Bills’ Josh Allen reveals special promise Matt Prater made to him before winning field goal in comeback win vs. Ravens
An unforgettable moment.
The Buffalo Bills had a thrilling come-from-behind win against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 of the regular season. Fans were leaving the stadium and all hope felt lost, but some big moments from Josh Allen late in the game saw newly-acquired kicker Matt Prater line up for a 32-yard field goal as time expired.
It capped a 15-point comeback win in which Buffalo had just a 0.9 percent chance of victory, and Allen posted 251 fourth-quarter passing yards — the most in his career and the most in the NFL this century. It was a statement to begin the year: with Allen, no game is out of reach.
Immediately following the contest, No. 17 opened up about what Prater promised to him ahead of the game, and it was unforgettable.
“I promise I’m going to give you everything I have tonight,” Allen shared with the media about the special moment.
Josh Allen opens up about Matt Prater joining the Bills
Allen opened up on the series of events that saw Prater join the team late because of an injury to Tyler Bass. An inside look at the behind-the-scenes with the organization was a refreshing one, and Prater sounds like the ultimate professional with what Allen provided.
“I met him in the locker room two days ago,” Allen said. “He showed me a video of his son playing quarterback. That’s how we met. And today, before the game, he comes up to me in the locker room before even taking the field [ . . . ] that’s a guy that’s been around the league a long time and just thankful he’s here for us.”
To set up the game-winning field goal, Buffalo got the ball with 1:26 left in the fourth quarter. What followed was a six-yard pass to Khalil Shakir, an eight-yard pass to Keon Coleman, a five-yard run from Allen, a 32-yard pass to Josh Palmer, and a 25-yard pass to Coleman.
Coleman was targeted early and often throughout the contest and came up big in some massive moments. He ended up with eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, one of which was a crazy sequence of events, a perfect representation of how the contest went.
Allen gushes about Keon Coleman’s Week 1 performance vs. Ravens
With a huge smile on his face, Allen offered, “He stepped up for us. Made some good plays, proud of him.”
When asked about his emotions after the game, the franchise quarterback put everything into perspective. The thrilling victory will be one that’s remembered for a long time.
“Well, I mean, it took everybody there. Just proud of our team for staying in it, no one on our sideline blinked,” Allen said. “I mean, down 15 points, whatever we were, with five or six minutes left. Staying with it, fans leaving the stadium, you gotta play this game for 60 minutes, and that’s a really good outfit we just played, and you know, God willing, we take care of business how we’re supposed to and how we think we will.”
Allen made sure to give his flowers to the Ravens organization for the fight they showed throughout the contest. Specifically, the efforts from quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry made life difficult for Buffalo throughout the contest.
“You know that’s probably a team we’ll see again,” Allen said. “So, they’re a greatly coached team, hats off to them for having a really good game plan. We stuck in there and I’m just proud of our guys.” He continued, “He (Jackson) played unbelievable tonight. Again, when you got a quarterback that talented over there and a running back that talented over there, it takes everybody doing their job. And it takes a few guys doing more than their own job, and I think they did that tonight.”
Wrapping up the interview, Allen talked about how he and Palmer are building chemistry and how he can become a more reliable weapon for the offense. Palmer finished his first regular-season game with the Bills, hauling in five catches for 61 yards.
“Absolutely, Josh is a vet. We’re going to continue to grow. Proud of him for sticking in it and staying in the moment. He made some really good plays for us down the stretch,” Allen said.
Josh Allen is the frontrunner for MVP
It’s a party in Buffalo, and Victory Monday for the beloved fan base is going to be extra sweet. For anyone working with a Bills fan, cut them a little slack. It was a wild night, and we can’t imagine they slept too well.
Want another wild stat from the game? Teams in NFL history with 40+ points and 235+ rushing yards in a game were 277-0 all-time, including the playoffs. It’s now 277-1. Allen is firmly in the MVP race, even if it was only after one game. He finished his day going 33-of-36 with 394 yards and two touchdowns in the air, with 14 carries for 30 yards and two touchdowns.
In case you’re into that sort of thing, here’s the Bills’ last drive. It’s okay, rewatch as much as you need.
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A thrilling victory for Buffalo.
