourth-year wideout Zay Flowers currently leads the AFC in receiving yards with 608 yards on 40 catches, and he’s done so while only playing in six of Baltimore’s seven games.

The former Boston College speedster is having a phenomenal season with or without franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson in the lineup, too, and it should frighten Bills Mafia considering that Bills’ defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s unit is allowing the second most yards in the league right now at 285.8 yards per game.

If Leonhard and Co. can’t come up with a plan to at least slow down Flowers, then it’s going to be a long afternoon for Buffalo’s defense . . . and it could get scary.

Rookie cornerback Davison Igbinosun and veteran Christian Benford will be tasked with covering him on the outside at times, but Flowers also plays in the slot. 

So, whomever Leonhard decides to replace the previously mentioned Alford with in the slot will also have a huge job on their hands.

 2. Baltimore’s Pass Rush vs. Buffalo’s Offensive Line

A key to victory on Sunday will be how the Bills’ offensive line performs against a Ravens’ pass rush that is currently tied for the seventh most sacks in the NFL, with 16 quarterback sacks equating to 2.3 sacks per contest. 

For comparison, the Bills' Rousseau (6 sacks) and Co. have just 11 combined sacks through six games as a unit.

With starting right tackle Bills’ Spencer Brown listed as questionable after only practicing on Friday—due to ongoing back issues, there is concern regarding how Buffalo can manage to protect quarterback Josh Allen on Sunday, especially if Brown can’t go.

Brown left early against the Los Angeles Rams in week 5, but was able to return to play against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6.

For that reason, this is definitely an area to watch, especially if third-year tackle Tylan Grable has to make the start in Brown's absence.

3. Bills’ Interior DL vs. Ravens’ Interior OL

As Bills ON SI already covered earlier this week, sixth-year veteran outside linebacker Gregory Rousseau has gone missing on the stat sheet recently, and it’s left a lot to be desired for Buffalo’s pass rush.

Much like Buffalo, Baltimore is also dealing with some unfortunate oline injury issues with rookie first-round right guard Olaivavega Ioane ruled out with a sprained MCL. The injury will force the Ravens to trot out their sixth different offensive line combination of the 2026 season on Sunday.

The Bills’ interior defensive linemen, specifically veteran Ed Oliver and second-year Deone Walker, need to take advantage of the Ravens rotating o-line.

If the Bills allow quarterback Lamar Jackson to easily stand in the pocket or give him easy escape lanes, then it could be a day to forget in Western New York. They can't allow running back Derrick Henry to get loose at the second level of the defense, either.

It’ll be imperative that Oliver, Walker, and the rest of the defensive front win their one-on-one matchups on a regular basis in this pivotal AFC meeting.

4. James Cook and Buffalo’s Running Game vs. Baltimore’s Stout Defense

As it stands right now, it appears that the Ravens’ pass defense (16th, 220.9 YPG) might be lagging slightly behind its run defense (9th, 96.6 YPG).

However, that doesn’t mean that the Bills’ should just look to air it out on Sunday. Instead, they should look to strategically attack Baltimore’s defensive front with James Cook and the running game, and somehow find ways to make things slightly easier on quarterback Josh Allen and the passing offense. 

Doing so will be easier said than done, but there’s a reason that Cook is still third in the NFL in yards gained on the ground through Week 7 in 2026 after earning the rushing title in 2025.

The former Georgia Bulldog is also doing so while having carried the ball less than every other running back in the top-six of that category  this year heading into the first Sunday of November.

If Cook can get into a groove in the ground game against the Ravens’ stout run defense, then it’ll do wonders for Allen and the rest of the offensive operation.