Ravens Insider: Ravens fall apart late in shocking season-opening loss to Bills, 41-40

ExtremeRavens · 2025-09-08T03:55:56Z

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — A little more than seven months after the Ravens’ painful loss to the Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs, they found a new low Sunday night.

With Buffalo kicker Tyler Bass placed on injured reserve just days before the season opener at Highmark Stadium, 41-year-old Matt Prater, signed to the practice squad, came off the couch and made a 32-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Bills to an improbable 41-40 victory.

The kick capped a nine-play, 66-yard drive in the game’s final 93 seconds — the same amount of time that was left when Ravens tight end Mark Andrews dropped a would-be game-tying 2-point conversion the last time the teams met in January.

The stakes were higher than, but this loss was even more inexplicable.

Unlike the last time, there was no snow, but there were plenty of stars Sunday night at Highmark Stadium. Once again, both teams provided a heavy dose of drama.

With Baltimore clinging to a 40-32 lead after a rare fumble by Derrick Henry that the Bills recovered, quarterback Josh Allen plunged into the end zone from a yard out to set up a chance to tie the score. But when Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins broke up a 2-point pass intended for Keon Coleman in the corner of the end zone, it looked as if the Ravens might survive.

They found a way to let victory slip from their grasp — again.

It was a matchup that had the sizzle of a heavyweight fight, with the NFL’s two most recent Most Valuable Player Award winners, Allen and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, going toe-to-toe in a rematch of January’s thriller. The star quarterbacks did not disappoint.

Jackson completed 14 of 19 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns and added 70 rushing yards and a score on six carries. Allen did what he does best, too, scrambling, surviving and keeping his team in it, completing 33 of 46 passes for 394 yards and two touchdowns while adding 30 rushing yards and two scores on 14 carries.

But Allen was at his best late. He went 11-for-14 with 166 passing yards and a touchdown in the final 7:16.

For much of the night, it looked as if the Ravens had finally moved past their foibles.

Henry finished with 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, while receiver Zay Flowers added a career-high 143 yards on seven catches and another score.

Baltimore has perhaps the best roster in the sport, and everywhere Jackson turned, another big-time player was making a big play in a big game.

First, it was the future Pro Football Hall of Fame running back. Henry, at age 31, continues to defy reality and was burying defenders when he wasn’t leaving them in his dust. With Baltimore trailing 7-3 early in the second quarter, he raced through the right side of the line, and when Cole Bishop came running toward him, the 6-foot-2, 252-pound Henry swatted the safety to the turf like a gnat on his way to a 30-yard gallop for the score. His 107th career rushing touchdown moved him to sixth all-time as he surpassed Jim Brown.

That was just the beginning.

With Buffalo hanging on early in the fourth and Baltimore clinging to a nine-point lead, Jackson delivered a dazzling body blow, escaping a wave of Bills defenders on a third-and-10 from his own 35 with the swiftness of Houdini and emerged 19 yards downfield. One play later, Henry delivered what appeared to be a knockout blow, racing 46 yards down the left sideline for the touchdown that made it 40-25 with 11:42 left.

Instead, Baltimore’s revamped defense — from players to coaching changes — couldn’t hold up in the end.

The Ravens squandered a pair of 15-point leads, both in the fourth quarter.

The loss also puts them in a hole in the AFC North, one game behind the Steelers and Bengals with the Browns and former Baltimore Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco coming to town next week at M&T Bank Stadium.

Now the question is how and if the Ravens can bounce back after another familiar defeat.

This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) grabs a pass for a touchdown in front of Buffalo Bills linebacker Keonta Jenkins (49) during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

1 of 15

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) grabs a pass for a touchdown in front of Buffalo Bills linebacker Keonta Jenkins (49) during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Expand

View the full article

Sign In

Ravens Insider: Ravens fall apart late in shocking season-opening loss to Bills, 41-40

Recommended Posts

ExtremeRavens

Join the conversation

Browse

Activity