The Baltimore Ravens' Week 8 bout against the Buffalo Bills could ultimately be decided by battles between specific position groups or individual players outperforming their counterparts on the other side of the ball.

In the team's first game with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson back under center after he missed the last three games with an ankle sprain, they're entering this matchup as slight road underdogs.

If the Ravens prevail, they will improve to 5-3 and will likely still be in last place in the AFC North standings since they're the only team without a division win, and even if the other three lose on Sunday, they'd all be tied with the same number of losses. Here are the four matchups that can either make or break this game:

WR Zay Flowers vs. Bills LBs and CBs

The Ravens' two-time Pro Bowl wideout ranks seventh in the league in receiving yards with a team-leading 608 yards and is one of only two pass catchers averaging over 100 receiving yards per game with his 101.3, trailing only the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Jaxon Smith-Njigba. An area where Flowers has feasted the most this year, no matter who has been under center, is over the middle of the field.

First-year offensive coordinator Declan Doyle has consistently found ways to get him matched up against off-ball linebackers in space, which is a mismatch in favor of the Ravens every time. With Jackson back in the lineup, Flowers can get back to stretching the field vertically, as the two of them were routinely linking up for 20-plus yard plays through the air to begin the season before injuries interrupted their lethal connection.

Ravens' defensive front vs. Bills' offensive line

With Buffalo's elite blocking unit at full strength in this game, Baltimore is going to need to play to its full potential in the trenches both along the interior and on the edge. In order to slow down James Cook and a Bills' rushing attack, which ranks fifth in the league in yards, second in yards per attempt (5.1) and first in expected points added by the ground game (31.71), they'll need to win at the point of attack and own the line of scrimmage. With a quarterback like Josh Allen who can plow his way for a first down in just about any short-to-medium yardage situation, limiting their gains on early downs will be paramount, as will maintaining rush-lane integrity to limit and prevent scrambles.

Some specific individual matchups to keep an eye on will be the Ravens' four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Trey Hendrickson against Bills' left tackle Dion Dawkins, two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike against guards O'Cyrus Torrence and Alec Anderson and outside linebacker Mike Green against backup right tackle Tylan Grable, who is filling in for injured veteran Spencer Brown.

Ravens offensive line vs. Bills defensive line

On the flip side, the Ravens also need to dictate terms in the trenches on offense against a talented Buffalo front in order to have success in Jackson's long-awaited return to the lineup. It won't be easy along the interior, especially without stud first-round rookie Vega Ioane, who is out with a knee injury. It means that they'll have to face the defensive tackle duo of veteran Ed Oliver and second-year breakout Deone Walker with yet another different configuration, as this will mark the second game for two-time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens since being acquired via trade and the second start of the season for Andrew Vorhees.

On the edge, the only player who's been consistently generating pressure for the Bills is defensive end Gregory Rousseau. He leads the team with six sacks but hasn't recorded one in their last three games, and since he lines up on the defense's left side, he'll be seeing a lot of Ravens right tackle Roger Rosengarten, who has had a nice bounce-back campaign as one of the team's most consistent offensive linemen.

Ravens CBs vs. Bills WRs

The Ravens have struggled to limit the impact of the opposing team's wideouts for all four quarters this season, and their corners are the primary culprits, allowing the third-most receiving yards to the receiver position with 1,271. While the Bills haven't gotten much prolific production from their wideouts, with none over 300 receiving yards entering this game, they tend to make key plays in high-leverage moments, and veteran D.J. Moore will be back in action for the first time since Week 4. After horrendous showings in last week's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore will need a big bounce-back game from their starting outside duo of Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins in this one if they hope to avoid getting in a shootout.