Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR) - Coming out of the bye week, the Bills took care of business against a battered Baltimore Ravens squad, who was forced to play their emergency third-string quarterback in a 36-10 win for Buffalo at Highmark Stadium.
Josh Allen and the offense started the game, once again, after winning the coin toss, and they would take it the distance for the game's opening score. After Ravens kicker Tyler Loop booted the opening kickoff out-of-bounds - setting Buffalo up at their own 40-yard line - it took the Bills 10 plays and 4:50 of game clock for Allen to find the end zone from 1-yard out for a touchdown.
The Ravens' first offensive drive of the game certainly did not go as planned, as quarterback Lamar Jackson - returning from an ankle injury that forced him to miss three games - ended up leaving the game after the very first snap with a right thumb injury. He was injured when his follow through on a pass attempt hit the extended arm of Bills pass rusher Greg Rousseau.
It wasn't long after the injury when Jackson was ruled out of the game, leading to backup Tyler Huntley needing to take over under center.
The Bills defense did not let Huntley get into a groove right away, forcing a three-and-out and a Ravens punt.
Buffalo was able to get just enough into field goal range on their next offensive drive, leading to a 56-yard kick from kicker Tyler Bass that hit the left upright, but bounced through to give the Bills a 10-0 lead with 6:05 left in the opening quarter.
The Bills had an opportunity to put their foot on Baltimore's throats early, but after forcing another three-and-out, Buffalo turned the ball right back over and gave the Ravens the ball back in prime scoring position. It was Allen firing a quick pass to tight end Jackson Hawes, who couldn't reel it in and actually put the ball up for grabs. It was Ravens defensive tackle Broderick Washington Jr. coming away with the ball, and registering an interception at the Bills' 17-yard line.
Two plays later, the Ravens found the end zone for their first touchdown of the afternoon, thanks to a 2-yard touchdown run for running back Derrick Henry.
Facing a 4th-and-4 to start the second quarter at the Ravens' 37-yard line, the Bills get aggressive and go for it, but his deep pass intended for wide receiver Keon Coleman falls incomplete, resulting in a turnover on downs.
However, the Bills defense got after Huntley again on third down, as safety Cole Bishop rushes up the middle on a blitz and forces a fumble on his sack at the Baltimore 33-yard line. After the ball rolled for a bit back to the Ravens' 20-yard line, Bills linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr jumped on the football for the Buffalo recovery.
The offensive struggles continued for the Bills, as the unit managed to get as far as the Baltimore 1-yard line, but a third-down stop by the Ravens forced a 22-yard field goal from Bass to extend Buffalo's lead to 13-7 with 9:50 to go in the first half.
Then in another twist, the Ravens were forced to turn to emergency quarterback Joe Fagnano after Huntley was forced to leave the game for Baltimore with a toe injury. Like Jackson earlier, this injury ended Huntley's afternoon prematurely not even halfway through the second quarter.
After a stellar 59-yard kick return, Fagnano had a chance to give the Ravens a lead with a touchdown drive in his first-career game. However, after getting the offense as far as the Bills' 7-yard line, Fagnano took a first-down sack by Bills defensive lineman Landon Jackson and then threw a pair of incompletions on second and third down. To add insult to injury, the Ravens came away with no points on the board after kicker Tyler Loop missed a 34-yard field goal off the left upright.
After an exchanging of punts, the Bills got the ball back moving down the field, looking to add to their lead with less than two minutes remaining in the half. However, after a 20-yard completion between Allen and D.J. Moore, the veteran wide receiver fumbled before being forced down by contact, and the Ravens recovered the football at their own 18-yard line.
The good news for Buffalo, though, is the defense came to play and ready make the rookie quarterback's day as miserable as possible.
On a 1st-and-5 at the Baltimore 35-yard line, Fagnano attempted a pass that was batted up in the air by practice squad call-up Geno Stone, and picked off by rookie cornerback Davison Igbinosun.
