Knee-Jerk Reactions: No Lead is Safe – Ravens Lose in Buffalo, 41-40

Crabcakes and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, that’s what Baltimore does! The Ravens blew a big lead and lost in Week 1 in Buffalo, 41-40.

RSR staff react here.

Derek Arnold

I said something on the RSR X account that seemed to resonate: this was like watching an entire Baltimore Ravens season in the span of 60 minutes of game time.

Absolute domination. Glimpses of being a juggernaut. Incredible plays that leave your jaw on the floor. And inexplicable mistakes, leading to a woeful collapse at the end.

We won’t even get to talk about Derrick Henry‘s amazing performance, because he put the ball on the ground at the worst possible time. We won’t watch DeAndre Hopkins make perhaps the greatest TD catch in Ravens history on loop, because we know how it ended.

A 40-25 fourth quarter lead…and you blow it. You blow it because of the little things. Letting the Bills get into field goal range despite next to no time on the clock to end the first half. Missing an extra point. Taking a PERFECT punt that should be downed at the 1, and turning it into a touchback because you slid into it for no reason at all.

And then all the other usual things that we’ve seen forever: lack of pass rush, too much cushion on the outside, inability to get a first down when it really matters.

This team puts entirely too many resources into the defensive side of the ball for 40 points to not be enough.

It’s the same things we’ve been witnessing for over a decade around here. Sure, the bells and whistles on offense make things more exciting, and getting to watch a talent like Lamar Jackson play every Sunday is a treat that we should never take for granted. But even when it looked like they would hold on and win, we all had the same sinking feeling that nothing has changed. And that, for that reason, we know we can’t trust this team in big games…not now, and certainly not in January.

Inventing ways to lose games, man. Choke artists. #Ravens

— Dev Panchwagh (@devpanchwagh) September 8, 2025

Nikhil Mehta

The Ravens lost this game in all the little ways. Special teams, clock management, conservative playcalling on both sides of the ball, squandering another brilliant night from Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry to drop another Week 1 heartbreaker to a vaunted AFC rival. None of the good really matters when a game ends like that!

Zach Orr had a slow start last year, and that continued on Sunday night in Buffalo. The Ravens could not establish a pass rush all night, and it came back to bite them time and time again in the second half. It’s a pretty inexcusable loss for another one of the ‘most talented rosters’ in franchise history.

Chad Racine

Wow what an incredible game and huge letdown. Another fourth quarter meltdown.  Sound familiar? The Ravens were feeling themselves and for good reason but they were served some humble pie. Still so much potential with this team and this loss may help them dealing with adversity throughout the season.

Jason Woolbert

Nothing has changed.

 Rob Shields

Last night, Baltimore witnessed an incredible comeback win on a night celebrating the 30th anniversary of 2131.

Tonight, the Ravens played the role of the Dodgers.

In one of the most inexcusable losses in Ravens history, they have showed why they are the little brothers of the AFC powerhouse teams.  They may have the roster that teams dream of but they don’t have they the coaching or the football IQ of a champion.

Let’s look at how the first half ended. With the Ravens dominating with Henry and having the ball with first down around the 15 yard line, they take Henry out and run it with Hill, who ends up losing 20 yards. Now, I’m not saying Hill isn’t a good player but the Bills weren’t stopping Henry, so why go away from it?  A result, you lose the yardage and you end up getting a FG. And, you even ran a play before the 2 minute warning for some reason, so you screwed up there too.

Then, with only seven seconds left and the Bills only having a chance to score if they get out of bounds, you let that happen, even if the clock was ridiculously slow.  That was likely a seven-point swing.

And I get that Allen is great and was just playing his tail off all night but your defense has to do better not giving him rushing lanes and holding them more in check. They don’t have great WR. You should be able to stop them at least sometimes.

It’s hard to question the offensive game plan when you score 40 and put up over 400 yards but they went away from Henry too much.  How does he not have 20-25 carries tonight?  I realize if he doesn’t fumble (how does that happen?) he gets more carries at the end but he should have been at that number to begin with. They barely went to him in the third quarter, and I know there were some big pass plays that helped with that but still, you just had to use him more.

And then at the end of the game, you gave it 4th and 2 and your three timeouts.  How do you not go for that? I don’t care where you are on the field. Go win the game!

Credit to Allen for doing what he did but this was, yet again, a situation where the Ravens beat themselves. It’s just what they do and it’s why it’s so funny that so many believe in them to win a Super Bowl. This coaching staff simply won’t allow it and the players on the field make too many mental errors at key times to overcome the best teams.

Even on a night where you were clearly the best team for most of the game, you can’t win the game.

Whether or not this cripples their season remains to be seen. I suspect they still win 12-13 games. I didn’t think the would win tonight and that’s the record I had for them. But the way they lost was awful. Last year, they suffered a heart breaking loss on the road and then lost the game the next week, at home, to a bad Raiders team. We will see if history repeats itself next week but this loss is going to haunt them and all but assures they will have to play in Buffalo in January (if that game is played.)

Chris Schisler

The Ravens are the flashiest team in the NFL for a whole lot of nothing. Scoring 40 points in Buffalo and losing is unbelievable. I grant you this is an all-timer. I grant you it’s a great game. It’s just unfathomable that the Ravens always lose this way when they lose. The Ravens had two opportunities to buckle. They deferred the first one when it got close. Then they took the second chance.

And yes it’s dressed up like any Ravens collapse. You had a missed extra point. You had a fumble. It’s a lot of could have and should have. The Ravens lost another big game, on the road against a contender. When the biggest question facing the team is, can they finish in the playoffs, losing this game comes with some shame. Credit the Bills. Good. Great. Wonderful. The way the Ravens lost wastes an incredible batch of performances and solidifies the very fear that this team can’t finish.

Vermont Raven

Wow.  Despite great games by Lamar, Henry, and Flowers, the Ravens yet again find ways to lose a big game!  Special teams was atrocious. Bills start off with a good return, Loop gives Bills ball at 40 by kicking short, Loop misses extra point, and when the usual culprit of special teams blunders, Stout, comes away with a beautiful punt, Simpson slides into the end zone!

Defense gives up big play to Cook to get Bills going. Then the Bills throw all over field late and defense has no answers.

And of course, despite the great play from Henry, another untimely costly turnover does in the Ravens!

Not sure what the answer is, but this team is the opposite of clutch. Ravens need to do some soul searching to figure out how to win big games.  They fold under pressure.  It’s the harsh reality.

After this soul-crushing loss, Ravens better respond next week and take care of Flacco and the Browns. They can’t fall to 0-2 with looming games vs Lions and at Chiefs to follow.

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