Newsflash: The Baltimore Ravens know how to get home to the quarterback. Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike tallied 6.5 sacks this season. While outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy led the Ravens with 12.5 of the team’s 54 on the season, the amount of attention Madubuike demands on the inside is a catalyst.
“It’s just about us.” pic.twitter.com/UQAnrdd9VT
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 12, 2025
Madubuike would not be denied in the AFC Wild Card game. He pushed vehemently through the Steelers’ run-blocking and conjured two sacks. Teammate defensive tackle Michael Pierce was also in on the action, getting his first career post-season sack. Madubuike totaled 14 tackles for loss in 2024, so the Buffalo Bills might want to think twice if they expect to run the ball down the Ravens’ throats like they did against the Denver Broncos.
Despite Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s success in the AFC Wild Card win, the Broncos still were able to sack Allen twice in the loss. Allen and the Bills dictated the pace with 26 first downs, but they will be up against a much more experienced, hungry, and potent opponent with Madubuike and the Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round.
Ravens DT Nnamdi Madubuike said starting fast against the Steelers was the mission. Mission accomplished. He also talks about the unstoppable battery of Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/JSYKdXz2zi
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) January 12, 2025
As ESPN’s Jeff Saturday said this week, this match-up will depend on who operates more efficiently in the trenches. Madubuike and his comrades are most definitely scheduled for a major collision with the Bills’ offensive line.