The Buffalo Bills downed the Baltimore Ravens in an epic Sunday Night Football showdown by a score of 41-40. Despite the fact that they trailed by 15 at one point in the fourth quarter, the Bills still managed to rally back and hit a game-winning field goal as time expired to earn the hard-fought victory.
Josh Allen looked like the best player in football. He had 394 passing yards, 30 rushing yards, and four total touchdowns. He also orchestrated a game-winning drive with no timeouts and only 1:26 left on the clock.
Ravens running back Derrick Henry was sensational in this one. He ran for 169 yards and two rushing touchdowns while averaging 9.4 yards per carry. His second-quarter 30-yard TD run gave the Ravens their first lead of the night at 10-7. With that score, he moved into sixth place on the NFL’s all-time rushing touchdown list, breaking a tie with the late Hall of Famer Jim Brown.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback and two-time MVP Lamar Jackson was also doing everything on the football field. He went 14 for 19 passing with 210 yards, 70 rushing yards, and three total touchdowns. His 11-yard TD run in the second quarter gave the Ravens a 17-7 advantage.
The Bills responded with a very promising 14-play drive of their own. However, that series tapered out at Baltimore’s seven yard line, so Buffalo had to settle for a field goal to make the score 17-10 with a little less than three minutes before halftime.
Buffalo got the ball back with only 31 seconds left until the break, but that would be enough time for the Bills’ offense to put together a 48-yard drive that led to a 43-yard field goal by Matt Prater, making it a 20-13 game at the half.
Baltimore’s scorching-hot offense was easily able to keep up the pace to start the second half, slicing through Buffalo’s defense for 65 yards in just three plays to improve the score to 27-13 in the third quarter. Ravens Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers, who had seven catches on the night for a career-high 143 yards and a touchdown, accounted for 62 of Baltimore’s 65 yards on the drive.
Josh Allen baited Baltimore cornerback Jaire Alexander into committing a defensive pass interference, which allowed Buffalo to keep a drive alive after an initial stop on fourth down. Two plays later, Pro Bowl running back James Cook found the end zone to make it 27-19 in favor of the Ravens.
After back-to-back punts, Baltimore reached the end zone again. Newly-signed wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins tipped a pass to himself down the sideline and caught the ball one-handed for a 29-yard touchdown, the 84th of his career. That grab gave the Ravens a 34-19 advantage heading into the final frame.
The Bills wouldn’t go away, though. James Cook, who had 102 total yards in the game, made a 51-yard catch-and-run on a 3rd and 6 to give Buffalo a 1st and goal from Baltimore’s two yard line. That eventually resulted in a two-yard TD scramble by Josh Allen, bringing the score to 34-25 after an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt. With that touchdown, Josh Allen became the new franchise record-holder for career rushing TDs with 66, passing Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas.
The Ravens came right back out and scored another touchdown on a 46-yard scamper by Derrick Henry. Kicker Tyler Loop missed the extra point attempt, though, so Baltimore’s lead stayed put at 40-25.
On the next possession, Buffalo second-year wide receiver Keon Coleman somehow caught a tipped pass on a 4th and 2 for a touchdown to bring the score to 40-32 with less than four minutes to go in the game.
Things took a dramatic turn when Derrick Henry committed a poorly timed fumble, allowing the Bills to pick up the ball and give the offense a chance to score. That’s exactly what they did when Josh Allen recorded his second rushing touchdown of the night. However, Buffalo failed to tie the game after missing on the two-point conversion, which meant Baltimore still led 40-38.
Thankfully for the Bills, their defense answered the call and forced a three-and-out, giving Buffalo’s offense one more chance to win the game. They promptly drove 66 yards down the field in 1:26 to hit the game-winning field goal.
*Author’s note: all information and statistics are tracked in real time and are provided by the game’s broadcaster, NFL.com, and ESPN.com*
