After 28 minutes of Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, Josh Allen had a passer rating of 15.6. Chucking the ball into the turf 10 straight times would have produced a rating of 39.6.
A rainy day in Maryland led to an early slopfest from the early MVP frontrunner. He completed just five of his first 13 attempts while drops and pressure from the Baltimore front sent his passes tumbling to the turf. Only one of the Buffalo Bills’ first five drives covered more than 14 yards. The Ravens led, 20-3, at the two minute warning before halftime.
Then Allen’s wideouts woke up, his defense remembered how good it can be and the Bills escaped with a 23-20 win that erased the memory of last week’s defeat in Miami.
Josh Allen. Dual threat.
📺: #BUFvsBAL on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/cByfmcze7G pic.twitter.com/S4ouPhgf19— NFL (@NFL) October 2, 2022
It wasn’t a win. It was a message. The 2022 Bills won’t be deterred — even by their own mistakes.
Sunday’s victory was exceptionally ugly. Buffalo handled the first half with the grace of a boxer fighting with one hand taped to his hip. Allen’s second pass of the day was tipped at the line of scrimmage, then blanked by tight end Dawson Knox as Marlon Humphrey hauled it in and returned it to the Buffalo four-yard line. Two plays later, J.K. Dobbins had his first touchdown of 2022 and the Ravens had a 7-0 lead.
ALL-PRO MARLO‼️
INTERCEPTION @marlon_humphrey ‼️
Tune in on CBS‼️ pic.twitter.com/hqHRIo6pFe
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 2, 2022
This lack of focus plagued the Bills early. Allen wasn’t his normal self, but the receiving corps and run game that had helped lift him to MVP-adjacent status couldn’t get itself together. Drops and fumbles kept the offense from sustaining drives.
Bills drop the ball on back to back plays and punt the ball back to the Ravens. Josh Allen is 5-13 with an interception and a 15.6 passer rating and a good chunk of that isn't really his fault pic.twitter.com/ooeouMBj4X
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) October 2, 2022
This forced the defense into a tough situation; containing Lamar Jackson in a first half where the Raven offense controlled the ball for more than 21 minutes. Jackson did Jackson things and Buffalo’s win probability dipped to 6.5 percent late in the second quarter.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED 🤯🤯🤯🤯
Tune in on CBS! pic.twitter.com/kQOms2KPK9
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 2, 2022
This did not rattle the Bills. Allen needed just 98 seconds to cover 76 yards and cut the Baltimore lead to 20-10 before halftime.
This is where you’d expect halftime adjustments to take place — and while there were undoubtedly changes made, they were subtle. Head coach Sean McDermott mostly stuck to the tenets that misfired throughout the first half. He trusted his starters to make plays on a windy, rainy day. Eventually they did.
Buffalo had four offensive drives after halftime. Three gained at least 51 yards. Each ended in points. The defense that had been left on the field to hold things together early only allowed one Baltimore possession that lasted longer than 3:32 on the game clock. It ended when Jackson, contained and out of options in the end zone, heaved up a prayer corralled by All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer for his second interception of the game.
Edgar Allan 𝑷𝑶 x2!
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/OuHqHIkRCC
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 2, 2022
This is what’s so scary about the Bills. They don’t need to devise gimmicks or schemes to beat you; they can just trust their stars to overcome the funk that settled in over this offense sometime in the second half in Miami and stuck around until the first two minute warning in Baltimore. Allen didn’t do anything especially notable, by his standards at least. He was simply Josh Allen long enough for the Ravens’ foundation to crack and crumble under his weight.
"Allen can do magical things."
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/aEkFVDMGiR
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 2, 2022
The Bills had bad luck in close games leading into Week 4. Their 2021 playoff run was ended prematurely by the Chiefs in overtime. They were 0-7 in games decided by one score or less since Allen’s breakthrough 2020 season (where, in fairness, they were 6-2 and one of those losses came via an Arizona Cardinal Hail Mary).
Sunday’s win wasn’t just an indicator this team could come through in the clutch — it was a glowing sigil that Buffalo can’t be counted out at any point. The Bills don’t have to do anything special to shake out the cobwebs and scare the hell out of you.
The Ravens got to see if firsthand in Week 4. The rest of the AFC needs to take notice as well.
