If there were ever a game that defined a team’s resilience, it is this one. The Buffalo Bills' 41-40 come-from-behind victory over the Baltimore Ravens categorically matches the Patriots’ sensational comeback over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
In fact, it snapped a 717-game streak of contests without a 15-plus-point comeback under five minutes remaining.
Bills Ravens fourth
Bills quarterback Josh Allen drops back for a deep pass to wide receiver Joshua Palmer during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, at Highmark Stadium. Derek Gee/Buffalo News
This Josh Allen-led comeback had the same insurmountable odds in the midst of a pummeling by a Ravens offense and rushing attack that was seemingly unstoppable. The Ravens averaged 8.2 yards per rush for 238 yards on 29 of their 50 total plays.
The Bills’ defense, time and again, was overpowered by Derrick Henry’s 169-yard, two-touchdown performance, except for his one mistake – a forced fumble in the fourth quarter by Ed Oliver. That single play was the difference, opening the door just enough for Allen to carry the Bills to a stunning victory.
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Allen’s fourth quarter included two rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown on 34 total plays. In the fourth quarter alone, Allen completed 16 of 21 attempts for an astounding 251 yards. He compiled 10 rushes for 18 yards, miraculously evading Ravens defenders.
Allen and the Bills never gave up and never stopped believing there was a chance to win, despite the 1.1% odds of doing so. This Bills team never blinked, despite the fact that no team in NFL history had been able to overcome a 15-point deficit with less than four minutes remaining. They didn’t allow the emotional nature of being dominated by the vaunted Ravens’ ground attack to change their belief. They persevered, kept playing, then capitalized on the one mistake by Henry, who had been the hero of the game to that moment.
Allen’s overall performance was monumental, completing 33 of 46 attempts for 394 yards, throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for two more, filling every bit of space the Bills needed to pull off this storybook comeback.
FIRST QUARTER
Play selection: 10 plays (five passes, five runs).
Allen: 3 of 4 passing, 22 yards; 1 carry for 3 yards; TD pass.
Performance grade: 90%.
Score: Bills, 7-3.
The Bills scored on their opening possession with an impressive seven-play drive that was capped off with Allen’s first touchdown pass of the game to Dalton Kincaid.
1. Josh Allen touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid
Here, on second-and-10 from the Baltimore 15-yard line, offensive coordinator Joe Brady called this trips formation to Allen’s right. Allen read the coverage and middle linebacker Roquan Smith perfectly. Smith jumped Khalil Shakir on the short dig route, which allowed Dalton Kincaid to run open to the seam-post between the widened Ravens’ 2-deep safeties.
This was well-read and executed by Allen, who rifled the football to Kincaid with no chance for either safety, Kyle Hamilton or Malaki Starks, to make the play. Brady’s simple and clean design gave Allen three open choices on this play. Allen is increasingly excelling at designs like these.
This opening touchdown put the Bills ahead quickly, 7-0.
The Ravens were forced into a long field goal on their first possession. Allen and the Bills were poised to capitalize and take a 14-3 lead, but they stalled on their second drive as Brady tried three straight rushes to James Cook. Those three Cook rushes equated to 9 yards and a punt.
Brady was trying to establish a physical mentality and get Cook into the game early. Following an initial gain of 9 yards on first-and-10, Cook was engulfed on two consecutive runs.
Here, on second-and-1, Allen mistakenly alerted to this weakside run but didn’t see the corner blitz. On the next play, Spencer Brown was lifted off the ground and thrown backward into Cook by Nnamdi Madubuike. The drive stalled because of two excellent defensive plays by the Ravens. Cook never had a chance on either of these plays.
Allen’s first quarter was solid, but the Bills ran just 10 plays as he completed 4 of 5 attempts. The Bills maintained their 7-3 lead, but that lead soon disappeared.
SECOND QUARTER
Play selection: 17 plays (12 passes, five runs).
Allen: 9 for 12 passing, 91 yards, 0 TDs; 0 carries for 0 yards.
Performance grade: 94%.
Score: Ravens, 20-13.
The Ravens scored back-to-back touchdowns and the Bills punted. They jumped ahead 17-7 as Allen battled back and tried to keep pace. This third-and-10 completion to Coleman was key in sustaining a field-goal drive that shrunk the Ravens’ lead to 17-10.
2. Josh Allen third-and-10 to Keon Coleman: pocket movement
Here, Coleman is dragging across the field from Allen’s right to left. Watch as Allen shuffles his feet and escapes to his left. Coleman creates space for himself by giving the defender momentum with a deeper upfield move, then coming back down toward Allen to make the catch.
This was a high-level reaction and creative thought process by Coleman to create space for himself.
This third-down conversion put the Bills into Ravens territory on their 38-yard line, and Allen converted another third-and-3, this time to Khalil Shakir.
