'Sunday Night Football' highlights: Ravens beat the Bills 35-10

As soon as Buffalo removed Josh Allen, Baltimore did the same with Jackson, its two-time league MVP. Jackson finished with 156 yards passing and connected with seven different receivers while completing 13 of his 18 passes, with two touchdowns. Jackson added six carries for 54 yards, with a lost fumble.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Buffalo removed multiple starters including quarterback Josh Allen, effectively conceding its undefeated start to the season had ended. Buffalo had a sliver of an opportunity to apply pressure to Baltimore in the third quarter when it scored to trim its deficit to 21-10, but never capitalized again. 

Allen finishes with 16-of-29 passing for 180 yards, without a touchdown or interception. He was also sacked three times, and one, a 16-yard loss, backed up the Bills before a missed field goal. Allen produced what is perhaps the night’s biggest highlight, a 52-yard bomb to Khalil Shakir while falling out of bounds. Yet Allen couldn’t put together enough consistency to keep up with Baltimore.

The big night of Baltimore’s running back didn’t end with his first carry. 

With nearly nine minutes to play in the fourth quarter, and with 196 yards on the ground so far, Henry needs just four more yards to cross the 200-yard threshold and break the NFL record for most career games with 200-plus yards rushing. Henry currently has six, which ties Adrian Peterson and O.J. Simpson in the record book.

On a goal-line run early in the fourth quarter, Derrick Henry lost control of the ball a yard before the end zone.

It squirted into the end zone — and right into a pile of Bills and Ravens. Officially, it was scored as a touchdown recovered by Baltimore fullback Patrick Ricard, who wrestled for the ball underneath a mound of bodies.

And officially, the touchdown that capped a six-play, 62-yard drive puts Buffalo’s opportunity to remain undefeated on life support, with the Ravens now leading 35-10 with 11:23 to play.

Buffalo’s Tyler Bass pushes his 48-yard field goal attempt wide left. The Bills can’t cut into Baltimore’s 28-10 lead.

The Ravens needed only 3:35 to score off of Buffalo’s trick-play turnover. Perfect downfield blocking out of the backfield allowed Lamar Jackson to jog into the end zone from nine yards out. 

More than half of Buffalo’s offensive plays tonight have been passes. With rain increasingly coming down in Baltimore as the night has gone on, these aren’t ideal conditions to keep passing the ball. But Buffalo really has no choice at this point, given its 18-point deficit with only 17 minutes left.

Just when Buffalo was beginning to dictate the play in the second half, it tried a trick play that blew up in its face spectacularly.

A wildcat snap that became a reverse to Josh Allen was blown up into a turnover when Allen’s arm was hit and he fumbled before he could throw downfield. The damage wasn’t only the turnover but that Allen was leveled as he was hit. Credit to Baltimore’s Kyle Van Noy for breaking up the play, creating the fumble and allowing the Ravens the chance to regain control.

After Baltimore opened with touchdowns on its first three drives, it hasn’t scored on its last four since.

It raises the question of when Zay Flowers and Isaiah Likely, two of Lamar Jackson’s preferred targets in the passing game, will be a bigger part of the game plan. Likely has been targeted just once, a 26-yard gain. Flowers has caught one pass for 10 yards, on two targets. 

In a play few quarterbacks not named Josh Allen could pull off, Allen heaved it 52 yards while falling out of bounds on third and long to Khalil Shakir to keep Buffalo’s opening drive of the second half alive, improbably. It was a truly absurd throw, one Allen’s combination of footwork and arm strength created.

When Ty Johnson ran in a touchdown from three yards out, it gave Buffalo more life than it has had all night.

The Ravens were forced to punt for the first time tonight after the Bills had them go three and out on the first drive of the second half. Buffalo now hopes to get some points to mount a comeback.

Here’s one indication of how one-sided this game has been at the half: The Bills have accounted for 90 yards of offense on 29 plays. Ravens running back Derrick Henry rushed for 87 on just one play.

