Orchard Park, N.Y. In one of the most thrilling season openers in recent memory, Josh Allen engineered a furious rally to lift the Buffalo Bills past the Baltimore Ravens, 41-40, on Sunday night.
The Bills trailed by 15 points with under four minutes remaining, but Allen delivered three scoring drives in quick succession. The last came on a nine-play, 66-yard march capped by Matt Prater’s 32-yard field goal as time expired. The dramatic finish left the home crowd at Highmark Stadium in disbelief and cemented the night as an instant classic.
Allen vs. Jackson Lives Up to the Hype
Allen was at his MVP-best, completing 33 of 46 passes for 394 yards with two touchdowns while also rushing for two more. His late heroics spoiled what had been a stellar showing from Lamar Jackson. The 2023 MVP completed 14 of 19 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns, adding 70 yards and another score on the ground.
Running back Derrick Henry, in his Ravens debut, looked unstoppable for most of the night, piling up 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns. But his fumble with just over three minutes left opened the door for Buffalo’s comeback.
Prater said afterward
“The biggest thing I saw when we got down early, no one blinked.”
Buffalo’s spark came on a fourth-and-2 when Keon Coleman snagged a deflected Allen pass for a 10-yard touchdown. Moments later, Allen punched in a 1-yard rushing score after Henry’s costly turnover. Though the two-point conversion failed, the Bills’ defense quickly forced a three-and-out, setting up the game-winning drive.
A Painful Collapse for Baltimore
Baltimore’s offensive dominance for much of the game was undeniable. The Ravens scored on seven of their first eight possessions and appeared to have sealed the win when Henry broke free for a 46-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 40-25.
Instead, history was made for the wrong reason. The Ravens became the first team in NFL history to lose while scoring 40 or more points and rushing for over 235 yards.
Jackson said
“You just got to finish the game, It’s not over until there is zero, zero, zero on the clock. And we found that out tonight.”
A Historic Night in Orchard Park
The matchup carried extra meaning for Bills fans, who packed into Highmark Stadium for what will be the franchise’s final home opener at “The Ralph” before moving into a new $2.1 billion facility next season.
Allen had already guided a scoring drive before halftime, setting up Prater for a 43-yard field goal in the final seconds of the second quarter. Prater, 41, was making his Bills debut after replacing the injured Tyler Bass.
On the Baltimore side, rookie kicker Tyler Loop hit two field goals but missed a crucial extra point. Wide receiver Zay Flowers shined with seven catches for a career-high 143 yards and a touchdown.
Henry still etched his name into the record books by moving into sixth place on the all-time rushing touchdown list, tying Jim Brown with his 13th career game of at least 150 yards and two scores. Yet, it was his late fumble that defined the night.
Buffalo finished with 497 yards of total offense, while the two teams combined for a jaw-dropping 929. For the Bills, the rally was a statement of resilience and proof that with Josh Allen under center, no deficit is insurmountable.