3. Josh Allen third-and-3 conversion to Khalil Shakir underneath
Here, Brady used a kickout block with left tackle Dion Dawkins – one of the Bills' favorite tricks – in combination with an underneath ball-handling shuffle pass. This cool design worked well as Shakir picked up the first down and more.
Ultimately, this 13-play drive stalled deep in Ravens territory and the Bills kicked a 25-yard field goal from the Ravens’ 7-yard line. The Ravens immediately answered with a field goal of their own, reinforcing their physical dominance by imposing their will on the vulnerable Buffalo defense. They extended their lead to 20-10 and successfully burned all of the Bills’ timeouts while doing so.
Had it not been for the wise clock management of coach Sean McDermott, Allen may not have had any time remaining at the end of the second quarter. Credit McDermott for saving 25 seconds for Allen to work his magic, and he did.
It took Allen and the Bills offense just three plays and 24 seconds to give their new kicker another opportunity to shrink the Ravens’ lead. Matt Prater, whose poise and confidence was palpable, drilled the 43-yard field goal with 1 second remaining.
Allen made two huge plays on this miraculous drive, with a spike to stop the clock in between. The first was this incredible throw to Shakir.
4. Josh Allen's huge throw to Khalil Shakir before halftime
Somehow, Allen rolled to his left and threw the ball back to Shakir, who had run a seam route on the other side of the field.
This throw is seemingly impossible, and I doubt there is another player on Earth who could have made it. Allen escaped the pocket to his left and launched it 30 yards going against the momentum of his body.
Shakir adjusted and kept coming back to the football, which was necessary to cut off any defenders from undercutting the throw. The combination of a Herculean throw and Shakir’s incredible effort to come back to Allen made this play possible.
Then, after a spike to stop the clock, and with 7 seconds remaining, the Bills executed a perfect sideline play with a completion to Kincaid. The game clock clicked to 0, but not before Kincaid was declared out of bounds. The Bills had 1 second remaining.
5. Josh Allen's throw to Dalton Kincaid with 1 second remaining
This was a beautifully designed play by Brady with just 7 seconds remaining.
Here, he used a tight-bunch formation to attract the attention of Ravens cornerback Jaire Alexander, who is circled and lined up closest to the line of scrimmage.
Alexander’s job was to carry the vertical routes while jumping to cover any player on his side that broke for the sideline. Here, all three ran vertically on Alexander’s side, which cleared the way for Kincaid to attack underneath the verticals from the other side of the formation. Alexander wasn’t looking for anything from the other side of the formation.
This was a brilliant flood design by Brady, understanding the coverage rules and challenging the conventional norms from the opposite side of the formation. The Ravens actually rushed no one and put all 11 defenders across the field to prevent any big plays. Allen had all the time and comfort he needed to deliver a rocket of a throw to Kincaid just before time ran out.
These two plays by Allen and the Bills’ offense, without any timeouts, were outstanding in every way, and they allowed Prater the opportunity to close the gap right before the break.
Considering the inability of the Bills’ defense to stop the rushing attack of Henry – whose nine-carry, 123-yard first-half performance was spectacular – the Bills were only down 20-13. That was remarkable in and of itself.
From a defensive perspective, there seemed to be no answer for the Henry-Lamar Jackson dynamic duo, as they pounded the Bills’ defense relentlessly and accumulated a whopping 160 yards to the Bills’ 54 yards rushing while scoring points on each of their four offensive possessions.
The Bills’ offense, though not as potent, was still effective as Allen completed 12 of 17 attempts for 113 yards to the Ravens' 52 yards passing.
One huge question remained: Could defensive coordinator Bobby Babich and McDermott make the adjustments to slow down the Henry-Jackson onslaught in the second half? And if so, how?
THIRD QUARTER
Play selection: 17 plays (eight passes, nine runs).
Allen: 5 for 8 passing, 30 yards, 0 touchdowns; 3 carries for 9 yards.
Performance grade: 94%
Score: Ravens, 34-19.
The Ravens marched 65 yards on just four plays in 2:12 for another touchdown on their opening drive into a commanding 14-point lead, 27-13. This was a bleak turn of events for the Bills’ defense, who, despite adjusting to a more aggressive posture, could not find the right combination of factors to stop their hemorrhaging.
Allen, however, did not panic. The Bills’ offense set out on their sixth drive of the game and closed the gap again with a nine-play, 60-yard touchdown drive. The key play on this drive was a fourth-and-5 passing attempt to Josh Palmer that resulted in pass interference.
This gave the Bills the ball at the point of the infraction with first-and-goal. Cook rammed it home, and the Bills were back to a one-score game, 27-20 – until a penalty on the extra-point attempt gave McDermott a choice to go for two.
