ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen had a message to the few thousands fans — and perhaps the entire NFL, for that matter — who left the stadium early to beat the traffic on Sunday night.
Maybe they should’ve stuck around.
“Our team didn’t quit,” Allen said, his voice almost hoarse after rallying the Bills from a 15-point deficit in the final four minutes to a thrilling season-opening 41-40 win over the Baltimore Ravens. “I think there’s people who left the stadium. That’s OK. We’ll be fine. But have some faith next time.”
Allen refused to let up in scoring two touchdowns and throwing another — with Keon Coleman catching a tipped pass in the end zone — in a frantic fourth quarter alone. The NFL’s reigning MVP then capped the win by overseeing a nine-play, 66-yard drive over the final 86 seconds in setting up Matt Prater’s 32-yard field goal as time expired.
“Josh, he’s always been like that though. He wants the ball in key moments of the game,” coach Sean McDermott said. “That’s what the great ones, that’s their mindset. That’s what they want, that's what they do. And he’s never out of it in his mind.”
Allen finished going 33 of 46 for 394 yards and two touchdowns and earned his 77th win, tying Joe Ferguson for second on the Bills list.
The Bills' defense bent but didn’t break in an outing it was being trampled by Derrick Henry, who finished with 169 yards rushing and scored twice. Meantime, Lamar Jackson combined for three touchdowns, including two passing, in steering an offense that scored on seven of its first eight possessions.
Henry, however, contributed to the loss by losing a fumble with 3:06 left, which opened the door for Buffalo’s comeback.
Allen scored on a 1-yard run two minutes later in cutting the lead to 40-38. And the Bills then got the ball back after the defense forced a three-and-out on what became Baltimore’s final possession.
“The biggest thing I saw when we got down early, no one blinked,” Prater said. The 41-year-old made his Bills debut, replacing Tyler Bass, who’s on injured reserve with hip and groin issues.
Buffalo overcame a fourth-quarter 15-point deficit for just the third time in team history. Baltimore became the first team in NFL history to lose when 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.”
Henry blamed himself for the fumble, which was forced by Ed Oliver and recovered by Terrel Bernard at Baltimore’s 30.
“I told my teammates after the game, put the loss on me. I own it like a man,” Henry said. “Got lackadaisical and they made a play. ... If I take care of the ball, I feel like it would be a different situation.”
The game appeared over when Henry scored on a 46-yard run to put Baltimore ahead 40-25 with 11:42 remaining.
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.
Buffalo finished with 497 yards of offense. The teams combined for 929.
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.
“I seen him slap D-Hop, then he slapped me, and he was talking and I just forgot where I was for a little bit,” Jackson said, noting he should have let security officials handle the fans. “I just let my emotions get the best of me there. I’ll handle it better next time.”
The fan was ejected by stadium security.
The atmosphere was electric on a night the Bills marked their 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.
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.
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.
Ravens: Host AFC North rival Cleveland next Sunday.
Bills: At the AFC East rival New York Jets next Sunday.
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