Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry runs with the ball against Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp during the first half on Sept. 29, 2024, in Baltimore.Nick Wass/The Associated Press
The challenges with fielding a young roster, depleted by injuries on defence and the lack of a proven receiving threat on offence, was bound to eventually catch up to the Buffalo Bills at some point this season.
The only surprise is it took until Week 4 for the deficiencies to be exposed on Sunday night.
What was billed as an early season quarterback showdown between Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, ended in a 35-10 Ravens’ rout powered by Derrick Henry.
The Bills were outmatched in all three phases of an outcome that put a major dent in the early – and, perhaps, premature – Super Bowl shine they generated following a 3-0 start.
While the sky is suddenly falling among fans, and the door reopened for critics to affix all the blame on coach Sean McDermott, a healthy dose of perspective can be added into the equation.
How big of a setback or wake-up call the loss represents depends on various aspects including:
- Their ability to adjust and bounce back as the Bills have in dropping two straight outings just five times since 2019;
- The roster getting healthier, with linebacker Terrel Bernard (pectoral) and cornerback Taron Johnson (forearm) approaching their returns;
- And appreciating how the run-heavy and defensively sound Ravens might be among the few NFL teams capable of taking advantage of Buffalo’s weaknesses, with the Bills expected to be tested again by Kansas City (Nov. 17), San Francisco (Dec. 1) and Detroit (Dec. 15).
Disastrous as the outcome was, there was little panic from the team following the loss.
“Not everything was bad in this game. I don’t want to come away from this saying ’We’re the worst,‘” Allen said. “I’m glad this happened early in the season so we can correct things.”
The tenor of the game was established following each team’s opening drive.
Buffalo stalled at midfield and was forced to punt. Baltimore took over and needed one play for Henry to score on a franchise-best 87-yard touchdown run.
This was a departure from the Bills’ two previous outings in which they raced out to early leads and forced their opponents to play catch-up in 31-10 and 47-10 wins over Miami and Jacksonville.
The Ravens effectively pressured Allen, who mostly settled for quick outs to the sideline with the exception of his desperation, on-the-run 52-yard heave to Khalil Shakir to set up Ty Johnson’s 3-yard TD run. Allen failed to score a touchdown (passing, rushing or receiving) for just the fourth time in a game he starts and finishes, and his 42 yards passing in the first half matched the second fewest in the opening 30 minutes of his career.
Henry and the Ravens’ hulking offensive line did the rest in pushing around an undersized defence with backups at both linebacker positions, and a secondary more suited to defending against the deep pass than facing 300-pound fullback Patrick Ricard bulldozing holes ahead of the 250-pound Henry.
On the bright side, the Bills enter Week 5 preparing to play at Houston still alone atop what so far appears to be a flawed AFC East field. And they left Baltimore with an encouraging message from Henry.
“They’ve been hitting on all cylinders,” Henry said of Buffalo. “We were the better team tonight. But I’m sure they’ll fix things the next coming weeks.”
What’s working
Fourth down conversions in going 1 of 1 to improve to 6 of 6 on the season. McDermott, however, was second-guessed for not going for it more often to keep Henry on the sideline.
What needs help
Plenty in an outing in which Buffalo’s 12 first downs matched its fewest since 2018, Baltimore’s 271 yards rushing were the third-most allowed in eight seasons under McDermott, and Tyler Bass continued raising questions over his accuracy by missing a 50-yard field-goal attempt.
Stock up
Receiver Keon Coleman. After owning up to dropping a deep pass in the final minute of the first half, the rookie caught his next three targets to finish with 51 yards.
Stock down
Offensive co-ordinator Joe Brady for calling a trick play on second-and-7 at the Baltimore 44 that resulted in Allen being sacked and losing a fumble midway through the third quarter. The turnover squelched any momentum Buffalo had generated with a second-half opening-drive TD to cut the lead to 21-10 and the defence forcing two three-and-outs.
Injuries
Safety Taylor Rapp did not return after being placed in the concussion protocol. Shakir returned and finished the game after hurting his right ankle, but was spotted wearing a boot afterward.
Key numbers
1-10 – Buffalo’s record, including playoffs, when managing fewer than 100 yards rushing since the start of the 2021 season.
Next steps
A trip to Houston to face a C.J. Stroud-led passing attack that includes former Bills star Stefon Diggs, who was traded to the Texans in April.