Jackson Faces Allen in Ravens-Bills Showdown This Sunday
The quarterback duel serves as a litmus test for Baltimore, which is searching for form after back-to-back defeats.
By Amelia Foster ·
Lamar Jackson is scheduled to face Josh Allen in a head-to-head matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. The contest is the centerpiece of NFL Week 8 and pits two of the league's most prominent passers against one another. Buffalo enters the game as a three-point favorite with a total points line of 53.5.
The timing of the game presents a critical moment for the Ravens. Baltimore has lost its last two games by surrendering halftime leads of 10 points or more to rivals Cleveland and Cincinnati. Those defeats occurred while Jackson was absent from the lineup. A victory would help validate the team's standing as a playoff contender, while another loss would deepen questions about the squad's resilience.
SportsLine analyst Eric Cohen projects a high-scoring affair, predicting a 31-25 victory for the Bills. Cohen notes that the Bills are coming off a bye week, having defeated the Los Angeles Rams and Las Vegas Raiders on the road. He points out that Buffalo has won four of the last five meetings against Baltimore, including two playoff contests. In the Week 1 game last year, Baltimore collapsed in the fourth quarter to lose by a single point in Buffalo.
Cohen emphasizes the advantage of rest and home field. Teams holding a rest advantage and playing at home are 12-3 against the spread this season. He expects the game to be a shootout, given the offensive capabilities of both quarterbacks. The Bills currently share the top spot in the AFC with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The season features other notable matchups that reflect the depth of the field. The Seattle Seahawks host the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, with both teams having won prime time games the previous week. The Kansas City Chiefs travel to Denver, where analyst John Breech predicts a 20-16 win based on Denver's vulnerability to the run. The Los Angeles Rams are favored to beat the Los Angeles Chargers, while the Philadelphia Eagles play the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football.
Betting lines for the week show a variety of spreads across the league. The New England Patriots are listed as 7.5-point favorites over the Miami Dolphins. The Cincinnati Bengals are 10.5-point favorites against the Tennessee Titans. The Dallas Cowboys are six-point favorites over the Arizona Cardinals. The Detroit Lions are three-point favorites over the Minnesota Vikings. The Jacksonville Jaguars are 7.5-point favorites over the Indianapolis Colts.
Expert picks for the week are aggregated from multiple sources, including the SportsLine Projection Model. The model has simulated each NFL game 10,000 times to generate its projections. Analysts have provided specific score predictions and spread picks for every game on the slate. The consensus betting odds are sourced from SportsLine data.
Source: CBS Sports