It was this impulse to try to affect the game and go for a 2-point conversion that nearly cost the Bills. Rather than accept the seven-point deficit with the option to go for a win with a two-point conversion if it came to that at the end, McDermott made the risky decision to go for a one-point boost in the third quarter. This was a mistake, in my opinion, and it forced the Bills to keep chasing the lost points throughout the rest of the game.
The Bills’ two-point attempt was rendered an incomplete pass because Coleman was forced out of bounds before catching the ball. This effectively took a point off the board and gave the Ravens an eight-point lead. The Bills then needed another two-point conversion to tie it.
The Bills’ defense rallied and stopped the Ravens on their next drive, forcing their first punt.
Following a holding penalty on Spencer Brown, the Bills’ offense was second-and-18 on their own 8-yard line when Allen made this magical shuffle pass scrambling to his left. This play was a sign of things to come as Allen’s heroics began to unfold.
6. Josh Allen's shuffle pass to Khalil Shakir on second-and-18
Here, the Ravens stunted their line and forced Allen again to his left. Watch how Allen stepped up inside of his left tackle, Dawkins, and then escaped to his left. There was so little room to do so, yet he escaped and then immediately shuffled the ball to Shakir, who had already adjusted his short dig route to get back into phase with his quarterback.
This play erased the holding penalty and nearly achieved a first down. They converted and gained a first down, but three plays later, they were forced to punt.
The Ravens scored another touchdown, this time in just three plays. They went 63 yards in 1:33 like a hot knife through butter. This made the score 34-19 heading into the fourth quarter – a 15-point deficit.
Allen delivered in the third quarter. He completed 5 of 8 attempts and ran the ball three times. In all, the Bills scored a touchdown and punted on two possessions.
Allen’s game totals heading into the fourth quarter were 17 of 25 attempts for 135 yards. He was efficient and in command – and my prevailing thought was that if the Bills’ defense could stop the Ravens or create a turnover, they still had a chance. It would take a defensive play to change the momentum.
FOURTH QUARTER
Play selection: 34 plays (21 passes, 12 runs).
Allen: 16 for 21 passing, 259 yards, TD pass; 10 carries for 18 yards, 2 TD runs.
Performance grade: 100%
Score: Bills, 41-40.
Allen and the Buffalo offense carried their next possession into the fourth quarter and rallied for another touchdown, this time on an Allen run.
7. Josh Allen's bootleg touchdown run
Here, on second-and-goal, Brady elected for an old-school boot-pass. Allen made a tremendous fake and sold the play-action to Cook.
Everything on this play looked like a run to the Ravens’ defense, and they had to react to Cook. Dawson Knox blocked for a moment and then released for the back pylon. Allen came out of his fake and had a choice to run it or throw to Knox. Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey turned and covered Knox, which left Allen in a footrace for the goal line. Allen made it untouched.
This was a nice change-up by Brady to give Allen a pass-run option after the fake.
Following this score, McDermott repeated a two-point attempt again. At this point, the score was 34-25 Ravens, making the nine-point difference a two-possession game. Had McDermott simply kicked the extra point, the score would have been 34-26 – an eight-point difference or, one possession to tie.
Going for two at this juncture didn’t make sense, other than to say, "If we get it, it's a seven-point difference, and we won’t have to go for two to tie the game later down the line." This failed 2-point conversion attempt rendered the Bills behind by nine points instead of eight, making it a full two-score game.
Incredibly, the Ravens answered with another four-play, 65-yard touchdown drive that took only 1 minute.
The key, however, that saved the Bills’ victory was the missed extra point by the Ravens’ rookie kicker, Tyler Loop. This miss made the score 40-25 as Allen took over on his own 28-yard line. This drive was foiled by a Ravens sack, and the Bills were forced to punt.
It was this moment in the game that many of the fans were leaving Highmark Stadium.
Jackson, Henry and the Ravens' supporting cast took possession of the football with a 40-25 lead and 9:18 remaining. The Ravens looked like they were in celebratory mode.
The Bills’ defense, to their credit, never stopped playing. They held on five plays and forced the Ravens’ second punt of the game.
Then Allen and the Bills’ offense went to work and orchestrated a 10-play touchdown drive, with this miraculous deflected touchdown catch by Coleman on fourth down.
8. Keon Coleman's diving TD catch on Josh Allen's deflected fourth-down pass
Here on fourth-and-2 from the 10-yard line, Brady tried to sneak a wheel route to Ty Johnson out of the backfield to Allen’s left. Shakir paused his route to create a pick for Johnson to rub his defender.
What the Bills weren’t ready for was a rush-2 and drop-8 defense. The Ravens lined up in a 6-man front, then bailed out to rush only two defensive ends. Humphrey saw Johnson trying to wheel to Allen’s left and covered him.
