If there’s inclement weather in Buffalo, which team benefits more? originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
All week long, Ravens players and coaches have answered questions about the unstoppable force on Saturday night — the weather.
As of Friday afternoon, it appears the Ravens and Bills may dodge a bullet with inclement weather, as heavy snow will settle farther east. According to weather.com, a few snow showers are possible during the afternoon, with winds at 10 to 15 miles an hour. At night, it will be 32 degrees with snow showers possible, with winds at 15 to 25 miles an hour.
While snow is certainly possible, or even likely on Saturday, it appears there won’t be much impactful winter weather. But which team does that benefit more?
The short answer is that the Ravens, with their league-best rushing offense, would enjoy the weather the most. They lead the league with 5.5 yards per carry and, in their last six games, have averaged 262.1 yards per game. In poor weather, that should play to the Ravens’ strengths.
“Our offense, we’re built for whatever it is – a run-first offense,” running back Gus Edwards said Thursday. “I think we’ll do good. We’ll just make sure our footing is right. We’ll probably get an opportunity to go out there pregame and just check everything out and make sure we’re ready.”
The answer, though, is likely somewhere in the middle. If there’s snow and wind that impacts the passing game enough, the Ravens will hold a clear advantage as quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills will be throwing the ball into bad conditions. But if the snow impacts the field enough to make it a slippery terrain, the speed advantage the Ravens hold will be mitigated.
Of the two teams, Buffalo clearly has the best passing attack and would be best if there were optimal conditions. Naturally, in any sort of inclement weather, Baltimore will hold an advantage. But in the wind, the Ravens’ kicking advantage with Justin Tucker will also likely be mitigated, as the league’s best kicker will not be able to be relied on as securely.
Saturday’s game could look like a snowglobe, or it could offer a few flurries before and during the game — the latest weather reports indicate the latter is true. But either way, it’ll be something to monitor as the game wears on.
