Bills Host Ravens in Week 8 With Lamar Jackson Set to Return and Zay Flowers Leading AFC Buffalo Bills host the Baltimore Ravens with Lamar Jackson expected back from a high ankle sprain. Josh Allen and Buffalo face Zay Flowers and a potent Baltimore pass rush. The Buffalo Bills return from their Week 7 bye looking to keep winning when they host the 4-3 Baltimore Ravens, who sit in last place in the AFC North, at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The pivotal AFC meeting comes with Baltimore expecting starting franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson back in the lineup after he missed several weeks with a high ankle sprain, a lift for the Ravens despite two straight losses. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, who connected with running back James Cook during a Sept. 7, 2025 meeting between the teams at the old Highmark Stadium, will again lead the offense. Ravens fourth-year wide receiver Zay Flowers leads the AFC in receiving yards with 608 yards on 40 catches, despite playing in only six of Baltimore's seven games. The former Boston College speedster has produced at a high level with or without Jackson in the lineup. His form is a concern for a Bills defense coordinated by Jim Leonhard that is allowing the second most yards in the league at 285.8 yards per game. If Buffalo cannot come up with a plan to at least slow Flowers down, it could be a long afternoon for the defense.Rookie cornerback Davison Igbinosun and veteran Christian Benford will be tasked with covering Flowers on the outside at times, but he also lines up in the slot. Whoever Leonhard chooses to fill the slot role will also face a demanding assignment.A key to victory on Sunday will be how the Bills offensive line performs against a Ravens pass rush that is tied for the seventh most sacks in the NFL with 16, an average of 2.3 per contest. By comparison, the Bills have just 11 combined sacks through six games as a unit, led by Greg Rousseau with six. Starting right tackle Spencer Brown is listed as questionable after only practicing on Friday due to ongoing back issues, raising concern about how Buffalo can protect Allen. Brown left early against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5 but returned to play against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6. That makes the right side of the line an area to watch, especially if third-year tackle Tylan Grable has to make the start in Brown's absence. Keeping Allen upright against a productive Baltimore front will be central to Buffalo's game plan.Baltimore will be without rookie first-round right guard Olaivavega Ioane, who has been ruled out with a sprained MCL. The injury forces the Ravens to use their sixth different offensive line combination of the 2026 season on Sunday. The Bills interior defensive linemen, specifically veteran Ed Oliver and second-year Deone Walker, need to take advantage of the Ravens rotating line. If Buffalo allows Jackson to stand comfortably in the pocket or gives him easy escape lanes, it could be a day to forget in Western New York. Buffalo also cannot allow running back Derrick Henry to get loose at the second level of the defense. It will be imperative that Oliver, Walker and the rest of the defensive front win their one-on-one matchups on a regular basis in this critical AFC meeting.Even with Baltimore's stout defense, the Bills should not simply look to air it out on Sunday. Instead, they should look to strategically attack the Ravens defensive front with James Cook and the running game. Doing so will be easier said than done, but there is a reason Cook is still third in the NFL in yards gained on the ground through Week 7 in 2026 after earning the rushing title in 2025. The former Georgia Bulldog is also doing so while having carried the ball less than every other running back in the top six of that category this year heading into the first Sunday of November. If Cook can get into a groove in the ground game against the Ravens stout run defense, it will do wonders for Allen and the rest of the offensive operation.