By Mike Garrity
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills had two weeks to think about the last 15 minutes of their last two games. Today they find out whether the bye fixed anything, and they find out against the quarterback most likely to expose it.
The Bills (5-1) host the Baltimore Ravens (4-3) at 1 p.m. at Highmark Stadium. Baltimore coach Jesse Minter said Friday that his team expects Lamar Jackson back after the quarterback missed three games with a left ankle sprain, according to the Bills’ injury report.
“We do think we’ll have Lamar this week,” Minter said.
Buffalo will be without one of its starting safeties, and it will be carrying a handful of questionable players into a game against an offense built around Jackson and running back Derrick Henry.
The fourth-quarter problem
The record looks clean. The way the Bills got there does not. Buffalo beat the Los Angeles Rams 37-34 in overtime and the Las Vegas Raiders 33-30, and it gave up 20 fourth-quarter points to Los Angeles and 10 to Las Vegas, FingerLakes1.com reported from the team’s preview. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard spent the week stressing execution, cleaner communication and fewer penalties.
Baltimore has its own second-half issue. The Ravens led Cincinnati 13-0 at halftime last week and lost 35-13 after the Bengals scored touchdowns on five straight second-half possessions. Baltimore went 1-2 without Jackson.
Buffalo also has history on its side, for what it is worth. The Bills have won their first game after a bye 11 seasons in a row. And in last season’s opener, they came back from 15 points down in the fourth quarter to beat Baltimore 41-40.
Getting ready for Jackson
Head coach Joe Brady said the Bills planned all week as if Jackson would play.
“We know we’re going to get the best version of Lamar Jackson, and it’s going to make for good football,” Brady said Friday.
Jackson is not the only problem. Henry leads the NFL with 147 rushing attempts and has 13,597 career rushing yards, 66 short of passing Jerome Bettis for eighth on the all-time list. Receiver Zay Flowers is averaging 101.3 receiving yards a game, second in the league. On the other side, Baltimore edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has 29 pressures in five games.
A safety short, and a fine instead of a second suspension
Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson serves a one-game suspension today. The NFL suspended him without pay for spitting at an opponent in the second quarter of the Oct. 18 win in Las Vegas, citing the league rule against “any act which is contrary to the generally understood principles of sportsmanship,” according to NFL.com. His appeal was denied. He is eligible to return Monday.
Brady did not soften it when he spoke the day after the game, according to the team’s website.
“He knows that that can’t happen. That’s inexcusable. That’s not the standard that we’re going to have and play with,” Brady said. “He’s addressed it, it’s been addressed.”
He also made clear the team was keeping him. “C.J. is a member of the Buffalo Bills. We brought him here for a reason and he knows that he has to play better. He knows he has to be better for this team,” Brady said.
A second Bills defensive back, Sam Franklin Jr., was also suspended for an alleged spitting incident in the same game, toward Raiders right tackle DJ Glaze after an extra point late in the fourth quarter. Franklin denied it. Hearing officer James Thrash rescinded that suspension on appeal and fined him $14,926 instead, NFL.com reported, less than a fifth of the $75,294.12 he would have lost by sitting out. Franklin is eligible today.
That two players from one secondary drew league discipline for the same kind of act in one game is a question the Bills have mostly answered by talking about standards. Today is the first chance to see whether the discipline changes how the back end plays.
Hamlin steps in
The team expects Damar Hamlin to start next to Cole Bishop. Hamlin already did the job once this season, taking over after Gardner-Johnson was ejected in Las Vegas. He finished with six tackles, including two open-field stops that the team said kept potential touchdowns off the board.
“I thought Damar did a great job of stepping in,” Leonhard said after that game. “He calmed things down for us, made some big time tackles for us.”
Who is questionable
Brady listed receiver DJ Moore (shoulder), tight end Dalton Kincaid (chest), cornerback Dee Alford (ankle), defensive lineman Greg Gaines and right tackle Spencer Brown (back) as questionable. The official report later added outside linebacker TJ Parker (knee). Defensive tackle Ed Oliver has no designation and is expected to play for the first time since Week 4.
Brown did not practice Thursday, but Brady said he trusts the veteran tackle to play without the reps.
“He’s played a lot of football and man, he’s playing at such a high level right now,” Brady said. “I have a lot of trust in his preparation and not being able to get reps and still be able to go out there and do his job.”
What to watch
The game is on CBS and on the Bills Radio Network, which airs on WGRF 96.9 FM in Buffalo. After Baltimore, the Bills play at Minnesota on Monday night, Nov. 9.
The thing to watch is simple. If Buffalo is protecting a lead with Jackson and Henry on the field late, the bye will be judged on those last 15 minutes.
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