Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The 2025 regular season for the Buffalo Bills began in an exciting, come-from-behind fashion against the Baltimore Ravens on "Sunday Night Football".
Baltimore's revenge tour from last year's AFC Divisional Round loss to the Bills in Orchard Park fizzled out, as Buffalo mounted a last-minute stand, overcoming a 15-point deficit with less than four minutes remaining in regulation to earn a 41-40 win in the final home opener at the current Highmark Stadium.
The Bills made quick work of Baltimore's defense after kick returner Brandon Codrington started the game by returning the opening kickoff to midfield.
The seven-play opening drive was capped off by quarterback and reigning NF MVP Josh Allen finding tight end Dalton Kincaid with a rocket of a pass for a 15-yard touchdown.
Baltimore's opening offensive drive did not go as planned, as the Buffalo defense held strong thanks to a third-down sack from defensive tackle Ed Oliver of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The sack was enough to back the Ravens up for a 52-yard field goal attempt, which rookie kicker Tyler Loop was able to convert to get Baltimore on the board.
After a three-and-out by the Buffalo offense, the Ravens took advantage and grabbed their first lead of the game with a 30-yard touchdown run from running back Derrick Henry, who bulldozed his way through the Bills defense.
Another three-and-out from the Bills offense opened the door for Baltimore to open up its second-quarter lead, and the Ravens continued to go to work.
After another big run from Henry for 49 yards to get Baltimore into the Buffalo red zone, Jackson took matters into his hands to cap off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run, extending Baltimore's lead to 17-7.
The Bills managed to bounce back on their next offensive drive, albeit with only three points on the board after a 13-play drive that chewed 6:57 off the clock. Veteran kicker Matt Prater, who had just signed as a practice squad kicker earlier this week, was called upon to kick a 25-yard field goal to lessen the Buffalo deficit.
Henry continued to wreak havoc on the Bills defense until they decided to run the ball without him.
With less than two minutes on the clock, Justice Hill was interrupted in the backfield, as Bills defensive end Joey Bosa slapped the ball out of his hands for a 15-yard loss. That helped hold Baltimore to a 49-yard field goal by Loop, and give Buffalo just enough time to try and put up some points before halftime.
31 seconds was all the Bills needed to steal three more points after the big stop, as Allen connected again with Kincaid near the sidelines with one second left on the clock, putting Buffalo in field goal range for Prater. The veteran was able to capitalize with a 43-yard field goal to bring the score to 20-13 at the half.
Baltimore picked up right where it left off from the first half, wasting no time finding the end zone to open the third quarter.
After a second-down sack at the Ravens' 38-yard line, a botched blitz from Buffalo gave Jackson plenty of time to connect with wide receiver Zay Flowers for 39 yards. On the very next play, Jackson and Flowers connected again, this time from 23 yards out for a Baltimore touchdown.
The Bills answered right back on their opening drive of the half, going nine plays and 60 yards in just over five minutes of game clock, ending with a two-yard touchdown run from running back James Cook.
After a successful extra point kick from Prater, a penalty for 12 men on the field for Baltimore opened the chance for Buffalo to go for two from the 1-yard line. However, even though Allen was able to connect with Keon Coleman, it was determined the wide receiver was out-of-bounds before the pass was completed, wiping out the successful attempt.
Finally, the Bills defense was able to force a punt in the third quarter, aided by a huge run stop from Oliver, who stuffed Henry for a five-yard loss on second down. The Ravens followed that with a third down incompletion from Jackson on a pass intended for wideout Rashod Bateman.
After the Bills failed to capitalize on their next drive and punted the ball away, the Ravens struck once again through the air, as Jackson found wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins with a spectacular one-handed touchdown grab from 29 yards out.
As the game bled into the fourth quarter, the Bills chipped back with a score, as Allen managed to find his way into the end zone on a bootleg to his right from two yards out. The Bills ended up trying to go for a two-point conversion once again, but Allen's pass intended for Kincaid in the end zone was picked off by safety Kyle Hamilton.
As for Allen, his touchdown run marked the 66th time he found the end zone with his feet, establishing a new franchise record in Buffalo for any player, even topping Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas.
It only took Baltimore four plays to lay it back on Buffalo, though, on the very next drive.
After Jackson turned a major sack on third down into a 19-yard first down gain into Buffalo territory, it was Henry, once again, barreling his way 46 yards into the end zone for a Ravens touchdown to put Baltimore ahead, 40-25.
Following an exchange of punts with 7:16 left on the clock, the Bills went to work, continuing to chip away at the Ravens' 15-point advantage.
It took the Bills 3:20 of game clock to go 80 yards down the field in 10 plays, culminating with Coleman coming up with a clutch 10-yard touchdown grab on fourth down after a pass from Allen was tipped by tight end Dawson Knox.
After the touchdown and a successful extra point attempt from Prater, the Bills defense finally broke through with a clutch turnover to turn the tide of the contest.
