Jon Gruden makes his pick for Bills' massive SNF showdown vs. Ravens

Huge Sunday Night matchup between the Bills and Ravens, and Gruden picks the winner.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) meets Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) at midfield after a game at New Era Field. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Former NFL head coach Jon Gruden knows a thing or two about football. He recently took to YouTube and gave his preview of the massive Week 1 Sunday Night showdown between the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens.

This week, Gruden broke down the prime-time battle as follows.

Sean McDermott and John Harbaugh from same coaching tree

Bills' head coach McDermott began his career with Andy Reid in 1999 with the Eagles, and eventually became the Eagles' defensive coordinator. Similarly, Ravens head coach Harbaugh began his NFL coaching career with the Eagles under Reid as well, before becoming the head coach of the Ravens in 2008.

"Both of these head coaches came off of the Andy Reid tree. Both of these guys coached against Andy Reid and these guys have had great success as head coaches. The only success they haven't had really is beating Andy Reid in the playoffs", said Gruden.

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott shake hands following the game at New Era Field. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Potentially massive implications on playoff seeding

This early in the season, it seems odd to call this a "massive" game with playoff implications, but as Gruden points out, if these two come down to a tiebreaker for homefield, this head-to-head will be the deciding factor.

Gruden added, "Both of these teams would love to have homefield advantage. Think about the Buffalo Bills. 8-0 last year at home during the regular season, 2-0 at home during the playoffs. That's 10-0. Baltimore has a decisive home-field advantage. If this season comes down to a tiebreaker based on who wins this game, who might get home-field advantage, this game becomes a lot more meaningful in the big picture."

Buffalo Bills Dion Dawkins blocks for quarterback Josh Allen, behind him, who sneaks in for a touchdown during first-half action at the Buffalo Bills divisional game against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Previous matchups affected by injuries, discipline

The first time the Bills and Ravens faced off in 2024, it was a beatdown by the Ravens, coming away with a decisive victory, 35-10. As Gruden points out, the Bills were severely undermanned due to injuries.

"Remember that was a game where Buffalo did not have their star nickel corner Terron Johnson. Milano and Bernard, their two inside linebackers, did not play. And Baltimore, well, it's hard to say, but they kicked their ass. They had about 300 yards rushing. And it was an ugly game. It was Josh Allen's lowest output of the season. Their outstanding receiver, Khalil Shakir, hurt his ankle in that game."

Gruden also talked about the Ravens' loss to the Bills in the playoffs, saying, "The Ravens had 12 penalties in the game. No, they had 13 penalties for 122 yards. And did you know the Ravens are the number two penalized team in football last year? But when you have 13 penalties, 122 yards, three turnovers, and you get none, you're probably going to lose that football game.

After everything, Gruden made his pick, "These are tough games to pick, but you got to pick somebody. I love Baltimore in this game. 27-23. It's going to be a fist fight."

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson reacts to not getting the two-point conversion attempt during second-half action in Orchard Park | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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