ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen led Buffalo to three scores in the final four minutes, the last 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.
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 with 3:06 left.
“The biggest thing I saw when we got down early, no one blinked,” Prater said.
The Bills got within 40-32 when from Allen for a 10-yard TD on fourth-and-2. After Henry coughed up the ball, the Bills capitalized, with . The 2-point conversion attempt failed.
The Ravens went three-and-out on their next possession, leaving plenty of time for Allen and the Bills to break their hearts. Baltimore became the first team in NFL history to lose while scoring 40 or more points and rushing for 235 yards or more.
“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.”
This prime-time matchup lived up to the preseason hype as a rematch of Buffalo’s 27-25 win over Baltimore 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 man struck Hopkins in 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 Prater made his Bills debut, replacing Tyler Bass, who’s on injured reserve with hip and groin issues.
Ravens rookie Tyler Loop made two field goals in his debut but missed an extra point that proved costly. Loop was a sixth-round draft pick and replaced Justin Tucker, who was released in the offseason after he was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by massage therapists.
The Bills are coming off a season in which Allen earned MVP honors — ahead of Jackson — while overseeing an offense that finished second in the NFL in scoring.
The Ravens’ offense, meantime, picked up where it left off last season, when it became the first to surpass 4,000 yards passing and 3,000 yards rushing.
Baltimore’s Zay Flowers had seven catches for a career-high 143 yards and a touchdown.
Henry passed Jim Brown to move into sixth on the career rushing TD list with 108. And he matched Brown’s record by posting his 13th game with at least 150 yards rushing and two scores.
His fumble, however, was the only turnover in the game. On first-and-10 from Baltimore’s 41, Henry took a handoff and Ed Oliver punched the ball out of his arms. Terrel Bernard recovered at the Baltimore 30.
Bernard played a key role in the playoff win in January by punching the ball out of tight end Mark Andrews’ hands.
Buffalo finished with 497 yards of offense. The teams combined for 929.
Injuries
Ravens: S Kyle Hamilton returned after getting two fingers wrapped on his right hand.
Bills: Kick returner Brandon Codrington got his knee examined and re-entered the game.
Up next
Ravens: Host AFC North rival Cleveland next Sunday.
Bills: At the AFC East rival New York Jets next Sunday.
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