It was another big splash play from Oliver, who forced a Henry fumble in Ravens territory that was recovered by Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard at the 30-yard line.
Allen wasted no time on the next drive, finding rookie tight end Jackson Hawes for a 29-yard gain on the first play to get Buffalo to the one-yard line. Three plays later, it was the Bills quarterback jumping over the pile to bring the score to within two points, and a chance to tie the game with a successful two-point conversion attempt.
However, Buffalo's third attempt at an extra two points after a touchdown was also unsuccessful, as Coleman was unable to come down with a jump ball on a fade pass in the corner of the end zone.
With three timeouts in hand, the Bills defense just needed to force a three-and-out, which the unit was able to successfully accomplish by stopping Baltimore three yards short of the sticks at its own 38-yard line.
Following the Ravens punt, Allen was able to work the offense into field goal range, thanks to a couple of clutch grabs on the drive from first-year wideout Joshua Palmer, as well as Coleman to the Ravens' nine-yard line.
That set up Prater to eventually kick a 32-yard field goal to win the game as the time expired, which he successfully converted right between the uprights to secure Buffalo's improbable come-from-behind victory, 41-40.
The win for the Bills was a first in NFL history, as Buffalo became the first team to be down by 15-plus points with under four minutes left and win the game in regulation.
As for Allen, he became the first player in NFL history to have 250-plus passing yards and, at least, two rushing touchdowns in any single quarter of any single game.
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SCORING RECAP
First Quarter:
- 7-0 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (11:19) - Josh Allen fires a 15-yard strike to Dalton Kincaid for a touchdown. (Matt Prater's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 7 plays, 50 yards, 3:41
- 7-3 BUFFALO: Ravens Field Goal (3:38) - Tyler Loop's 52-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 12 plays, 35 yards, 7:41
Second Quarter:
- 10-7 BALTIMORE: Ravens Touchdown (13:35) - Derrick Henry breaks through for a 30-yard touchdown run. (Tyler Loop's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 6 plays, 85 yards, 3:04
- 17-7 BALTIMORE: Ravens Touchdown (9:47) - Lamar Jackson runs to his left for a 10-yard touchdown. (Tyler Loop's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 4 plays, 69 yards, 2:16
- 17-10 BALTIMORE: Bills Field Goal (2:50) - Matt Prater's 25-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 13 plays, 63 yards, 6:57
- 20-10 BALTIMORE: Baltimore Field Goal (0:31) - Tyler Loop's 49-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 8 plays, 23 yards, 2:19
- 20-13 BALTIMORE: Bills Field Goal (0:01) - Matt Prater's 43-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 4 plays, 88 yards, 0:31
Third Quarter:
- 27-13 BALTIMORE: Ravens Touchdown (12:48) - Lamar Jackson finds Zay Flowers for a 23-yard touchdown pass. (Tyler Loop's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 4 plays, 65 yards, 2:12
- 27-19 BALTIMORE: Bills Touchdown (7:47) - James Cook rushes up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown run. (Buffalo's two-point conversion attempt is unsuccessful)
Drive info: 9 plays, 60 yards, 5:01
- 34-19 BALTIMORE: Ravens Touchdown (1:09) - Lamar Jackson connects with DeAndre Hopkins for a 29-yard touchdown. (Tyler Loop's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 3 plays, 68 yards, 1:33
Fourth Quarter:
- 34-25 BALTIMORE: Bills Touchdown (12:51) - Josh Allen rushes two yards up the middle for a touchdown run. (Buffalo's two-point conversion attempt is unsuccessful)
Drive info: 8 plays, 84 yards, 3:18
- 40-25 BALTIMORE: Ravens Touchdown (11:42) - Derrick Henry finds space to the outside for a 46-yard touchdown run. (Tyler Loop's extra point attempt is no good)
Drive info: 4 plays, 65 yards, 1:09
- 40-32 BALTIMORE: Bills Touchdown (3:56) - Keon Coleman comes up with a 10-yard pass from Josh Allen for a touchdown. (Matt Prater's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 10 plays, 80 yards, 3:20
- 40-38 BALTIMORE: Bills Touchdown (1:58) - Josh Allen jumps over the pile for a 1-yard touchdown run. (Buffalo's two-point conversion attempt is unsuccessful)
Drive info: 4 plays, 30 yards, 1:08
- 41-40 BUFFALO: Bills Field Goal (0:00) - Matt Prater's 32-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 9 plays, 66 yards, 1:26
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SKYWORKS EQUIPMENT RENTAL STATS OF THE GAME:
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What's next:
The Bills will head on the road for the first time in the regular season, as they take on the New York Jets in the first AFC East matchup of the year between the two teams. Kickoff from MetLife Stadium is slated for 1 p.m. on the official voice of the Bills - WGR Sports Radio 550.