The Bills' offensive woes continued with another stalled drive, though it could've been worse if not for an Allen 14-yard run after an illegal chop block backed Buffalo up 15 yards. It was enough to put Bass in a spot for a 51-yard field goal with 9 seconds remaining in the half and a 16-7 Buffalo lead heading into the locker room.
With the first possession of the second half, Fagnano and the Ravens looked to find a groove, and got as far as the Bills' 5-yard line. However, after a pair of penalties backed the Ravens up, they'd settle for a 26-yard field goal from Loop to cut into their deficit, 16-10.
As it turns out, that'd be as close as the Ravens would come for the rest of the afternoon in Orchard Park.
Buffalo's opening drive of the half was highlighted by a massive 49-yard connection between Allen and Moore to the Ravens' 5-yard line, setting up a 1st-and-goal.
Then after an incompletion to Moore on the next play, Bills running back James Cook got the call and rolled to his left for a house call to the end zone, untouched to put Buffalo up, 23-10.
It took until the early stages of the fourth quarter for the Bills to find the end zone once more, this time courtesy of another connection between Allen and Moore. The score was set up just a couple of plays prior with a 40-yard strike from Allen to tight end Dalton Kincaid. It was Moore's second touchdown as a member of the Bills from 11 yards out.
With the touchdown strike to Moore, it marked another franchise record for Allen, who broke Hall-of-Famer Jim Kelly's mark for passing touchdowns - regular season and postseason - at 259.
A failed two-point conversion attempt by the Bills kept the score at 29-10 in favor of the Bills.
The Ravens offense continued to struggle in the second half, as they turned the ball over again on downs with 9:31 to go in the game.
That turnover on downs resulted in another touchdown for the Bills, with Allen connecting again with Kincaid, who found the end zone with a 23-yard strike.
The final blow for the Ravens came with 2:38 to go, as a botched snap between Fagnano and center Cam Jurgens results in a fumble and a recovery by Bills linebacker Dorian Williams.
From there, it was the offensive backups closing out the game, as Kyle Allen managed to get a game-sealing first down before kneeling out the remaining time on the game clock.
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SCORING RECAP
First Quarter:
- 7-0 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (10:10) - Josh Allen rushes up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 10 plays, 60 yards, 4:50
- 10-0 BUFFALO: Bills Field Goal (6:05) - Tyler Bass' 56-yard kick field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 5 plays, 19 yards, 2:26
- 10-7 BUFFALO: Ravens Touchdown (3:18) - Derrick Henry rushes up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown. (Tyler Loop's extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 2 plays, 17 yards, 0:52
Second Quarter:
- 13-7 BUFFALO: Bills Field Goal (9:50) - Tyler Bass' 22-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 9 plays, 16 yards, 4:11
- 16-7 BUFFALO: Bills Field Goal (0:09) - Tyler Bass' 51-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 4 plays, 0 yards, 0:59
Third Quarter:
- 16-10 BUFFALO: Ravens Field Goal (11:28) - Tyler Loop's 26-yard field goal attempt is good.
Drive info: 8 plays, 61 yards, 3:32
- 23-10 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (8:59) - James Cook finds space to his right for a 5-yard touchdown run. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 6 plays, 77 yards, 2:29
Fourth Quarter:
- 29-10 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (12:18) - Josh Allen fires an 11-yard strike to D.J. Moore for a touchdown. (Buffalo's two-point conversion attempt is unsuccessful)
Drive info: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:39
- 36-10 BUFFALO: Bills Touchdown (5:58) - Josh Allen connects with Dalton Kincaid for a 23-yard touchdown pass. (Tyler Bass' extra point attempt is good)
Drive info: 6 plays, 43 yards, 3:33
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What's next:
The Bills will head back on the road for a prime-time matchup with the Minnesota Vikings next Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium. Kickoff from Minneapolis is set for 8:20 p.m. ET.
