The Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills battle in the final NFL Divisional Round game on Sunday, Jan. 19, at Highmark Stadium to determine who gets the final spot in the AFC Championship Game. Kickoff for Ravens-Bills is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET; the game will be broadcast on CBS.
Beyond NFL spreads and total bets, I'm looking at Ravens vs. Bills anytime touchdown scorers — I have one pick for each team on Sunday night.
Ravens vs. Bills Anytime Touchdown Picks
- Isaiah Likely Anytime Touchdown (+400; BetMGM)
- Amari Cooper Anytime Touchdown (+500; BetMGM)
Isaiah Likely Anytime TD (+400)
The Ravens and Bills met during the regular season — it was a one-sided contest that saw Ravens RB Derrick Henry shred the Bills for 199 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
While I expect an improved gameplan from the Bills, there’s only so much they can do to contain Henry. That’s why he’s up to -230 to score a touchdown.
This is why I’m not as high on Baltimore's pass-catchers to score — the Ravens likely won’t need to throw unless they’re in a trailing game script. And when they get to the red-zone, Henry has dominated and carried the ball on 92% of all carries inside the 10-yard line.
The one Ravens pass-catcher I would consider, however, is TE Isaiah Likely at +400. Likely had more targets than Mark Andrews in the Wild Card game and the TE2 may need to be utilized more once again with WR Zay Flowers likely sidelined.
As I mentioned with the Ravens' rushing attack, this could mean Likely sees the field more in two-TE sets to help establish the run for Henry. Likely played over 80% of snaps in the Wild Card game, and with the Bills playing zone defense at a higher rate than league average, he could see more targets underneath to chew up yards and also be a big target for Lamar Jackson in the end zone.
Amari Cooper Anytime TD (+500)
While Likely has me intrigued, my eyes lit up when I saw Amari Cooper at +500.
The former All-Pro hasn’t been as impactful in Buffalo with only two receiving TDs. Still, he Cooper is a veteran who has the ability to make plays outside against a man-heavy Ravens defense.
Another reason why I expect him to be utilized more? The Ravens' run defense is no joke. Josh Allen may rush the ball at times to extend drives, but I’m not expecting RB James Cook to be effective in this one.
When these teams played in September, the Bills' running game was non-existent and totaled 81 yards on 23 carries. The Ravens ranked first during the regular season with only 80.1 rushing yards allowed per game — only Saquon Barkley ran for over 100 yards on them all season.
The value in this game is on Bills pass-catchers, which is why I’m drawn to Cooper in this spot. Even the Steelers managed two touchdowns last week to outside options — WR George Pickens and WR Van Jefferson — so that’s where I expect the Bills to be busy. The Ravens allowed 27 passing TDs this season, with 18 of those to WRs.