But that play, the first from scrimmage for Baltimore, has set the tone for what has followed, with Baltimore sprinting ahead and Buffalo chasing from behind. The Bills are 1 of 8 on third downs, while Baltimore is 3 of 3. Baltimore has also outgained Buffalo 135-35 through the air, and 146-55 on the ground.

This is the third time in four games this season that Baltimore has led at the half. It is just 1-1 in its two previous instances, a loss to Las Vegas, followed by a victory at Dallas. 

Buffalo could not take advantage of Baltimore’s mistakes after committing too many of its own.

Gifted an extra set of downs at midfield when a Baltimore delay of game penalty on fourth down extended Buffalo’s drive, Josh Allen tried a deep pass to Keon Coleman down the left sideline. The ball hit Coleman’s hands but fell through, and two plays later, Buffalo punted. Its drive lasted only six plays and covered only 13 yards.

So efficient all game, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson just made his first mistake.

Trying to leap for more yardage, he lost the ball and Buffalo recovered inside its half of the field for the game’s first turnover. Momentum is a fickle thing in football, and if Buffalo can score in the final three minutes before halftime, it would somehow have it despite its poor play the rest of the half.

Instead of responding to Baltimore’s 21-3 lead with points, Buffalo punts after losing five yards on three plays. Nobody has made the Bills look this inept offensively this season, and the surprise is that it’s Baltimore doing it, considering their defense had been hurt throughout its first three games.

Baltimore opened this game by gashing Buffalo for yardage on the ground. They’ve now added to their lead, scoring a third touchdown on as many possessions, by also finding holes in the defense through the air.

Lamar Jackson has now completed 8 of his 10 passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns, with his latest a 19-yard touchdown to Justice Hill.

Hill started the play out of the backfield and was untouched running a wheel route up the right sideline. 

Not even halfway through the second quarter, Baltimore has already rushed for 121 yards, with Derrick Henry responsible for 101 of them, on five carries. It’s not a complete surprise that Buffalo has struggled to contain the run; the 4.7 yards per carry its defense allowed entering this game ranked sixth-worst in the league through three games. 

The finish of today’s Green Bay-Minnesota game — in which the Packers nearly overcame a 28-point deficit — should serve as a cautionary tale that a good team shouldn’t be counted out too early. But Buffalo just punted for the second time in three drives, and if the Ravens can add a touchdown on a third consecutive drive, the Bills are going to be in trouble. Playing catch-up is always possible, however, when you have the arm of Josh Allen.

Buffalo has run 20 plays tonight but averaged just 4.4 yards per play. Baltimore, meanwhile, has averaged 14.0 yards on its 12 plays.

Henry has reached the end zone in each quarter. His five-yard touchdown grab from Lamar Jackson puts the Ravens in front, 14-3. That is only Henry’s fourth career receiving touchdown in 10 seasons.

Something to watch after the first quarter is which teams are hurting themselves. Buffalo already has three penalties, while Baltimore has yet to draw a flag. Both quarterbacks have been efficient, with Lamar Jackson 3-for-3 passing, while Josh Allen started 7-for-9.

Bills-Ravens could be the big-play game through the air. 

Ravens receivers have averaged 11.9 yards per reception this season, fifth-best in the league, while Buffalo’s average of 11.6 yards ranks sixth. 

Few receivers have hurt the Bills, whose defense has allowed a league-tying low four pass plays of 20+ yards, and none of 40-plus. Yet if you’re trying to figure out who could benefit most for Baltimore, Zay Flowers is a good place to start. In only his second NFL season, Flowers has earned respect from opposing defenses who have defended him with an average cushion of 7.5 yards off the line of scrimmage, this season’s 11th-highest average, per NFL NextGen Stats.

Flowers was targeted by Lamar Jackson 21 times in the first two weeks combined before that figure dropped to four in a Week Three win at Dallas. 

Buffalo didn’t have a one-play explosion to answer Derrick Henry’s franchise-record touchdown run. Instead, they methodically moved 38 yards in 11 plays to score their first points on a 50-yard field goal by Tyler Bass. 

