Derrick Henry ran through the hole that Baltimore Ravens guard Daniele Faalele created by pushing Greg Rousseau with so much power that the Buffalo Bills’ $80 million edge rusher ended up on his backside.
Henry scores
Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) breaks a tackle attempt by Buffalo Bills safety Cole Bishop (24) on his way to a touchdown during the second quarter at Highmark Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News
Henry, the 252-pound running back destined for Canton, then ran over Bills safety Taylor Rapp and past linebacker Matt Milano to gain 49 yards on the Ravens’ third drive of the heavyweight matchup Sunday night at Highmark Stadium.
Sean McDermott cautioned fans through the media that his defense would be younger in 2025, and he knew that six-game suspensions levied against two of the Bills’ free-agent signings, including edge rusher Michael Hoecht, would challenge their depth up front early this season.
Neither was a valid excuse for the defense's performance for most of the game Sunday night, but Josh Allen made sure that it was good enough. The defending MVP and his teammates on offense scored 16 unanswered points to complete a remarkable, 41-40, come-from-behind win to open the season.
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Henry rushed for 166 yards on 17 carries, including touchdowns of 30 and 46 yards. Lamar Jackson, their two-time MVP quarterback, completed 14 of 19 passes for 210 yards with two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
Baltimore had 431 yards of total offense and averaged 8.6 yards per play in the rematch from the AFC divisional round playoff game, which Buffalo won 27-25 to advance to the conference championship game in January.
The Bills’ safeties missed tackles. Everyone in their secondary had trouble covering the Ravens’ receivers, especially Zay Flowers, who caught six passes for a career-high 134 yards. He wasn’t on the field for the AFC divisional playoff game because of a knee injury, and the Ravens didn’t have DeAndre Hopkins, either.
The 33-year-old receiver made a one-handed, 29-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter to put them ahead 34-19. Hopkins caught the pass from Jackson while covered by the Bills’ top cornerback, Christian Benford, who got blocked by left tackle Ronnie Stanley on Flowers’ 23-yard touchdown earlier in the first half.
The Ravens scored on each of their first five drives of the game, as they built a 27-13 lead early in the third quarter. Henry had runs of 13, 11, 30, 49, 17 and 46 yards. Jackson completed passes of 13, 20, 15, 39, 23, 36 and 29 yards. Terrel Bernard, their defensive captain on defense, seemed to be in the middle of a making a call to his teammates on defense when Henry stiff-armed Bills safety Cole Bishop and ran for a 30-yard touchdown.
Sounds like the recipe for a blowout, right? It is, unless you have a quarterback like Allen. The defense forced a turnover in the fourth quarter with Ed Oliver knocking the ball out of Henry's hands and Terrel Bernard recovered.
Allen threw a 29-yard pass to rookie tight end Jackson Hawes and dove over the line for a 1-yard touchdown, but the Bills did not convert the 2-point conversion. Jackson took over with a chance to put the game away, however, the Bills forced another punt to give Allen the ball back with 1:26 to play and 2-point deficit. Matt Prater, a 41-year-old kicker who joined the team Wednesday, kicked the game-winning 32-yard field goal.
It was a roller coaster Week 1 for the Bills. The Ravens converted 7 of 11 third downs and scored on seven of eight drives to start.
The Bills scored on the first drive of the game, with the defending MVP leading them 45 yards on seven plays. He threw the ball hard enough to Dalton Kincaid that the third-year tight end caught it in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown, before two nearby defenders could try to break up the pass.
Allen made an MVP-level throw on the final drive of the first half to move the Bills into field-goal range. Facing second-and-10 from Baltimore’s 47-yard line, Allen threw a perfect pass toward the left sideline that Kincaid caught for a 22-yard gain. Prater converted the 43-yard attempt to cut their deficit to 20-13.
The Ravens scored again on their first drive of the second half, but the Bills’ offensive line began to create room for James Cook. The two-time Pro Bowl running back gained 22 total yards, including a 2-yard dive into the end zone, and they answered again early in the fourth quarter with Allen escaping the pocket to scramble for a 2-yard touchdown.
It could have been a shootout if the Bills didn’t gain 11 yards on two drives in the first half. They had two failed two-point conversions and did not score after the defense forced Baltimore to punt for the first time in the game. Allen completed 33 of 46 passes for 394 yards and four total touchdowns, while Cook had 102 total yards. His 51-yard catch and run was the Bills’ longest play from scrimmage.
This game seemed destined to end with a brutal loss. The Bills were having trouble stopping Jackson. Bosa and Rousseau were about to sack him, when Jackson scrambled 19 yards for a first down. On the next play, Henry ran for a 46-yard touchdown.
The result is all that mattered, at least for the fans who stuck around to celebrate late Sunday night. The Bills' defense bent. It got ran over for most of the night. But as it did last season, the group forced a turnover at the right time and its elite quarterback took advantage.
Next: The Bills travel to New Jersey to play the Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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