The Buffalo Bills have hosted plenty of home playoff games over the past few seasons, as well as in their history. In all 18 instances, they’ve been listed as the favorite by the sportsbooks. But that fortune is likely to change this coming weekend, as the Baltimore Ravens are currently projected to be the first visiting team that comes into Buffalo as the favorite in the Bills’ 54-year history.
The Bills have had a storied postseason history. On top of being on the losing end of four straight Super Bowls, they’ve played in some of the classic NFL playoff games, including their historic comeback against the Oilers in 1993 and their recent matchups with the Chiefs. And when it comes to playing in Buffalo, they’ve never been underdogs.
The Buffalo Bills Have Never Been Home Playoff Underdogs…Until Now
All 18 times that the Bills have hosted a postseason game, they’ve come in as the betting favorite. They’ve made good on that notion as well, going 15-3 overall in the friendly confines of their home stadium, including each of the first eight that they ever played.
The Ravens are now a 1-point favorite at the Bills for Sunday’s divisional game, according to @ESPNBet.
Buffalo has never been an underdog in its previous 18 home playoff games since entering the NFL in 1970, per @ESPNStatsInfo.
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) January 14, 2025
In the Josh Allen era (2018 to present), the Bills have been the home team for 8 of their 11 playoff games. They are 6-2 in those games, with the two season-ending losses coming against the Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals.
Interestingly, the Bills actually opened as 1-point favorites for this weekend’s game against the Ravens. But the line was flipped after just one day, and Baltimore are now the ones favored by a single point. It is easily the smallest spread of the Divisional Round, with each of the other three contests featuring spreads of 6 or more points.
The two sides have met in the playoffs just once, back in 2021 when Josh Allen and company were victorious in a home matchup. But Baltimore was one of the few teams that was able to take down Buffalo during the 2024 regular season, posting one of their more dominant wins of the season in a 35-10 early season rout.
The Bills are 9-0 in games played at Highmark Stadium this year, and have won by an average margin of 17.4 points.
