Super Bowl champion coach boldly predicts Bills vs. Ravens winner

Former NFL head coach Jon Gruden offered an extensive breakdown of the AFC Divisional Round matchup between Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens.

Sep 29, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) scrambles from Baltimore Ravens safety Eddie Jackson (39) / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The NFL's Divisional Round Weekend will reach its climax during what is arguably the most highly-anticipated matchup of the season.

Led by MVP front runners Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens will face each other on January 19 at 6:30 pm ET in Orchard Park with a spot in the AFC Championship Game on the line.

The Bills have home field advantage as they look to avenge a lopsided Week 4 road loss to the Ravens, who enter the rematch as a 1.5-point betting favorite. It's essentially a toss-up that is difficult to handicap, but former Super Bowl champion head coach Jon Gruden wasn't afraid to weigh in on the debate.

"This is the hardest game to pick of the whole season. I can't find anybody that agrees who's gonna win, so they came to the FFCA [Fired Football Coaches Academy] to find out," said Gruden on the @GrudeLovesFootball YouTube channel.

Punctuating 32-minute matchup breakdown, the Super Bowl XXXVII champion projected the final score for Sunday's battle at Highmark Stadium.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen celebrates with the crowd after beating the Ravens 17-3 in the AFC divisional playoff game / JAMIE GERMANO/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE via Imagn Content Services, LLC

"Now that I'm an official member of the Bills Mafia, I'm going with the Buffalo Bills. Let's go Buffalo," said Gruden as he held a personalized Bills jersey in front of the camera. "Twenty-four to twenty-three. My man Josh Allen finds a way to get in done in the cold."

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Amongst the numerous items analyzed by Gruden throughout the comprehensive breakdown, the 61-year-old coach-turned-commentator reminded the audience that Baltimore's dominant Week 4 rushing performance happened against a Bills' defense that was missing three key starters - Terrel Bernard, Matt Milano and Taron Johnson. All three are available for the grudge match.

It's also noteworthy that Gruden was bullish on the Denver Broncos for their wild-cars round visit to Buffalo. He predicted a Bills' victory although he was confident that the Broncos would keep the margin of defeat within the point spread.

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