The Ravens and Buffalo Bills have been on a collision course for months now. On Sunday, they’ll meet again in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs for a berth in the AFC championship game.

“It’s what everybody has been waiting for, right?” Bills coach Sean McDermott said Sunday.

“You kind of feel grateful to be a part of it,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “It’s a privilege.”

The third-seeded Ravens bullied second-seeded Buffalo in Week 4, handing the Bills a 35-10 road loss in prime time. Can Buffalo return the favor at Highmark Stadium? Here’s how reporters Jonas Shaffer and Giana Han, and columnist Kyle Goon, see Sunday’s showdown.

A lot has changed since Week 4. What’s the most important development for this game?

Shaffer: The Bills’ improved health on defense can’t be underlined enough. Buffalo played in Baltimore without slot cornerback Taron Johnson, a second-team All-Pro last year and an important run defender, as well as linebackers Matt Milano, a first-team All-Pro in 2022, and Terrel Bernard, who led the team in tackles last season. Safety Taylor Rapp, another starter, left the game in the second quarter with a concussion and did not return. Would a healthy Bills defense have shut down the Ravens’ ground game in Week 4? Probably not. But it might’ve been in better position to limit running back Derrick Henry’s explosive runs.

Han: Disregarding my article from the wild-card win as well as a future answer for this roundtable, the secondary’s improvements are huge for the Ravens. Yes, they may have looked a little shaky on Saturday and yes, most of their improvements came against quarterbacks who, unlike Josh Allen, are not in the MVP conversation. But without Eddie Jackson and Marcus Williams back there, I have a lot more confidence in how the safeties can fare against Allen’s attack. The improved coverage has also helped the pass rush, which is needed considering the tall task they have in containing Allen and his legs. While the other Ravens units have had some ups and downs, the secondary has had the biggest change since Week 4 — for the better.

Goon: It feels like tempting fate to underline the secondary’s improvement, especially after giving up a pair of moon ball touchdowns to Pittsburgh, but of all the factors that stand out from looking at these teams on paper, that’s clearly the biggest change. The Ravens have gone from a leaky faucet for explosive plays to downright containing them. Ar’Darius Washington is one of the most critical playmakers on this defense in the last four games, and Nate Wiggins has graded out as a relatively trustworthy starter at corner. Josh Allen threw touchdowns of 24 yards and 55 yards against Denver, so the Ravens will have to make sure their communication is on point again and keep everything in front of the defense — which they did as they finished the regular season.

What’s the Ravens’ biggest advantage in this matchup? And biggest disadvantage?

Shaffer: The Ravens can make the Bills’ defense uncomfortable. Buffalo plays with five or six defensive backs on the field almost exclusively, which the Ravens would welcome. They’re happy to mash teams with fullback Patrick Ricard, tight end Charlie Kolar and running back Derrick Henry.

The Ravens’ secondary, however, could be in for a long night. Coordinator Zach Orr’s Week 11 decision to pair Kyle Hamilton with Ar’Darius Washington at deep safety helped stabilize the defense, but the Ravens have faced just one passing attack that ranks in the top 10 in explosive plays in that span — and that was a Philadelphia Eagles offense without wide receiver DeVonta Smith. Buffalo ranks fifth, according to TruMedia, and had four completions of at least 20 yards in its win Sunday over a well-regarded Denver Broncos defense.

Han: The Bills have a middling run defense that finished below recent Ravens opponents including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles in yards per carry allowed. That unit will be put to the test against the NFL’s best rushing attack, and the Ravens showed in the wild-card they’re willing to go all out on the ground.

However, the wild-card round also exposed where the Ravens might be at a disadvantage. The Steelers didn’t get much going on offense, but the little they gained came from big plays against the Ravens secondary. Allen poses a much greater threat to the secondary than Wilson did, and he can make plays even after you think they’re dead.

