The Buffalo Bills handled the Baltimore Ravens 36-10 on Sunday afternoon, but the box score doesn’t tell the whole story. Buffalo got the result it needed, improved to 6-1, and stayed at least tied for the top spot in the AFC after eight weeks.
The game was supposed to be a heavyweight fight between two elite quarterbacks. Instead, Lamar Jackson left after one offensive play with a thumb injury, and Josh Allen had a rough day overall.
Even with the uneven performance, there was still plenty for Buffalo to like - and a few things that need cleaning up.
Allen still made his mark in the win. His touchdown pass to DJ Moore with 12:18 left in the fourth quarter gave him the franchise lead in touchdown passes, counting the regular season and playoffs. He finished with 289 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception that came after a Jackson Hawes drop.
Tyler Bass also kept his name in the record book. He went 3-for-3 on field goals, hitting from 56, 22, and 51 yards. His first make of the day set the Bills’ regular-season record for consecutive field goals made by a kicker, and he’s now at 21 straight.
Buffalo also kept a remarkable trend alive coming out of the bye. The Bills have now won 12 straight games after the bye week, with the last loss coming in 2014.
On defense, Buffalo took advantage of the situation in front of it. The Ravens were limited to XXX total yards of offense, and their only touchdown came after a Bills turnover. Baltimore spent most of the game with its third-string quarterback, but the Bills still did what they had to do.
Greg Rousseau was one of the defenders who stood out most. After a quieter stretch on the stat sheet, he turned in a strong afternoon with a sack, two passes defended, three QB hits, at least seven QB pressures, and three total tackles.
There were also encouraging signs from Dalton Kincaid and DJ Moore, both of whom had been in red non-contact jerseys all week before playing Sunday. Moore caught 4 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown, while Kincaid finished with 4 catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.
Still, the Bills left room for concern. They went just 4-of-14 on third down, a number that won’t hold up against healthier teams later in the season.
They were also flagged 10 times for 87 yards, continuing a pattern of sloppiness. And the drops piled up, with Cook, Knox, Kincaid, and Hawes all failing to secure passes at different points, including drops that stalled drives or, in Hawes’ case, directly led to turnovers.
In Other News...
Josh Allen Just Added Another Massive Mark To Bills History
Josh Allen keeps adding to a Bills record book that already has his name all over it, and the latest milestone came against the Ravens. With another touchdown pass, Allen moved past Jim Kelly for Buffalos franchise lead in combined regular-season and postseason touchdown passes, reaching 259 and doing it in fewer games than the Hall of Fame quarterback.
The bigger picture for Buffalo is that this is not just a ceremonial marker. Kelly still owns the teams regular-season touchdown pass record, and Allen is close enough to make that next chase feel very real as the season continues. For a quarterback who has already reshaped the franchises modern era, this is another reminder that the Bills history is still being rewritten in real time. [Read more 🡒]
Ed Oliver Revealed What Helped Him Through A Brutal Offseason
Ed Oliver was back on the field for the Bills in Week 8 against the Ravens after missing a month with a knee injury, but the return carried more than the usual weight of a midseason comeback. After the game, Oliver talked about how much the defensive line room meant to him during a brutal stretch away from football, when simply getting through the day was the bigger challenge.
The Bills have leaned on Oliver as a difference-maker up front, and his presence matters even more when the season starts to tighten. What stood out most from his postgame remarks was the way he pointed to the people around him, a reminder that sometimes the most important support in an NFL locker room has nothing to do with scheme or snaps, and everything to do with getting a teammate through the hardest part of his life. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Passing Game Hinges On One Crucial Week 8 Receiver Call
D.J. Moores status has become one of the key Week 8 questions for Buffalo as the Bills prepare to face the Ravens. The receiver has been limited in practice while wearing a non-contact jersey, a sign the team is still managing the shoulder injury that has already kept him out the past two games after he first hurt it in Week 2 and then aggravated it in Week 4.
For a passing game looking to get back on track, Moores availability matters well beyond the injury report. Buffalo will not have a final answer until the inactive list is released before kickoff, leaving one more layer of uncertainty around whether he can suit up against Baltimore or whether the Bills will have to adjust again without him. [Read more 🡒]