This is when this play became like a pickup game in the park. Allen searched. Coleman tried to go to Allen's left, then went to his right. I believe Allen was throwing to Shakir on the play, but Kincaid and Coleman were rallying to the right side of the field where Allen had rolled as well.
Allen released the ball and Coleman reacted to the deflection and made the catch, despite the altered path of the ball.
Here, McDermott kicked the extra point to make the score a one-possession affair, 40-32 Ravens.
The Ravens took possession of the football again with just under 4 minutes remaining.
This was basic 4-minute football territory. The Ravens only had to maintain possession and gain first downs to run the clock out. But Henry was stripped on a valiant effort by Oliver, and Terrel Bernard recovered.
This one play was the break the Bills had been working for.
It took Allen four plays and just 1 minute to score his second rushing touchdown of the game with a crafty quarterback sneak. This made the score 40-38 Ravens, and the Bills had no choice but to go for two.
This attempt again failed, which meant the Bills’ defense needed one more stop to give Allen a chance to win this game with a field-goal drive.
The Bills’ defense held and forced the Ravens’ third punt of the game.
Considering how easily the Ravens moved the football on the Bills’ defense in this game, great credit must be given to the defense, which, despite the Ravens’ offensive success earlier, forced a punt, a fumble recovery and another punt.
These three possessions were foiled by a Buffalo defense that never gave up.
Allen had one more chance with 1:26 remaining to play.
9. Josh Allen beats the Ravens' Blitz 0 desperation
Here, the Ravens came after Allen with an all-out blitz on first-and-10. The Bills had no timeouts and there were just 46 seconds remaining. A long field goal was possible, and perhaps the Ravens felt that they could force Allen into a mistake.
But the Bills’ offensive line picked up this 7-man perfectly and Allen had a clean pocket to deliver the backside slant to Coleman.
This throw and catch is an indication of great things to come between those two. Coleman exploded into his slant as the cornerback, Alexander, had no chance of defending it. Alexander stumbled and tripped up Coleman before he scored, but this was perhaps the best scenario.
Had Coleman scored, the Ravens would have gotten the ball back with 30 seconds and all of their timeouts. The score would have been 45-40 Bills with an extra point.
This scenario, with Coleman tackled on the 9-yard line, forced the Ravens to use their timeouts. Because the Ravens were forced to take their first of three timeouts following the Coleman catch, they could only stop the clock two more times.
Allen knelt on consecutive plays to burn the Ravens' final timeouts and set up for the game-winning field goal. This meant that after a third-and-goal kneel by Allen, the clock would be running.
This required the Bills’ field-goal unit and Prater to jog onto the field, set up for the field goal and snap the ball before time expired because they couldn’t stop the clock.
I must say that McDermott and the Bills staff did a masterful job of managing this critical situation.
Prater and the field-goal unit ran onto the field with about 25 seconds remaining as the Bills set up. Long snapper Reid Ferguson snapped the ball with 2 seconds remaining, and Prater drilled it through the uprights for the win (though Ravens safety did sneak through and nearly got his hand on the kick). There was no time remaining. This was an absolute clinic in clock management.
Conclusion
Comebacks are special because they are stories that are born from initial failures. They don’t happen unless something goes wrong first.
This game and this victory started with the fall of the reigning MVP Allen to a foe, his runner-up – Jackson. The Ravens carried a whole off-season’s worth of anger and frustration into this Week 1 matchup with one mission – redemption. They wanted to physically dominate and embarrass the Bills in front of their fans and the nation on Sunday night.
For a large portion of the game, they accomplished that goal. They appeared on the sideline to be celebrating as the game entered the final quarter with a commanding 34-19 lead. There was no end in sight to the punishment the Ravens had inflicted on a Bills’ defense that had no answers.
The lesson in all of this is one for the ages.
Where there is a passionate willingness to do the work to the very end, there is hope to accomplish any task. Tom Brady proved it with the Patriots in his historic comeback against the Falcons, and now Allen, in similar fashion answered the similar call against the Ravens.
The difference, of course, is that one was for a Super Bowl and this game was only Week 1 of the NFL regular season. The context is very different, but the feeling and the dynamics were similar.
It is a different feeling to the beginning of this season for the Bills than I can remember. As their new stadium is nearly complete, the Bills and Allen have stepped into another legendary moment that we will all remember. Our lesson from here on out will be to stay until the end, like this team did in this hard-fought game.
That character and resilience exemplified between these two teams will be a reminder that sustained belief and execution through the struggle will be the difference in the end.
Overall QB performance grade: 94.5%
Passing: 33 of 46 (71.7%), 394 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INT.
Rushing: 14 carries, 30 yards, 2 TDs, 0 fumbles.
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