We're just one week into the NFL season, and we already have a game of the year candidate. The prime-time game between the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens lived up to everyone's expectations… and then some. Despite trailing for most of the game, Josh Allen and the Bills willed their way to a comeback 41-40 win.
It felt like the Bills were dead in the water at multiple points in the game. When the Ravens went up 40-25 with around eight minutes left, it truly seemed like Buffalo would lose their first game of the season. In fact, Next Gen Stats projected that the Bills only had a 1.1% chance of winning at that point.
“The@BuffaloBills win probability was as low as 1.1% with 8:37 remaining in the fourth quarter, trailing 40-25.” Next Gen Stats posted on their X account. “This was the most improbable comeback by the Bills with Josh Allen at QB, and the 13th-most improbable comeback by any team over the last decade.”
The Ravens scored a touchdown with 11 minutes and 42 seconds left in the game via a huge Derrick Henry run. That touchdown put them up by 40-25. However, kicker Tyler Loop missed the extra point. In the ensuing drive, the Bills marched down the field and scored a touchdown with roughly four minutes left. At this point, though, the Ravens had the game in the bag. All they needed to do here was to take care of the ball.
Unfortunately for the Ravens, they did not do that. Veteran defensive tackle Ed Oliver forced a big fumble on a Henry run that the Bills were able to recover. That gave the Bills the chance they needed, and they were able to score a quick touchdown to get them just two points behind the Ravens. They missed the two-point conversion, though, seemingly closing the door again on the comeback.
The Bills were not leaving their stadium without a win, though. They forced a Ravens three-and-out to give them the ball with just one minute and 26 seconds. That was just enough time for Allen to systematically break down the Baltimore defense. Allen got the Bills into field goal range, and veteran Matt Prater drilled the field goal to win the game for the team.
