Orchard Park, N.Y. (WBEN) - What a way to open the final season at the current Highmark Stadium!
Despite facing a 15-point deficit with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Buffalo Bills somehow pulled off one of the more improbable come-from-behind victories, beating the Baltimore Ravens, 41-40, in the 2025 season opener.
After the Bills scored a pair of touchdowns late and failing to convert the two-point conversion attempts on both scores, the Buffalo defense came up with a huge stop of the Ravens' high-powered offense, and got the ball back with 1:33 left and trailing by a pair.
After a couple of clutch passes from Josh Allen to get the Bills well into scoring range, it was 41-year-old Matt Prater, who had been signed to the team's practice squad earlier this week, kicking the game-winning 32-yard field goal as time expired to secure a Week 1 victory.
Despite a number of fans heading for the exits with less than 10 minutes left in regulation and the Bills punting the ball back to Baltimore, fans who stuck around to see the comeback victory were amazed by the resilience of the team when it seemed they were down-and-out.
"Honestly, I did want to leave at the start of the fourth quarter, and my father-in-law made made me stay. I couldn't be more grateful that he actually did," said Bills fan T.J. from Buffalo. "It was a win I've never seen in my 10 years of coming to this stadium for games."
For many Bills fans who stuck around, it was one of the greatest games they were able to experience at Highmark Stadium.
"I told my friends we got to stay the whole time, we all agreed, and, man, it was just amazing," said James from Rochester.
"I've been to a lot of games, and this is the best game I've ever seen. I really enjoyed it."
For other fans like Mimi from Rochester, this ending for the Bills in the opening week of the season was something out of a storybook.
"I will tell you that I called it, third quarter. I said, 'It's going to be the Buffalo Bills' greatest second comeback.' There we have it. Need I say more?" Mimi said with WBEN.
For brothers John and Jimmy from Cleveland, Ohio, they knew this game was destined for an all-time finish once the Bills had the ball with less than eight minutes remaining.
"There was 7:16, on the clock, so I knew there was a chance when we got the ball," John said with WBEN.
"It was crazy, and I learned something: A lot can happen in one quarter of a game," Jimmy added.
What was it that made fans stick around for the final minutes of the game, despite the team facing such a deficit?
"The atmosphere, this is the last home opener for the Bills [at Highmark Stadium], and the beautiful weather. Where else would you want to be? So we said, 'Let's just stay. This is wonderful anyways.' It's better now that they won," James said.
"The fat lady didn't sing. So you can't leave before the fat lady sings. Game wasn't over," Mimi added.
For T.J., there's only one game that may be able to compare to this comeback win as the best game he's seen at Highmark Stadium.
"Honestly, it's a very different scenario, but this is right up there with the 'Perfect Game', the New England playoff game. A very different circumstance, but the feeling is the exact same, and I'm walking home with the same feeling," he said.
The Bills open the 2025 season 1-0, and will next play the New York Jets (0-1) for the first of two games against their division rival this regular season. Kickoff next Sunday is slated for 1 p.m. from MetLife Stadium.
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