Buffalo drafted Dalton Kincaid in 2023 expressly to become one of Josh Allen’s most-targeted receivers. Two drives into this game, he’s been Allen’s go-to outlet. Kincaid was targeted four times in Allen’s first nine passes, including three catches for 18 yards.

Pound-for-pound, Derrick Henry is the largest back in the NFL. 

And somehow, 11 men on Buffalo’s defense couldn’t put so much as a finger on him as he ran 87 yards for a touchdown on Baltimore's first play on offense. It set a new franchise record for the longest run.

Perfect lead blocking helped — but so does speed that belies just how big the 250-pound back is. 

Ravens kicker Justin Tucker just kicked off and the Bills will start on offense after a touchback.

Washington trailed for all of eight-plus minutes against Arizona. Then, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels took over to continue what has been a record-setting start to his career.

Daniels led Washington to touchdowns on its first two drives, extending the team’s streak of consecutive drives with a score to 16, before throwing an interception. It was one of the few mistakes he made on a day when last season’s Heisman Trophy winner completed 26 of 30 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown.

Brian Robinson Jr. added 101 yards on the ground and a touchdown for Washington, which is now 3-1.

Arizona fell to 1-3 even though Cardinals wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. caught the fourth touchdown of his rookie season. Just for reference, Arizona’s team-high for touchdown receptions all of last season was four.

San Francisco, a preseason favorite to win the NFC, was just 1-2 to start the season. Then New England came to town. 

The Patriots, the NFL’s worst passing offense, did not improve behind Jacoby Brissett, who threw a pick-six interception returned by 49ers linebacker Fred Warner for a touchdown as part of a 30-13 win. Warner later left the game in the first half and did not return with an ankle injury. New England is now 1-3, while the 49ers are 2-2.

With tight end George Kittle (hamstring) and all-around weapon Deebo Samuel (calf) back in the lineup after injuries, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 288 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. Despite still playing without the injured Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco’s running game was able to rush for 148 yards, including 123 by Jordan Mason, who out-rushed New England (73 yards) all by himself. 

Beneath 4-0 Kansas City, there is a logjam in the AFC West standings. The Chargers, Broncos and now Raiders are all 2-2, after Las Vegas did just enough to beat Cleveland, 20-16. 

This was no offensive showcase.

The teams combined to throw for 265 yards. Las Vegas lost a fumble that Cleveland returned for a touchdown; the Browns threw an interception. Neither team scored for the final 14:50 of the fourth quarter. But touchdown runs by Tre Tucker and DJ Turner, along with two field goals by Daniel Carlson, were the difference.

We’re sensing a theme with the Chiefs.

Kansas City won its fourth consecutive game to start the season in a fourth consecutive nail-biter. After falling behind 10-0 in the first quarter, Kansas City rallied to win, 17-10, in Los Angeles. All four of its wins this season have now come by seven points or fewer. Travis Kelce, who entered Sunday with eight catches this season, caught seven passes, for 89 yards, against the Chargers.

The Chiefs won despite losing wideout Rashee Rice to a leg injury. Patrick Mahomes completed 19 passes to seven different receivers, anyway, for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception. 

Chargers (2-2) quarterback Justin Herbert returned from a high-ankle sprain that knocked him out of a loss a week earlier and threw for 179 yards, with one touchdown. But after the Chargers scored a touchdown and field goal on their first two drives, their offense vanished, with their last eight drives ending by either a punt, missed field goal or on downs.

For all of his sheer production, Josh Allen has struggled against Baltimore in his career, posting a 1-2 record with a 46% completion percentage. Only one other team, Atlanta (42%), has held Allen to a lower percentage. For context, Allen’s career completion percentage is 63.5%. 

The Ravens have also held Allen to 4.8 yards per passing attempt, which also ranks as the second-lowest mark against any opponent in his career. 

Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson is 2-1 in his career against Buffalo, though he hasn’t exactly feasted, either. Jackson has completed 63% of his passes against the Bills but accounted for four total touchdowns against three interceptions.

