The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens put on a fantastic advertisement for the NFL
By Andy Davies
With more International Series games than ever before, Sky Sports showing the most games the most single season games in their history and a brand-new Channel 5 gameshow, the interest in the NFL outside of the United States is the highest it has ever been.
With the NFL looking to expand their global fanbase, Sunday Night Football served up an all-time classic that veteran fans and newbies can both revel in.
The Baltimore Ravens raced to a 15-point lead as the final quarter begun, and their position look non-perilous when they led 40-25 with five minutes remaining in the fourth.
However, the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen arrived, as they staged an epic comeback to win 41-40 thanks to a Matt Prater field goal. This is a victory that could make all the difference come Week 18 and in the playoffs.
Jackson vs Allen showcase why they are MVP winners
This was an all-time duel.
Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen went back and forth as two of the top AFC contenders battled it out in what was an enticing piece of viewing for NFL fans.
Between them, Jackson (394) and Allen (209) combined for over 600 passing yards and each threw for two touchdowns, with neither throwing for an interception and 71.7% and 73.7% completion percentages respectively.
It was also an impressive day on the ground, with two rushing touchdowns for Allen and Jackson adding a rushing touchdown to Derrick Henry’s 169 yards and two touchdowns.
Both put in performances that showcased exactly why they are the two most recent MVP winners.
Jackson, a two-time winner of the award, was clinical. His dual threat alongside Henry allowed the Ravens to open up some gaps between the trenches. This includes an outstanding effort early into the fourth quarter, escaping a nailed-on sack for a 19-yard rushing effort.
Allen got better as the game went on. Baltimore’s defense seemed to stifle him, in the second quarter in particular. He came out a different quarterback in the second half, as he rallied the Bills to a monumental comeback.
In a sport that is looking to grow worldwide, this was the perfect advertisement for the NFL. Allen and Jackson are the faces of the league, and served up the perfect recipe to appeal to a new fanbase, and excite the experienced ones.
Is fate going to be with the Buffalo Bills this season?
Both quarterbacks answered questions as to their credentials in the big moments, with Allen ending up in the winning side. Could this be a sign of things to come?
In fact, prior to last night, no team had lost in a game where they had scored 40 or more points and had 235 rushing yards or more in 277 previous scenarios. This is now a 277-1 record after Buffalo’s win. This is another sign that fate could be on their hands.
The Bills almost lost the game by themselves, with several failed two-point conversions that they were looking likely to rue to regret when they were nine points behind in the fourth quarter. They got some fortune when Keon Coleman caught a deflected pass, but their luck was going to only increase later on in the game with 3:10 remaining,
Henry, who had played such a crucial part in the Ravens establishing a dominant lead, fumbled the ball after some excellent work by Buffalo’s Ed Oliver. The mood shifted at Highmark Stadium, and you could sense it. The Ravens did not score another point, whereas Buffalo scored nine unanswered to secure a 1-0 start to the campaign.
In their last season at Highmark Stadium, there is a hope amongst Bills fans that this could be their year, in what would be a fitting end to their time at the stadium. A home win in the AFC Championship would be a fairytale ending to a historic venue.
With all three of their division rivals being significantly weaker, they have the chance to earn six wins from division games alone. Against the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns, this makes it a total of 10 very winnable games for the Bills in 2025.
In 50/50 encounters against the Kansas City Chiefs, to whom they have already had plenty of regular season success against, Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Atalanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this represents a very favourable schedule.
There is a world where the Bills lose just one or two games this season, which would all but guarantee them the number one seed in the AFC and a greater chance of a spot in Super Bowl LX.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
ANDY IS A SPORTS JOURNALISM GRADUATE WITH OVER FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCE OF NFL WRITING AND PODCASTING. ANDY HAS BEEN TO EVERY NFL STADIUM AND IS THE HOST OF THE ACROSS THE POD PODCAST. HE HAS PRESS PASS EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON GAMES AND MANY OTHER NFL BASED EVENTS SUCH AS THE SUPER BOWL, HAVING INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF AARON RODGERS, JASON BELL, OSI UMENYIORA, PATRICK MAHOMES, TRAVIS KELCE, DERRICK HENRY, SAQUON BARKLEY AND JALEN HURTS.