Even though they are coming off a bye week, the Buffalo Bills are not exactly catching the Baltimore Ravens at the right time.
The winless Bills will looked to avoid a sixth consecutive defeat when the pay a visit to the Ravens on Sunday.
Baltimore (4-2) appeared well on its way to its fifth win of the season a week ago, opening a 10-point second-half lead before its offense suddenly came to a grinding halt.
And for one of the few times, the Ravens' vaunted defense wasn't able to pick up the slack, failing to make the double-digit advantage stand up in a 23-20 overtime loss to the New England Patriots.
That should make for a bit of a hostile reception awaiting the Bills (0-5), who have enough of their own issues on both sides of the ball.
Buffalo's defense, in particular, has been powerless to stop anyone. In the last four losses, the Bills have surrendered an average of 36.5 points per game.
The run defense has been especially brutal, ranking last - by a wide margin - in the league by giving up a generous 182.4 yards per game, including 689 on the ground in the past three contests.
Things are so desperate that head coach Chan Gailey is switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defensive alignment in an effort to keep opponents from trampling his team on the ground. That could play right into the hands of the Ravens, who have made a concerted effort to get running back Ray Rice untracked in the past two weeks.
Rice had his finest game of the season in a 31-17 win over Denver on Oct. 10, amassing 133 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. He was held to 88 yards on 28 carries against New England, although he added eight receptions for 38 yards.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was unhappy with the team's conservative game plan in the second half against the Patriots, so it's likely he will try to air it out against the Bills.
Flacco is fifth in the AFC with 1,401 yards, but he has just seven touchdown passes against six interceptions. Anquan Boldin has 32 receptions and four touchdowns – both team highs – while Derrick Mason is coming off his first 100-yard game of the season.
The Ravens’ defense, as usual, ranks among the league’s best and is second to AFC North rival Pittsburgh in points allowed at 15.8 points per game.
The Bills’ offense has shown some signs of life since Ryan Fitzgerald took over as the starter in Week 3. Fitzgerald was solid in a 36-26 loss to Jacksonville prior to the bye, finishing 20 of 30 for 220 yards and tying a career high with three touchdowns.
The Ravens will be seeking their sixth consecutive home win.