The Buffalo Bills kicked off their final season at Highmark Stadium with one of the craziest wins to ever take place inside of it.
For much of the night, it seemed like the Bills had no answers for the Baltimore Ravens. Buffalo scored on their opening drive of the night but found themselves trailing for much of the game. Down 15 points in the fourth quarter, the Bills showed incredible resolve.
Josh Allen led the Bills on a 10 play, 80-yard drive to get Buffalo within eight games. With less than four minutes remaining, a stop was needed. That didn’t seem likely with the Ravens averaging close to 10 yards per play midway through the fourth quarter. Ed Oliver, however, made a monster play, stripping Derrick Henry of the football.
All of a sudden, a comeback seemed possible. Allen needed four plays to lead the Bills on another touchdown drive. The two-point conversion failed, but now the Bills were just two points down.
Another defensive stop was needed and the defense stepped up when it was needed most. After getting the ball back, Allen led a masterful drive that resulted in a Matt Prater field goal attempt as time expired.
Final score: Bills 41-Ravens 40.
After the wildest game of Week 1, here are reasons to be encouraged and worried about Buffalo.
Encouraged
Josh Allen: Josh Allen showed why he is the NFL’s reigning MVP. Despite having to play from behind for much of the night, Allen was able to lead Buffalo on a wild comeback at home.
Allen completed 33-of-46 passes for 394 yards and two touchdowns against one of the league’s best units. He added another 30 yards and two scores on the ground.
Even when things seem bleak, Buffalo’s quarterback can never be counted out.
Ed Oliver: It was a rough night for the defense, but Ed Oliver made three massive plays. First, he sacked Lamar Jackson on the opening drive to force a field goal attempt. In the second half, Oliver blew up a run play to Derrick Henry after blowing by Roger Rosengarten.
After a lull, Oliver appeared again late in the fourth quarter, stripping Derrick Henry of the football. Buffalo recovered and scored a touchdown to pull within two.
Oliver was the clear MVP of the defense on Sunday night.
Matt Prater: Prater came into Buffalo this week after Tyler Bass was placed on the injured reserve. Despite not being on any roster this summer, Prater didn’t miss a beat connecting on all of his kicks.
The biggest, of course, was the game-winner as time expired. Although the kick was not long distance, it was a high-pressure situation. The veteran did not flinch.
Keon Coleman: The Bills raved about Coleman all summer after he put together an incredible summer. That carried over into Week 1. Coleman hauled in eight passes for 112 yards and a score. He also set up the game-winner late in the game.
Coleman came up clutch.
Worried
Bills run defense: The Ravens were without fullback Pat Ricard on Sunday Night Football, but you never would have known it based on how well Baltimore ran the ball.
Buffalo had no answer for Derrick Henry or Lamar Jackson when they ran with the football.
Cole Bishop: It was a rough evening for the second-year safety. From having his head bounced off the turf like a basketball on a tackle attempt of Derrick Henry to blitzing from almost 13 yards away from the line of scrimmage, Bishop had a night to forget for Buffalo.
Bishop missed a lot of time this summer and a matchup against the Ravens is not easy, but he will have to show a lot of improvement in short order.
Taylor Rapp: Taylor Rapp wasn’t much better than Bishop. He took poor angles and looked like he was running in mud at times, trying to chase down Derrick Henry.
Bobby Babich: There are not many teams that present as many problems as the Ravens do for opposing teams. They can run all over teams and Lamar Jackson is a lethal passer as well. Baltimore will likely be one of the highest-scoring teams in the league, but that does not excuse the defense’s performance on Sunday night.
Babich had months to prepare for the Ravens, but Baltimore moved the ball with relative ease all night and put up 40 points. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Ravens were averaging close to 10 yards per play (9.8).
Week 1 or not, that is inexcusable.
Joe Brady’s first-half play calling: After putting together a touchdown drive to open the game, the Bills came out with three straight runs on their second series. James Cook had an eight-yard run on first down, but he was stonewalled on the next two run attempts.
Buffalo’s third drive was another three-and-out that saw Allen throwing well short of the sticks. Perhaps Brady was expecting more blitzing and pressure from the Ravens, but Baltimore just sat back and made easy tackles after the short passes were attempted.
Those two drives put the Bills in a tough spot.
Two-point conversions: Buffalo chased points all night on two-point conversions and ended up going 0-for-3. Those almost loomed large in the outcome of the game.
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