The Baltimore Ravens suffered a crushing loss on Sunday Night Football. Baltimore was in control of the game for three quarters, but they could not close it out. The Bills scored 22 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 41-40 win that could have ramifications on playoff seeding later this season.
Baltimore came away from Week 1 with some unwanted NFL records.
To start, the Ravens became the first team in NFL history to lose a game despite scoring 40+ points and rushing for 235+ yards. Teams were previously 277-0 in those scenarios throughout league history.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh also passed an unfortunate threshold with Sunday's loss. It was the eighth time a Harbaugh-led Ravens team blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. That is the most by any NFL coach over the past 10 years, per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press.
“I’m disappointed, but we’ll be fine,” Harbaugh said after the game, via Josh Tolentino of The Baltimore Sun.
The Ravens dominated the Bills for the first three quarters, which makes the loss all the more painful.
Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry were in rare form in the season opener. Henry showed no signs of aging, ripping off 18 carries for 169 yards and two touchdowns. The 31-year-old could be better than ever.
As for Jackson, he played well both passing and running the ball. He went 14-of-19 for 209 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson also rushed six times for 70 yards and a touchdown.
But it was not enough to outscore the Josh Allen-led Bills.
Buffalo scored 17 unanswered points in the final four minutes of the game to secure the win. Including a last-second field goal by veteran kicker Matt Prater, who joined the Bills just days before.
Harbaugh gave the Bills their due credit for the impressive comeback win.
“They made it. Josh Allen played a great game obviously, especially near the end. Scramble plays, extended completions, and a couple big pass plays,” Harbaugh added via Tolentino.
The Bills will now have a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Ravens. That could cost Baltimore a better seed in the playoffs later this season.
But there is no time to dwell on the past in the NFL. Nor to look too far ahead at the postseason. It's always onto the next opponent.
Next up for the Ravens is a home game against the Browns on September 14th.
