We've had plenty of time to digest that Thanksgiving meal the Bills feasted on in Dallas, one that has elevated this team to where they have felt they belong all along: the national stage.
This Sunday's game is the primary one the country will watch at 1 p.m. on CBS.
They follow that up with a game against the Steelers flexed to Sunday Night Football and then one flexed to Saturday afternoon in New England.
The Bills made a statement against the Cowboys.
The opportunity is there to build on that down the stretch.
Of course what really matters is the results, and with this team 9-3, it's very likely winning just one more game will push them into the playoffs.
It will be tougher than any test yet to do that against the Ravens, who Sean McDermott called the hottest team in the NFL.
He's right.
Baltimore has won eight in a row. They're averaging 33.9 points per game during that stretch while only allowing an average of 14.9.
Oh, and this run has come against some of the NFL's best teams (10-2 Seattle, 10-2 San Francisco, 10-2 New England, 8-4 Houston, 7-5 Pittsburgh, 7-5 LA Rams).
Let's dive into how things match-up between these two.
Battle of the Best of 2018 QB Class
What a difference a year makes. Based off their rookie seasons, most believed Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold were the two best quarterbacks from the 2018 draft class. Now, Lamar Jackson has vaulted past everyone and at the top of the NFL MVP conversation. Right behind him just may Josh Allen. While the Bills QB is not mesmerizing the league the way Jackson is, Allen has progressively gotten better and better each week and if you look at the numbers, is not as far from Jackson as most may think.
Overall on the season, Allen's 2,591 passing yards (17th in the NFL) are just ahead of Jackson's 2,532 (18th). Where the Ravens QB pushes ahead of Allen is in passing TDs (Jackson's 25 lead the NFL, Allen has 16), rating (109.6 to 88.3), and completion percentage (66.5% to 61.5%).
Of course Jackson is on the verge of breaking Michael Vick's NFL record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a season (63 yards away from surpassing Vick's 1,039 rushing yards in 2006), so he's way ahead of Allen's 430, which are second most by QB in the NFL. However, Allen holds the edge over Jackson with 8 rushing TDs to Jackson's 7.
Whichever way you want to slice it, Sunday will be a great showcase of the two QBs most questioned among the 2018 draft class that appear to be making the most strides forever their sophomore season.
Stopping Lamar
You see the numbers above that Lamar Jackson is putting up this season. I'm sure a lot of you have either reaped the rewards or been dealt with defeat in fantasy football because of Jackson.
Everyone is aware of what the Ravens QB is doing and the question now lies at the Bills feet as to how in the world do they try and stop him?
The players I spoke with this week made it clear they will have to play their most disciplined game of the season. While we sometimes mock the mantra "do your 1/11th" and "gap integrity," those two things are absolutely critical against a dual-threat like Jackson. As Jordan Phillips told me, if this defense makes the mistakes they made against the run a few weeks ago, they will all go as touchdowns. Of course that is easier said than done when in pursuit of one of the fastest players, period, in the game.
Greg Roman has instituted an offense that caters to Jackson's strength, incorporating a lot of RPO action. Bills players likened it to offenses you see at the high school and college levels, but with the NFL sophistication.
One way the Bills are trying to prepare for Jackson at practice this week has been using Ray-Ray McCloud as the scout team QB.
We'll see how well McCloud helped his defense practice patience when Jackson comes flying full speed Sunday.
From Baltimore to the Bills
John Brown chose the Ravens over the Bills last year and wasn't completely sold originally this offseason to come to Buffalo.
But here he is, and having a career year set to face the team he played for just a year.
Brown had 42 receptions for 715 and five touchdowns with the Ravens in 2018. Through 12 games with the Bills, he has 61 catches for 882 yards and five TDs.
Things have slowed down a bit of late for the Bills top target. After beginning the season with ten-straight games with at least four receptions and 50 yards receiving, Brown has totaled five receptions for 65 yards the past two games. Still, he ranks sixth in the AFC in receiving yards, 17th in the entire NFL.
There are no hard feelings between Brown and Baltimore, but he said this week he is glad he made the choice he did to sign with the Bills.
We saw Cole Beasley have quite a performance against his former team last game. Maybe Brown will follow suit.
First Round Fire
There are eight former first round picks on the Bills defense. Four of them were drafted by the Bills.
Ed Oliver's the most and is having the most success he's had during his rookie season. Oliver has four sacks in his last three games, including two and a forced fumble against the Cowboys, a performance earning him Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week honors.
This boost in production is coming on the heels of Oliver losing his starting job to Jordan Phillips. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said this week he was impressed by how the rookie handled the line-up change.
The only player who could make a case to be playing as well if not better than Oliver is Shaq Lawson. The 19th overall pick in 2015 says he feels like the player the team drafted out of Clemson. Over the past three games Lawson has 3.5 sacks, pushing him to a career-high 5.5 through 12 games.
Lamar Jackson's been sacked 21 times this season, ranked in the lower third in the league. Obviously his mobility plays a part, so it will be interesting how aggressive the Bills defense is with their pass rush knowing Jackson's ability to break out of the pocket and make big plays.
Injury Report
RAVENS
QUESTIONABLE: WR Marquise Brown (ankle), CB Marlon Humphrey (thigh), LB Patrick Onwuasor (ankle), WR Seth Roberts (knee)
BILLS
OUT: T Ty Nsekhe (ankle)
Bills and Ravens kick things off from New Era Field Sunday at 1 p.m.