The Baltimore Ravens had the win at the palm of their hands. Facing off against the Buffalo Bills in a rematch of the 2024 AFC Divisional Round game, Baltimore was in prime position to hand their opponents another loss. They led 40-32 with around four minutes left in the game.
But then, disaster struck. Derrick Henry, who was having a monster game for the Ravens, got stripped for a fumble by Bills DT Ed Oliver. After the Bills recovered the football, they drove it to the endzone to make the score 40-38. That fumble marked the beginning of the end for the Ravens.
The Ravens were able to force an incompletion on the two-point try. However, they went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, giving the ball back to the Bills. Josh Allen did the rest, setting up their new kicker Matt Prater for a 32-yard game-winning field goal.
Despite having a monster game, Henry took full responsibility for the fumble.
“First of all, I got to take care of the ball,” Henry said, per Grant Gordon of NFL.com. “I told my teammates after the game to put the loss on me. I own it, like a man. We emphasize taking care of the ball since we got back, it's a big emphasis, especially in our room and the running backs taking care of the football. Keeping it high and tight, not lackadaisical, and they made a play. But I put the loss on me. If I take care of the ball, probably be a different situation.”
Henry finished the night with 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns. However, that fumble will linger on his mind more than the records the Ravens RB set that night. Prior to the game, Henry had been careful with the ball: he didn't fumble once in his last 37 games before this one. Had Henry not fumbled the football at the time, there's a big chance that the Ravens could have ran the clock out, or at least give Allen less time to work his magic.
The Ravens will need to mentally reset for Week 2, as they face another tough opponent. The Cleveland Browns are an unassuming team in the grand scheme of things, but AFC North games tend to be tough no matter the perceived skill level of the teams.
