Lamar Jackson vs. Josh Allen, Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills, Sunday Night Football. Everything was set up for this to be a great game, and was it ever.
The Ravens had one of the best offenses in the league last season. They were third in the league in points per game, scoring 30.3 per contest. To go along with that, they had the most yards per game in the league at 426.5.
Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry were the stars that made that happen. They teamed up for an astounding 192.8 yards per game on the ground, which was first in the league.
As for 2025, many were curious if they could repeat that success. Well, Henry showed he could, as he ran for 169 yards and two touchdowns. He looked to be in the best shape of his career, and he showed it. Buffalo simply had no answer. As for the passing game, it was wide receiver Zay Flowers who led the way with seven catches for 134 yards and a touchdown.
All of this success on offense allowed the Ravens to put up 34 points through three quarters. At this point, Bills fans began to head for the exits. The score was 34-19, and Baltimore couldn’t be stopped. Or could they?
With the Ravens’ offense piling up the points, Buffalo QB Josh Allen knew he had his work cut out for him. He didn’t back down, though, and neither did the Bills.
Getting the ball to begin the fourth, down 34-19, Buffalo needed to score quickly. They did exactly that, as Allen led them on an eight-play, 84-yard TD drive that made it 34-25.
The Bills decided to go for two to make it a one-score game, but failed on an intercepted pass.
All was not lost for Buffalo, down nine with 12 minutes to go in the fourth. Now their defense needed a stop. Henry wouldn’t let them get one, as he ran 46 yards to the house. 40-25 Ravens after a missed extra point, but that would be the end of their scoring.
Now it was Allen’s time to put the team on his back. After the teams traded punts, Allen and the Bills got the ball back down 15 with 7:16 to go. Still time, but it was getting more unlikely. A 4th-and-2 was what it came down to. Allen delivered with a TD pass to Keon Coleman, and it was 40-32 Ravens.
With under four minutes to go, the Ravens got the ball back. All they needed to do was run out the clock. Two plays into their drive, the unfortunate happened: a Henry fumble that was recovered by Buffalo.
This set up the Bills perfectly to tie the game. They had the ball on the Ravens’ 30, and once again, Josh delivered. A goal-line leap above the pile by Allen put the Bills a two-point conversion away from tying it.
The Ravens stood tall, though, and stopped them. 40-38, and the Ravens got the ball back with 1:58 to go. A series of short gains led to a punt. The possession lasted a total of 25 seconds. The Bills had a shot to pull this off.
With Allen under center, they had all of the momentum. A masterful drive from the Bills led to a chip-shot field goal from Matt Prater. He nailed it through the uprights.
This game was one for the ages — so many different storylines and moments. Certainly, I would love to see this matchup again in the playoffs. Only time will tell if that happens.
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