Cold weather in Buffalo should help the Ravens

Throughout the week leading up to the Ravens’ AFC Divisional game against the Bills, players were asked repeatedly about the impact of the weather.

For some, like Canadian-born defensemen Tavius ​​Robinson and Brent Urban, Sunday’s cold temperatures will be business as usual. Isaiah Likely, originally from Cambridge, Massachusetts, said he has been “playing in the cold since he was a baby.”

The list goes on: Rashod Bateman and Daniel Faalele both played at Minnesota in college. Tyler Linderbaum went to Iowa, Patrick Ricard to Maine and Travis Jones to UConn. Players like Roquan Smith, Kyle Van Noy and Michael Pierce all had NFL stints in cold weather states.

Even for the large contingent of Ravens who grew up and/or went to college in the South, the cold poses no threat. Lamar Jackson played two games in freezing conditions, during which he completed 29 of 46 pass attempts for 299 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. That’s good for a passer rating of 110.69, eight points above his career average.

The first game was a relatively unremarkable (by Jackson standards) performance against the Chiefs in his rookie year. The second was last year’s rout of the Texans in the divisional round, with a passer rating of 121.8 (the second best of his postseason career after last week’s mark of 132.0). as well as 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries. Jackson was also excellent against the Browns and Steelers in near-freezing temperatures last month.

Jackson’s South Florida roots gave him a healthy disdain for the cold. His comically sized jacket has become a winter wardrobe staple. Whenever he’s not actively quarterbacking, he’s bundled up. Jackson plans to wear a “bigger jacket” on Sunday with the sideline heater hopes, but he won’t wear gloves (“I tried that in practice, I was horrible”).

“I’m trying to win, so it doesn’t really matter,” Jackson said of the forecasted weather.

The cold could matter more to defenders trying to tackle Jackson and his backfield partner, Derrick Henry. The Bills already fell back in Week 4 trying to take down the 247-pound running back. Sunday, every attempted broken tackle and every stiff arm and jerk will hurt that much more, turning the Ravens’ rushing attack into a war of attrition against a Buffalo defense that prefers light personnel. Dominating time of possession and keeping them on the field will wear them down over the course of four quarters, giving Baltimore a physical and mental advantage late in the game.

Of course, the Bills are used to this. Their 14-2 record under Sean McDermott in freezing temperatures leads the NFL since 1991. But their usual advantage should be negated by Baltimore’s ground game and their recent success in the cold.

Here is the latest weather update from Buffalo TV station WIVB4:

The temperature at kickoff is expected to be around 17 degrees, with light northwest winds, around 4 to 8 mph. Temperatures will drop throughout the match, and around 10 p.m., Orchard Park will be around 13 degrees.

Isolated snow showers or dust throughout the game cannot be ruled out, due to a weak band of lake-effect snow.

Translation: Brrrr.