The first Sunday Night Football game of the 2025 NFL regular season had everything. It featured two teams considered as serious contenders for the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills. Moreoever, the game featured MVP quarterbacks in Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. There was even a sidelight that involved Jackson and a Bills fan.
After Jackson found veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins for a 29-yard touchdown that extended Baltimore's lead late in the third quarter, a Buffalo supporter was caught on video hitting the wideout and Jackson on their helmets. Jackson apparently did not like the gesture, as he was caught on video shoving the fan back.
The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player later came clean about his retaliatory move.
“I forgot where I was a little bit,” Jackson told the media in the postgame press conference following the Ravens' stunning 41-40 loss to Allen and the Bills. “I let my emotions get the best of me. But hopefully it won't happen again. I'll learn from that.”
As for the game itself, it went from a memorable evening to a disastrous one for Jackson and the Ravens. Hopkins' touchdown and the subsequent successful extra-point kick by Tyler Loop gave Baltimore a 15-point cushion heading into the final quarter. But the Ravens failed to take care of that lead, allowing Buffalo to complete a dramatic comeback bid.
The Bills outscored the Ravens by 16 points in the fourth period, with Allen rushing for two touchdowns and passing for another in the quarter. Veteran kicker Matt Prater won it for Buffalo with a walk-off field goal from 32 yards out, which came after the Bills forced Baltimore to punt with a little over 30 seconds left in regulation.
Jackson finished the game with 209 passing yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions on 14-of-19 pass completions. He also rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown on six carries. But his and running back Derrick Henry's incredible performances were wasted in an embarrassing collapse that will be talked about for days. Henry generated 189 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, but had a crucial fumble that preceded a touchdown drive by the Bills.
The 0-1 Ravens can bounce back from the loss in Week 2, when they host the Cleveland Browns.
