One of the Ravens’ trademarks disappeared at the worst possible time, fueling Bills’ stunning 41-40 comeback win
Baltimore should be kicking themselves for one big, uncharacteristic decision that let this one get away.
The Baltimore Ravens had ’em right where they wanted. With 11:42 remaining in the fourth quarter, Derrick Henry knifed through the Buffalo Bills defense like a hot knife through butter — punching in his second score of the game to put the Ravens up 40-25. Revenge, it seemed, was on the menu for the flight home to Baltimore.
But a series of unfortunate events led to one of Baltimore’s AFC rivals storming all the way back as Josh Allen put on the cape and willed the Bills to a 15-point comeback. There will be plenty of “what ifs” out of Baltimore’s 41-40 loss on Sunday Night Football.
But one uncharacteristic decision stands above the rest.
Ravens should lament missed opportunity to go for the knockout blow
Baltimore would see a Derrick Henry fumble set up a short field with 3:10 remaining in the fourth quarter yet the defense managed to hold on the potential game-typing two-point conversion attempt. The poetry of it all appeared to be so fitting after how these two teams saw their AFC Divisional Round matchup end last season. But Buffalo was ultimately able to do what the Ravens couldn’t last winter — getting the ball back and executing a go-ahead drive.
The sting comes from Baltimore choosing to grant them back the ball. It’s a decision the Ravens should regret.
The Ravens took possession with 1:51 left in the game and promptly went three-and-out, gaining eight yards when another tw0 would have iced the game. Jackson found DeAndre Hopkins on a shallow crosser to set up a 4th and 2 decision as the Bills burned their final timeout. Baltimore would punt the ball from their own 39-yard-line, a measly two yards away from victory.
The Ravens have been historically aggressive in these instances before. And with the Bills running off 13 points in six minutes of game clock before that decision, it felt like playing with fire to give Josh Allen back the football. They did. And he burned them.
Allen took the Bills from their own 20-yard-line to the Ravens’ 9-yard-line in less than a minute before milking the clock and kicking the game-winning field goal without even reaching a 3rd down until they were in the red zone and purposefully kneeling out the clock.
Baltimore could have, and arguably should have gone for the win in the final two minutes. The Ravens live in a perpetual state of ‘plus one’ in the run game with Lamar, have arguably the best quarterback and the best running back on the planet and a physical offensive line that averaged 8.2 yards per carry on the night. Instead of feeding their own “best in the world” the ball with the game on the line, as John Harbaugh has done many times before, they passed it back to Buffalo’s candidate for the title of best quarterback on the planet like a hot potato. And he happily obliged, dropping the Ravens to a disappointing 0-1 with revenge slipping through the cracks.
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