Ravens vs. Bills Week 8 Inactives and Preview: Lamar Jackson Returns to Buffalo

Ravens vs. Bills Inactives

Ravens: Vega Ioane, G Emery Jones Jr., FS Jaylinn Hawkins, CB Chandler Rivers, WR Elijah Sarratt, DT Aeneas Peebles

Bills: WR Skyler Bell, CB Dee Alford, SS Jalon Kilgore, Mike Danna, G Ar'maj Reed-Adams, T Spencer Brown, NT Greg Gaines

Updated 12:20 p.m. ET.

The Ravens (4-3) head to Orchard Park to face the Buffalo Bills (5-1) at Highmark Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 1, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET. Baltimore arrives having dropped two straight and sitting at the bottom of the AFC North, while Buffalo — the NFL's top-scoring offense at 32.8 points per game — enters off a bye and riding two consecutive wins.

The Ravens were dominated in the second half of a 35-13 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7, a game in which Tyler Huntley threw for 298 yards and Zay Flowers caught eight passes for 137 yards and a touchdown but the offense went scoreless after halftime. Buffalo, meanwhile, is fresh off a 33-30 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6, a game in which Josh Allen threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns without an interception and James Cook added 95 rushing yards and a score.

Lamar Jackson's Return: How Sharp Will He Be at Highmark Stadium?

Jackson has been sidelined for three games with an ankle sprain, and the Ravens went 1-2 without him, including back-to-back losses to AFC North rivals. Head coach Jesse Minter confirmed Friday that Jackson will play after Jackson logged three full practices this week, and Jackson carries no injury designation for Sunday. He has been candid about still experiencing some pain when cutting but calls it bearable — a meaningful upgrade from last week, when he woke up with a swollen ankle and was ruled out the day of the game.

Jackson's season numbers before the injury — 967 passing yards, six touchdowns and one interception — reflect an MVP-caliber pace, and his presence changes the Ravens' ground game as well. Derrick Henry has averaged 4.5 yards per carry with Jackson on the field and 3.3 yards per carry without him. That gap matters against a Bills defense ranked 30th in the NFL in points allowed per game at 28.5 and 31st in yards allowed per game at 386.8, numbers that suggest Baltimore's offense can find room if Jackson is close to himself.

Can the Ravens' Secondary Handle Josh Allen and a Shorthanded Bills Receiving Corps?

Allen is 52-16 as a starter at home in the regular season and enters Week 8 having completed 23 of 33 passes for 255 yards and two scores in his most recent outing. The Ravens activated cornerback T.J. Tampa from injured reserve Saturday to add depth behind starters Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey, who struggled against Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in the second half against Cincinnati. Safety Kyle Hamilton figures to be central to whatever scheme Jesse Minter deploys — Hamilton recorded nine tackles and two pass breakups against the Bills last season. Allen is 8-0 coming off a bye week, and Buffalo's 14 days of rest against Baltimore's seven is a genuine structural advantage heading into Sunday.

The Bills' receiving corps arrives with health questions. Wide receiver D.J. Moore (shoulder) and tight end Dalton Kincaid (chest) were both limited in red non-contact jerseys throughout the week of practice and carry questionable designations. Slot cornerback Dee Alford (ankle), who did not practice Friday, is also questionable for Buffalo, which means Minter and offensive coordinator Declan Doyle could find favorable matchups for Flowers in the slot if Alford is unavailable. Starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is suspended for Week 8, forcing the Bills to elevate Geno Stone, and defensive back Te'Cory Couch was signed from the practice squad Saturday.

Ravens' Run Game vs. James Cook: Establishing the Physical Edge

Henry enters Week 8 with 579 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 147 carries — the most rushing attempts in the league — but has been held below his standard in recent weeks. In last Sunday's loss to Cincinnati he managed only 45 yards on 17 carries. The Ravens rank fourth in the NFL in rushing yards per game at 141.7, while Buffalo allows 101.0 rushing yards per game, 15th in the league, meaning a healthy Henry-led attack should find enough to work with if the offensive line holds up. Rookie right guard Vega Ioane has been ruled out with a knee injury, leaving Emery Jones Jr. or Andrew Vorhees to fill the spot.

On the other side, Cook has 627 rushing yards and six touchdowns this season, with three games of 100 yards or more — and the Bills have won all three of those contests. Baltimore's run defense allows 96.6 yards per game, ninth in the NFL, so the matchup is even on paper, but the Ravens will need a clean tackling performance after lapses against Cincinnati allowed big gains after contact.

Ravens vs. Bills by the Numbers

The sharpest contrast in this matchup is on the scoreboard and in the defensive rankings. Buffalo leads the NFL in scoring at 32.8 points per game while ranking 30th in points allowed at 28.5, making the Bills a team that can outscore opponents rather than stop them. Baltimore scores 24.1 points per game, 12th in the NFL, and allows 23.9 points per game, 18th — a middling defense that gave up 35 unanswered points last week. The game's total production will come down to whether Jackson can force Buffalo's defense to respect the pass and open the ground game, or whether Allen simply does what he has done all season to a Ravens secondary that is still finding itself.

Rankings among all 32 teams, entering Week 8 of the 2026 season.

Season Leaders

Ravens vs. Bills: Last Five Meetings

Baltimore is 1-4 against Buffalo in the last five meetings, including two playoff losses, and has dropped its last three games in Orchard Park — most recently a 41-40 heartbreaker in the 2025 season opener in which the Bills erased a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit and won on a field goal as time expired. The previous meeting in the series was a 27-25 Bills win in the 2025 Divisional Round.

What They're Saying

Ravens

Minter, for his part, welcomed Jackson's return while making clear the roster as a whole must perform. "There doesn't need to be like this 'crutch' of Lamar, even though we know how great of a player he is."

Bills

Bills outside linebacker Bradley Chubb has seen enough of Jackson over the years to know what Baltimore's offense looks like at full strength, and he is not downplaying the challenge. "I've been facing Lamar since college, man, and it's been the same story. He can beat you with his arm; he can beat you with his feet. He extends plays and finds those bombs downfield. He's got the read option game, which he's amazing at."

Head coach Joe Brady confirmed the Bills prepared all week with Jackson's return in mind, and he did not sound displeased about the matchup. "We know we're going to get the best version of Lamar Jackson, and it's going to make for good football."

Ravens vs. Bills Injury Report

For every practice designation from the week, see the full Ravens injury report.

Ravens Depth Chart

Who's starting where, from the offensive line to the return units: see this week's Ravens depth chart.

Kickoff Information

Matchup: Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills (Week 8)

When: Sunday, Nov. 1, 1:00 p.m. ET

Where: Highmark Stadium

TV: Check local listings

Radio: 98 Rock (97.9 FM) and WBAL NewsRadio (AM 1090 / FM 101.5)

Weather: 68°F, Overcast