Josh Allen had a message to the few thousands fans — and perhaps the entire NFL, for that matter — who left the stadium early to beat the traffic on Sunday night.
Maybe they should’ve stuck around.
“Our team didn’t quit,” Allen said, his voice almost hoarse after rallying the Bills from a 15-point deficit in the final four minutes to a thrilling season-opening 41-40 win over the Baltimore Ravens. “I think there’s people who left the stadium. That’s OK. We’ll be fine. But have some faith next time.”
Allen refused to let up in scoring two touchdowns and throwing another — with Keon Coleman catching a tipped pass in the end zone — in a frantic fourth quarter alone.
Keon Coleman TD off the deflection! This game!
BALvsBUF on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/evTVV18xYm— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2025
The NFL’s reigning MVP then capped the win by overseeing a nine-play, 66-yard drive over the final 86 seconds in setting up Matt Prater’s 32-yard field goal as time expired.
THE BUFFALO BILLS WIN. WHAT A COMEBACK. pic.twitter.com/eBLU73cBXz
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2025
“Josh, he’s always been like that though. He wants the ball in key moments of the game,” coach Sean McDermott said. “That’s what the great ones, that’s their mindset. That’s what they want, that’s what they do. And he’s never out of it in his mind.”
Allen finished going 33 of 46 for 394 yards and two touchdowns and earned his 77th win, tying Joe Ferguson for second on the Bills list.
“The biggest thing I saw when we got down early, no one blinked,” Prater said. The 41-year-old made his Bills debut, replacing Tyler Bass, who’s on injured reserve with hip and groin issues.
The Bills’ defense bent but didn’t break while it was being trampled by Derrick Henry, who finished with 169 yards rushing and scored twice. Meanwhile, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson combined for three touchdowns, including two passing, in steering an offense that scored on seven of its first eight possessions.
Henry, however, contributed to the loss by losing a fumble with 3:06 left, which opened the door for Buffalo’s comeback.
“You just got to finish the game,” Jackson said. “It’s not over until there is zero, zero, zero on the clock. And we found that out tonight.”
Henry blamed himself for the fumble, which was forced by Ed Oliver and recovered by Terrel Bernard at Baltimore’s 30.
“I told my teammates after the game, put the loss on me. I own it like a man,” Henry said. “Got lackadaisical, and they made a play. … If I take care of the ball, I feel like it would be a different situation.”
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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