This season, the Ravens are wearing a decal on their helmet in honor of two former members of the franchise who died this summer: Offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris and WR Jacoby Jones.

D’Alessandris passed away on Aug. 25 at the age of 70. D’Alessandris had been hospitalized in mid-August due to an acute illness that was going to require ongoing treatment for an extended period and he had experienced complications following a surgery this summer. D’Alessandris, who was an NFL coach for 15 seasons, had been Baltimore’s offensive line coach for the last seven years (2017-2023).

Jones died on July 14 at the age of 40 due to hypertensive cardiovascular disease, a heart disease caused by long-term high blood pressure. He played three seasons with the Ravens from 2012-14, winning Super Bowl XLVII with Baltimore.

The Ravens have an NFL-high 31 accepted penalties through three weeks. The issue has worsened throughout September, as Baltimore has seen an increase in penalties in each of their three games.

They’ve had 24 accepted penalties over the last two games.

Baltimore’s 31 accepted penalties are their most through three weeks of a season in franchise history, and the most by any team in the first three weeks of a season since 2021 (PHI — 35).

Last season under defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, the Ravens ranked sixth in total defense (301.4 yds/gm) and had the No. 1 scoring defense in the league, allowing just 16.5 pts/gm.

Through three weeks this season under new coordinator Zach Orr, the Ravens are allowing 341.7 yds/gm (10th-most in the NFL) and 26.0 pts/gm (T-8th most in NFL). They are the only team in the NFL to have allowed 25+ points in all three games this season (Baltimore allowed 25+ points in two games all last season, including the playoffs).

If Baltimore allows 25+ points in this game, it would tie for the longest streak in franchise history allowing 25+ points (done four previous times, most recently in the 2016 season).

Buffalo’s early-season defensive success is particularly impressive considering the Bills are missing several key contributors due to injury:

• LB Matt Milano — a First-Team All-Pro in 2022 — suffered a torn biceps which required surgery in training camp. Milano began the season on injured reserve and it's too early to know if his season is over. Milano played just 5 games last season, suffering a serious knee/leg injury in Week 5
• 2023 2nd round pick Dorian Williams has started all 3 games this season in Milano’s absence and leads the Bills in tackles (30) with a fumble recovery in Week 1 vs Arizona.
• LB Terrel Bernard — one of two team captains along w/ QB Josh Allen — suffered a pectoral strain in Week 2 and will miss his second game this week.
• CB Taron Johnson — who started every game last season and was named Second Team All-Pro — suffered a forearm injury on the first drive of their Week 1 win. He missed the last two games and is expected to miss tonight.

Baltimore is one of six teams with at least 600 rushing yards through their first three games since 1990 (Green Bay is also on this list).

Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson are the first pair of teammates each with at least 250 rush yards in their team’s first three games of a season since 1976 (L.A. Rams — John Cappelletti and Lawrence McCutcheon). The last pair of teammates each with 300+ rush yds in their team’s first four games of a season were Warrick Dunn and Michael Vick with the 2006 Atlanta Falcons.

Against the Ravens, Buffalo (3-0) is trying to remain among the club of undefeated teams that shrank today.

Pittsburgh (3-1) suffered its first loss, 27-24, at Indianapolis, even though the Colts lost starting quarterback Anthony Richardson in the first quarter. And in Los Angeles, the Chargers jumped out to a 10-0 first-half lead on 3-0 Kansas City. The remaining unbeaten teams, for now, include Minnesota, which improved to 4-0 by holding on to beat Green Bay, and Seattle (3-0), which plays Monday against Detroit. 

As for the three teams that entered the weekend without a win, one no longer owns that ominous distinction. Cincinnati beat Carolina, 34-24, to improve to 1-3. Jacksonville (0-4) and Tennessee, which plays Monday, are still waiting.

Former Titans RB Derrick Henry, who joined the Ravens on a 2-year, $16M deal, has scored four rushing touchdowns in his first three games with the team.

The 30-year-old — who spends nearly $250,000 annually on body maintenance — had his first monster game with Baltimore in Week 3, totaling season highs in carries (25), rush yds (151) and rush TD (2).