Goon: One thing that hasn’t changed since that Week 4 matchup is how good the Ravens are at running the ball. That victory was a kind of breakout for this offense against a legit defense, and Baltimore’s heavy packages put the Bills consistently in tough positions to counter outside of their nickel base package. They’re healthier, but it’s hard to see Buffalo deal with the math — and physics — problems Baltimore’s personnel creates, not the least of which is how hard 247-pound Derrick Henry is to tackle.

To be very specific, I worry about how the Ravens match up against Allen’s elite ability to extend plays. Their pass rush has now been prolific enough to acknowledge they aren’t a fluke, but Allen is tough to bring down in the backfield, and Buffalo’s line is among the best in the NFL. As good as the secondary has been in the second half of the season, the Ravens can’t allow Allen to scramble around and make improvisational plays. The longer they have to cover, the more vulnerable this defense becomes.

Who needs this win more: Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen?

Shaffer: I’ll go with Allen. Jackson looks like the new favorite for NFL Most Valuable Player honors, which would give him three and leave Allen with none. Even if Jackson and the Ravens lose Sunday, it would come after a historic season and in an intimidating environment — and he might not even have Zay Flowers, his Pro Bowl wide receiver, available. Allen, meanwhile, needs postseason success to make his case for best-in-the-league supremacy. If the Bills lose a second straight divisional-round game to a team with a superstar quarterback — Patrick Mahomes last year, Jackson this year — the narrative around his career would start to sour a smidge.

Han: The only thing in the way of solidifying two-time MVP Jackson’s greatness is a Super Bowl. Allen has neither a Super Bowl nor an MVP. This year’s MVP could change that for Allen — but it could also go to Jackson for a third time, which would leave Allen without either title again should Jackson also win Sunday. Jackson certainly may feel like he needs this win more, but when it comes to accolades, he’s ahead.

Goon: In a twisted way, Jackson is the victim of his own success. It seems like he’s on track to win his third MVP, so how would it look to lose to the potential runner-up? Almost all of the credible arguments that Allen is a better player than Jackson are tied up in postseason performance. Allen has 23 playoff passing TDs to Jackson’s 8; just 4 interceptions to Jackson’s 6; a higher completion percentage, a better passer rating and more overall wins (6 to Jackson’s 3). Jackson’s performance against the Steelers is an indicator that he’s growing to meet these postseason moments with the efficiency and flair of his regular season approach. But nothing would quite shift the perception like beating his draft rival head-to-head in the playoffs.

Snow is in the early forecast for Sunday. Which team would winter weather favor?

Shaffer: There’s not a more terrifying cold-weather running back than Henry, but I do wonder how smoothly the Ravens could operate their read option attack in the snow. Jackson has had fumbling issues throughout his career, and a slippery ball wouldn’t help matters. The Bills, meanwhile, have a stronger, more consistent offensive line and a more straightforward approach to running the ball. Allen is a pain to bring down in wintry conditions, too, and he has a receiving corps that’s better suited to making contested catches.

Han: You would think the team that’s used to it would be the obvious answer. It’s the first that came to mind. But when you think about messy games, they usually end up leaning toward the team that can dominate on the ground. And the Ravens have the edge there on both offense and defense. They have the best rushing offense in the league and one of the best rushing defenses in the league compared to the Bills, who have a decent-to-good rushing defense and offense.

Goon: It’s naive or overly hopeful to think it’s Baltimore, because frankly the Bills have just done it more, and we saw Allen and James Cook last month (Allen threw for 2 TDs, ran for another and even caught one, while Cook had 107 yards on 14 carries). Buffalo’s creativity in adverse conditions stands out. Meanwhile, Jonas appropriately cites Jackson’s fumbling issues in the playoffs as a source of concern. But given the Ravens’ strength in the ground game, setting an NFL record this season in yards per carry, I think the Bills’ advantage here is only a slight margin. It’s hard to see Baltimore, with a grinding O-line, a tough back in Henry and two very good pass-catching tight ends panicking with a few flurries on the ground.