Josh Allen had a message for the few thousand fans who slipped out of Highmark Stadium early on Sunday night to beat the traffic.
“Maybe they should’ve stuck around,” the reigning NFL MVP quipped after authoring one of the wildest comebacks in franchise history.
Allen scored two rushing touchdowns and threw for another in a frantic final four minutes as the Buffalo Bills stormed back from a 15-point deficit to shock the Baltimore Ravens 41-40 in a nationally televised Sunday Night Football classic.
The Bills trailed 40-25 with 11:42 left after Derrick Henry ripped off a 46-yard touchdown run, seemingly sealing a Baltimore victory. But what followed was a rally for the ages — one capped by Matt Prater’s 32-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.
Allen, calm and relentless, engineered three straight scoring drives in the final minutes. He first capitalized on Henry’s costly fumble, forced by Ed Oliver and recovered by Terrel Bernard at the Baltimore 30. Two minutes later, Allen bulled in from the 1 to cut the deficit to 40-38. The Buffalo defense then forced a three-and-out, giving Allen one last chance.
He didn’t miss. Taking over with 1:26 on the clock, Allen marched the Bills 66 yards in nine plays, setting up Prater’s game-winning kick on his Buffalo debut.
“This is what this team’s about,” said Prater, 41, signed to replace injured Tyler Bass. “The biggest thing I saw when we got down early, no one blinked.”
Allen finished 33 of 46 for 394 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for two scores. His late-game heroics earned him his 77th career win, tying Joe Ferguson for second-most in franchise history.
The Bills’ defense bent all night against Henry and Lamar Jackson but made the stops when it mattered most. Henry gashed Buffalo for 169 yards and two touchdowns, but his late fumble loomed largest. Jackson was equally dynamic, combining for three touchdowns — two passing — while directing a Ravens offense that scored on seven of its first eight possessions.
Baltimore, however, made the wrong kind of history. The Ravens became the first team in NFL history to lose a game despite scoring 40 or more points and rushing for 235 or more yards.
“This one’s on me,” Henry admitted afterward. “Can’t put the ball on the ground in that situation.”
The game wasn’t without fireworks off the field. A fan in the end zone struck DeAndre Hopkins in the helmet while celebrating his 29-yard touchdown grab from Jackson late in the third quarter. The man then appeared to swing at Jackson, who shoved him back into his seat before security ejected him.
The raucous atmosphere marked the Bills’ 53rd and final home opener at Highmark Stadium, affectionately nicknamed “The Ralph.” Next season, the team will open its $2.1 billion state-of-the-art stadium across the street.
Buffalo racked up 497 total yards to Baltimore’s 432, as the teams combined for 929 yards in a prime-time shootout that lived up to every bit of the hype.
Rookie Ravens kicker Tyler Loop, making his debut in place of injured Justin Tucker, converted two field goals but missed an extra point that proved costly.
Still, the night belonged to Allen, who once again reminded the NFL why he’s the reigning MVP.
“He just refuses to let us lose,” Bills linebacker Bernard said. “That’s our guy.”