In Weeks 1-2 (both losses), Henry had 31 carries for 130 rush yards total (with 2 rush TD).

In the Lamar Jackson era, running the ball has been the calling card of the Ravens offense.

Since 2018 (Jackson’s rookie year), Baltimore has been the top run offense in the NFL across multiple categories. The Ravens’ commitment to the run in that span has spanned three offensive coordinators — Marty Mornhingweg (2018), Greg Roman (2019-22) and current OC, Todd Monken, who took over in 2023.

This season has been no different for the Ravens — they rank second in rush offense averaging 203.3 rush yds per game (only behind Green Day — 204.0). After their 0-2 start, Baltimore rode the run game to their first win of the season in Dallas.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s miraculous comeback reached another milestone Monday as he grabbed his first career interception.

Hamlin intercepted Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence late in the second quarter. Lawrence overthrew receiver Brian Thomas Jr., and Hamlin was ready and waiting to accept the errant pass.

The Bills scored their fourth touchdown only a few plays later and won 47-10.

While Allen has been spreading the ball in the passing game, RB James Cook is the clear No. 1 in the backfield, leading the team in carries (41), rush yards (188) and rushing TD (3).

Cook, who had four rushing TD total in his first two seasons in the league (two in both 2022 and 2023), already has a career-high three rushing TD in just three games this season.

In the Week 2 win at Miami, he had a career-high three total TD (2 rush, 1 rec) and he added another rushing TD in Week 3 vs. Jacksonville.

Cook is one of just five NFL players with 85+ scrimmage yards in all three games this season (along with Eagles' Saquon Barkley, Texans' Nico Collins, Saints' Alvin Kamara and 49ers Jordan Mason) and he ranks tied for second on the team in catches (eight) and second in receiving yards (97).

Buffalo entered this season with questions on where its offensive production would come from after trading All-Pro WR Stefon Diggs (led BUF in catches, receiving yards and rec TD each of the last four seasons) to Houston and losing No. 2 WR Gabe Davis (second in rec yds and rec TD each of the last two seasons) in free agency to Jacksonville.

Under new full-time offensive coordinator Joe Brady, the offense has taken on an “everybody eats” mentality to replace the lost production, with Allen spreading the ball around as the Bills have scored a league-high 112 points (37.3 pts/gm) through three weeks.

Allen has thrown seven TD passes this season — to six different players. In the Week 3 win vs. Jacksonville, 10 different Bills had a reception, and six different Bills scored a touchdown.

Buffalo and Baltimore have been two of the best teams in the NFL since drafting their respective superstar QBs in 2018, yet neither team has reached the Super Bowl in that time frame.

Much of the Bills and Ravens’ failure to get over the hump can be attributed to the Kansas City Chiefs, who have reached four Super Bowls, winning three of them, over the past five seasons.

Both Buffalo and Baltimore saw their seasons end at home against Kansas City last season, with the Chiefs beating the Bills, 27-24, in the Divisional Round and then defeating the Ravens, 17-10, in the AFC Championship Game.

In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Bills selected Josh Allen with the seventh overall pick and the Ravens took Lamar Jackson with the 32nd overall pick.

Allen and Jackson were two of five quarterbacks selected in the first round of that draft and are the only two who are still with the team that drafted them. The other quarterbacks taken were Baker Mayfield (Browns now with the Bucs), Sam Darnold (Jets and now with the Vikings) and Josh Rosen (Cardinals. He is now out of football and enrolled at UPenn’s Wharton School of Business).

While Lamar Jackson has two MVPs already on his resume, Josh Allen enters Week 4 as the MVP favorite with an NFL-high 9 total TD (7 pass, 2 rush) and no interceptions this season.

It's the first time in his career that he has opened a season with no interceptions through the first three games (Allen only had three games in the 2023 regular season without an INT). He is coming off an excellent performance in the Week 3 win vs. JAX, throwing for 263 yards with 4 TDs (also had 44 rush yds). His performance earned him the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award