The Bills have made it to the Divisional Round of the playoffs for the fifth straight season. The last time Buffalo hosted Baltimore for a Divisional Round game was in 2020 when the Bills beat the Ravens 17-3.

Here are five things to know ahead of Sunday night's matchup.

1. The MVP favorites face off

It's the matchup we've all been waiting for – two MVP favorites in quarterbacks Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. The two have had seasons to remember, and it's why they've made it to the Divisional Round. If you're an NFL fan, Sunday night is must watch TV because of Allen and Jackson.

When the two faced each other in the postseason during the 2020 season, Allen and Jackson combined for just one touchdown. Both have improved their game in many ways since then. Allen's decision making has grown in the way he takes care of the football. Buffalo's QB had a career-low in interceptions with six, the third lowest among quarterbacks who made 17 starts.

Jackson proved he can win games with his arm. Baltimore's quarterback finished the regular season with a career-high in passing yards (4,172 – 6^th best in the NFL) and passing touchdowns (41 – tied for 2^nd).

The two even turned it up a notch in last week's Wild Card round. Allen and Jackson each had two touchdowns and finished with a passer rating above 130. Allen threw for 272 against the NFL's third best defense, while Jackson rushed for 81 yards against the NFL's eighth best defense.

"When you usually to get to this point, you got to have an elite quarterback," Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady said. "It's really hard to win in the NFL without that... as football fans, it's a treat to see two of the best go at it. But I think sometimes naturally for the quarterbacks in those roles, they don't think anything more than, 'Hey, I'm going against the defense and having to just get my mind right for that.'"

Allen and Jackson rank No. 1 and No. 2 in NFL history in terms of rushing yards in playoffs. Allen has 609 in his career and Jackson has 602. Sunday night will be a treat for football fans.

2. Can the Bills have a repeat performance against another Top 5 run D?

Buffalo's offensive line had a fantastic game against Denver. The Bills OL was dealt a tough hand going up against the NFL's leader in sacks (63) and third-best run defense, but it wasn't too much for the group that allowed the fewest sacks (14) in the league.

Denver was averaging 3.7 sacks per game and the Bills allowed just 2 on Sunday. Buffalo's offense was ignited by the run game's success. Their 210 rushing yards were the most in a Bills playoff game since 1995. The offensive line set the tone that led to Buffalo scoring at least 30 points for the 13^th time this season.

Bills offensive coordinator loved how the offensive line played together in the first round of the playoffs.

"They didn't blink," Brady said. "It's tough to string together and sustain long drives, and they were able to do that. When you're out on the field for 40 minutes, that's not easy…they played together. The communication with Josh was elite."

The tough tests aren't over for Buffalo's offensive line. This time it's against the NFL's best run defense that allowed only 80 rushing yards per game (3.6 yards per rush) during the regular season. Baltimore also racked up the second most sacks in the league with 54.

Buffalo's run game has become stronger, and they have a new strength on offense that wasn't there when the two faced each other in Week 4. Wide receiver Amari Cooper certainly adds another wrinkle that the Ravens will have to account for.

"He makes a lot of plays without making the plays," Brady said. "That's what a lot of our guys are. It's something that we preach here. But he's been a great addition to us and to help us to get to where we ultimately want to be."

3. Slowing the Ravens on the ground

The Ravens have been the best rushing offense in the league this year thanks to the addition of running back Derrick Henry back in March. Henry has added a new dimension to Baltimore's offense that has made them even harder to stop.

Baltimore averaged 187.6 rushing yards per game during the regular season. Lamar Jackson led the league averaging 6.6 yards per rush and Henry wasn't far off averaging 5.9 yards per rush (3^rd best). When it comes to dreaming up a plan to slow this type of offense, McDermott said you need big linebackers

"If we had about five 300-pound linebackers, I think we'd be in pretty good shape," McDermott said with a laugh. "I don't know who has that size of linebacker in the NFL. He's been doing this for years, and he's really good at it. So, I don't know if anybody's ever stopped him…Lamar and him make a heck of a one-two combination."

Buffalo was riddled with injuries on the defensive side of things in Week 4 when the Ravens and Bills played last. Starting middle linebacker Terrel Bernard, weakside linebacker Matt Milano and nickel cornerback Taron Johnson all missed the game due to injuries. Thankfully, Buffalo's defense is looking close to full strength ahead of Sunday's matchup.

With a team that has the best rushing offense and seventh best passing offense, defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said eye discipline will be key.

"It's gonna be absolutely 100% critical," Babich said. "All 11 guys are gonna have to do their job, have their eyes where they're supposed to be, know what their keys are, and then let their keys tell them what to do."

Edge rusher Von Miller explained there's a balance between going all out and picking your spots against Jackson.

"Going against Lamar Jackson, you don't want to rush too conservative, but you don't want to be too reckless at the same time," Miller told Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby on “Let’s Go!” on Sirius XM. "You just gotta play your game…Cage rushing those guys each and every play is not effective. It's Lamar Jackson, he's gonna make plays. So, you just gotta rush. And you gotta be conscious of where you're rushing and how you're rushing. But at the end of the day, you just gotta go out there and play your game."

4. An improved 3^rd down defense

Buffalo has been making strides in the right direction on third down. Over the last two weeks, the Bills defense has limited their opponents on third down.

Against the Patriots in Week 18, Buffalo held New England to a 33% third down conversion rate (4/12). On Sunday against Denver, the Bills held Denver to just 22% on third down. These are big improvements because Buffalo finished the regular season ranked 29^th allowing teams to convert third downs 43.8% of the time.

Buffalo's defense had two big third-down sacks against the Broncos thanks to linebacker Matt Milano and defensive end Greg Rousseau. Milano, who missed the first 12 weeks of the season due to a torn bicep, played as if the injury was a thing of the past on Sunday.

"I think the biggest thing people tend to forget is Matt Milano was an All-Pro," defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said. "At the beginning of the year last year, Matt Milano was playing as good as any defensive player in the National Football League. When you don't play football for as long as he's played it, you just gotta knock the rust off. And I think we're starting to see some of that.

"I think he's starting to feel a lot more comfortable with just football in general."

Babich believes his defense had the right mindset that they would not be denied when it came to getting off the field on third down against Denver.

"I think we understood the plan and just executed the defenses," Babich explained. "And most of the time, that's what it comes down to is 11 guys specifically executing the defenses. As I've said before, some of our third down faults have not been specifically here, specifically there, it's been a culmination of things. And it comes down to 11 guys doing their job."

The Bills will need to keep the same energy heading into Sunday's game against the Ravens because Baltimore is one of the best on third down. The Ravens converted 48.2% of their third downs in the regular season, good for third best in the league. They converted 66.7% of their third downs (10/15) against the Steelers in the Wild Card round. When the Ravens and Bills faced each other in Week 4, Baltimore converted 55.5% (5/9).

5. A Tre'Davious White sighting

The former Bill that so many of us know and love is coming back to Buffalo on Sunday. Cornerback Tre'Davious White will be at Highmark Stadium repping purple and black for the Divisional Round of the playoffs. White started the season with the Rams but was traded to Baltimore in the beginning of November.

The cornerback has played in eight games for the Ravens counting the playoffs. White is used in different defensive packages and has played in 161 snaps since coming to Baltimore. The All-Pro started in 82 games during his seven years with the Bills.