The Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills dazzled on Sunday night football, but the Bills were able to come from behind late and shock the Ravens, 41-40.
The Baltimore Ravens were up by 15 points with just under four minutes in the game, but were unable to hold on. The Bills would just not quit all night, even when it looked like they were done.
Game Summary:
Buffalo started the game strong, opening the game with a touchdown, but went down 17-7 early after Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson each had rushing touchdowns. Both teams kicked field goals before halftime, making it 20-13 going into the locker room.
Right out of the half, Zay Flowers caught a 23-yard touchdown, but Buffalo answered with a short touchdown from James Cook.
DeAndre Hopkins, making his Ravens debut, turned back the clock and hauled in a great one-handed catch for a long touchdown, but the Bills again answered with Josh Allen punching in a short rushing touchdown.
The Ravens wasted no time extending their lead again, when Henry broke down the sideline for a 46-yard touchdown. This score gave the Ravens a 40-25 lead in the fourth, and the game looked like it was over at this point.
The Bills never quit, and drove 80 yards on 10 plays and scored a circus touchdown. Keon Coleman caught a pass on a tipped ball on third down. The Ravens then had a huge turnover, which Henry had his only blunder of the night and fumbled, giving the Bills the ball on the 30-yard line.
Allen again punched in another short touchdown using his legs, making the game 40-38 after failing the 2-point conversion.
The Ravens, with a chance to ice it, could not get a first down and had to punt it back to the high-powered Bills offense. Allen hit Joshua Palmer and Keon Coleman on back-to-back deep passes to get the ball into the red zone, allowing Matt Prater to hit the short game-winning field goal as time expired.
Top Performers:
Despite the result, the Ravens have a lot to look forward to. Lamar Jackson did what he always does, and had a great night. He completed 14 of 19 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 70 yards and added on another touchdown.
Derrick Henry, despite the fumble, had a great night and proved his age will not be a problem. He had 18 carries for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Flowers also had a great night going for 143 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions.
On the other side of the field, the Buffalo Bills showed their offensive power and proved they are the real deal once again. Allen finished the night completing 33 of 46 passes with 394 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 30 rushing yards with two rushing touchdowns.
Keon Coleman showed he was ready to take his big second-year leap as he hauled in eight passes for 112 yards and a touchdown. He also made the huge play to get the Bills all the way into the red zone.
Looking Ahead:
The Ravens have their home opener against the Browns next week, where they will search for their first win, which they should be able to get. The Bills will travel to play the Jets on the road next week and try to shut down Justin Fields and company.
