ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen led Buffalo to three scores in the final four minutes, the last a 32-yard field goal by Matt Prater as time expired, and the Bills rallied from 15 points down to stun the Baltimore Ravens 41-40 in a season-opening Sunday night thriller.
Buffalo scored 16 points in the last 3:56, with Prater’s kick capping a nine-play, 66-yard drive over the final 1:26.
The Bills became the first team in NFL history to overcome a 15-point deficit in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter to win a season opener. And they became the fourth team since 2000 to win after trailing by 15 or more points in the last four minutes of the fourth quarter.
“Our team doesn’t quit,” Allen told NBC after the game. “There’s people that left the stadium. And that’s OK, we’ll be fine. But have some faith next time.”
Allen went 33-of-46 for 394 yards with two touchdowns and scored two more rushing in a matchup of the NFL’s past two MVPs.
He spoiled a strong performance by Lamar Jackson, the 2023 MVP who went 14-of-19 for 210 yards and two scores while adding 70 yards rushing and another TD. Derrick Henry rushed for 169 yards and two touchdowns for Baltimore but also contributed to the loss by fumbling with 3:06 left.
After the Bills got within 40-32 on Allen’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman, Henry lost the ball and the Bills capitalized, with Allen scoring on a 1-yard run. The 2-point conversion attempt failed.
This prime-time matchup lived up to the preseason hype as a rematch of Buffalo’s 27-25 win over Baltimore in the divisional round of last season’s AFC playoffs.
The Ravens scored on seven of their first eight possessions and went ahead 40-25 on Henry’s 46-yard run with 11:42 left.
The fans even got involved, with Jackson shoving back at a man in the end zone while celebrating DeAndre Hopkins’ 29-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter. The fan struck Hopkins on the helmet, and attempted to do so to Jackson, who responded by shoving the man back into his seat.
The Bills bent but did not break before a raucous crowd celebrating the team’s 53rd and final home opener at Highmark Stadium, affectionally called “The Ralph.” Next season, the team is set to move into a $2.1 billion facility being constructed across the street.
Allen oversaw last-minute scoring drives to close each half, with Prater hitting a 43-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter.
The 41-year-old Prater made his Bills debut, replacing Tyler Bass, who is on injured reserve with hip and groin issues.
“It wasn’t me. It was everybody,” Prater told NBC. “Offense setting it up. The snap, the hold. They were money all day. So I just had to come in and swing my leg. … I was just fortunate to be in the opportunity to kick it.”
It was the Ravens’ first loss in franchise history when scoring at least 40 points in a game (25-1).
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.