OTL: Chris Berman Says “There’s Something Going On” in Baltimore

After an exhilarating, dominant win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in a frigid M&T Bank Stadium last Saturday night, there was a flurry of news on Tuesday as the Ravens prepare for another tough opponent in Buffalo.

Starting away from 1 Winning Drive, though, a (somewhat) familiar face was released by the Houston Texans:

We have waived Diontae Johnson and made another roster move. pic.twitter.com/gjFKOc5COS

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 14, 2025

After struggling to find both his footing and the field in Baltimore, Diontae Johnson seemed to face similar obstacles with the Texans. This time, his frustration bubbled following a playoff win:

Diontae Johnson made a scene in the locker room after the game where cigars were literally being smoked and the team was bonding, happy to get a W.

It’s very easy to see why Tomlin was over him, not Pickens and Baltimore, one of the best organizations in NFL, bailed.

— Landry Locker (@LandryLocker) January 14, 2025

According to multiple reports, Diontae Johnson was visibly upset/dejected in the Texans locker room due to lack of playing time/targets after Houston’s Wild Card win

Teammates tried to calm him down in the middle of celebrating the victory

Exactly what happened with the Ravens pic.twitter.com/xt5MX5Q0n3

— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) January 14, 2025

The nerve is dumbfounding to me, but the statistics, courtesy of Underdog NFL, are even crazier:

Diontae Johnson since Week 8:

Teams – 3
Receptions – 4

— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) January 14, 2025

It’s a shame to see such a talented player become one of the bigger locker room cancers in the league, but I’m glad the Ravens were able to cut ties quickly. Speaking of familiar faces, another may be in for a better run of luck:

Longtime NFL defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is scheduled to interview with the #Falcons today and the #Colts on Wednesday, per sources.

The #Bengals also could have interest in Martindale, who is college football’s highest-paid coordinator at Michigan. One to watch. pic.twitter.com/iV6KsWxXn0

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 14, 2025

I’m a bit surprised to see Wink fielding interviews after a relatively tough season at Michigan, but there’s no doubting the acumen and experience Martindale has in the league. While it’s unclear which roles he’ll be interviewing for at this point, I’ll be rooting for Wink wherever he ends up (unless it’s Cincinnati).

Turning attention to the upcoming matchup with the Bills, both fan bases feel confident. For Ravens fans, it’s hard not to think back on the 35-10 victory in Week 4, but Bills fans highlight the players Buffalo was missing:

Week 4 vs the #Ravens:

No Milano
No Bernard
No Taron Johnson
No Amari Cooper
No Von Miller
Shakir and Rapp injured early in the game.

This is not the same team that lost 3 months ago!#GoBills #BillsMafia

— Dave Myers BIB (@DaveMyersBIB) January 14, 2025

While Dave’s point is absolutely true, the Ravens are a different team, as well. At that point, the defense was in shambles, the safeties had yet to be rearranged, ball hawk Michael Pierce was inactive, and Rashod Bateman had not truly established himself as a reliable option.

At the end of the day, this week’s game will be completely different. But is that bad for Baltimore?

For starters, one of the team’s best weapons will be in a position to thrive in the brutally cold Buffalo weather:

Who’s tackling Derrick Henry for four quarters in this?

via @WKBW pic.twitter.com/Uv57hDSBFH

— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltim0re) January 14, 2025

Similarly, with six All Pros compared to one, the Ravens have more of the league’s best, in-form players:

Ravens have 6 All-Pros while the Bills only have 1 pic.twitter.com/Xe35mygPYf

— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) January 14, 2025

But most importantly, the matchup just seems to fit Baltimore better. Unless Buffalo moves away from its typical base defense, the Ravens should have an advantage in heavy formations:

Ravens went with multiple backs or TEs or both on 89% of their snaps on Wild Card Weekend

This season, the Bills defense used ‘base’ personnel on just 3.6% of snaps (lowest rate in the league)

In fact, they ran Dime (6 DBs) on 16% of snaps

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) January 14, 2025

In Week 4 when the Bills lost 35-10 to the Ravens

Ravens used multiple RBs, TEs or both on 75% of snaps. Bills went base on 24.6% of snaps

Ravens rushed for 247 yards https://t.co/MNrsim0WEA

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) January 14, 2025

It was a recipe for success last time, and I don’t see why the Ravens should switch things up. And, as Jack Settleman of Snapback Sports notes via Marlon Humphrey, Derrick Henry should make the difference:

Recorded with Marlon this morning.

Credited Derrick Henry’s calmness for what he thinks will be the difference this time around.

— Jack Settleman (@jacksettleman) January 14, 2025

Altogether, this is the game of the year – Everybody wanted to see how the Ravens and Bills stacked up in the postseason, and it’s yet another chance for Jackson to prove the doubters wrong.

If Chris Berman’s right in the Hard Knocks clip below, this will be a great chance for Baltimore to prove it:

Chris Berman while visiting Ravens practice in the cold last week: “There’s something going on here.”pic.twitter.com/6HmYNmLVcz

— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) January 14, 2025

The post OTL: Chris Berman Says “There’s Something Going On” in Baltimore appeared first on Russell Street Report.