Lamar Jackson is back for the Ravens at Buffalo after two straight losses

Lamar Jackson is active for the Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo on Sunday after missing three games with an ankle injury, and he walks into a game his team badly needs. The Ravens (4-3) have lost two straight. The Bills (5-1) are coming off a bye and lead the AFC East. Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET on CBS.

Coach Jesse Minter said Friday the team expected to have Jackson, and ESPN confirmed him active on the official inactive list after he was a full participant in practice all week. The two-time MVP has 967 passing yards, six touchdowns and one interception this season, per ESPN.

The Ravens need more than his arm. They led Cincinnati 13-0 at halftime last week and lost 35-13. The week before, they lost 13-10 to Cleveland. According to the Associated Press, Baltimore has lost 10 games in the past five seasons when leading by 10 or more in the second half. That list includes the 41-40 loss in Orchard Park to open last season, when the Ravens blew a 15-point fourth-quarter lead to Josh Allen.

Ray Lewis spoke to the team on Friday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Sunday morning. That is the kind of week it has been in Baltimore.

The Buffalo problem

Allen and Jackson are 2-2 against each other in the regular season, and Allen is 2-0 in the playoffs. The Bills lead the league in scoring and are 8-0 under Allen coming off a bye, per the AP. They also get DJ Moore back from a shoulder injury and have tight end Dalton Kincaid active.

Buffalo's defense is the opening. The Bills have allowed 29 or more points five times this season. They keep winning those games anyway, and that is the part Baltimore can't afford to ignore. If the Ravens get another early lead, they have to keep scoring.

Zay Flowers is the Ravens' best way to do that. His 608 receiving yards rank fifth in the NFL and make up 36% of Baltimore's total. Derrick Henry has 579 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.

What to watch

A loss drops Baltimore to 4-4 and leaves the Ravens chasing a wild-card spot in November. A win in Orchard Park would be Jackson's best answer to three weeks on the sideline. He and Allen made their NFL debuts as backups in the same 2018 game, and they still measure each other every time they meet.