The Song Remains the Same

Ravens Fall to Bills 41-40

Where do we begin? How about with this – same old Ravens.

All the talk about revenge. All the talk about settling a score. All the talk about starting fast. All the talk about winning the turnover battle. All the talk about this elite secondary and how it would allow Zach Orr to dial up simulated pressures. All the talk about improved special teams. All the talk about how Daniel Faalele has improved. All the talk about the Ravens having the most impressive roster in the AFC.

It’s all just talk, and talk is cheap.

When Derrick Henry fumbled in the fourth quarter, who among you didn’t know that that would mark the beginning of the end? The Bills scored 22 points in the fourth quarter when the Ravens knew they had to throw the ball. Yet they were helpless. They couldn’t get off the field. The Bills on the other hand:

• Threw for 389 yards
• Produced 497 yards of offense
• Ran 78 plays to the Ravens 50

And all the while John Harbaugh stood on the sideline looking like a deer in headlights. We’ve seen this movie before and so has Harbaugh and every time it replays, he seems paralyzed with the same fear of the same probable outcome.

When the Ravens went up 40-25, why not go for two there? The Bills were reeling. They nearly sacked Lamar Jackson for a 20-yard loss that he miraculously escaped from and turned into first down and a 19-yard gain. On the very next play, Henry ripped off a 46-yard scoring run. Bills fans left the stadium. Some threw bottles on the field in frustration. Buffalo was deflated and the were Ravens highly energized and riding high. Why not beat a team when they’re down?

Lamar Jackson just went into video mode. How do you stop this?! pic.twitter.com/sQswa2FzjJ

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 8, 2025

A successful 2-point conversion would have pushed the score to 42-25, making it a 3-score game. Instead, Harbaugh opted to send the rookie, Tyler Loop out for the PAT which he doinked off the upright.

Then on the ensuing possession, the Bills punted at the 9:27 mark of the fourth quarter.

It felt like it might be over.

But these are the Ravens, a team that melts down in big games like a Hershey kiss on the hood of a black pickup truck in July. All that money and all that draft capital invested in defense certainly hasn’t paid off. Not yet anyway.

So, the narrative for the Ravens won’t change. They’ve earned their unflattering reputations as a team that crumbles in big games.

The song remains the same.

It’s still up to the Ravens to change the narrative. There’s obviously plenty of time. But old habits from Harbaugh’s staff die hard. And those habits are still alive.

I’m reminded of an old story of Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin imploring his team to keep digging, to keep chopping wood against the Ravens and not to be concerned about the sizable deficit. His rationale? Tomlin said that the Ravens don’t finish – they don’t play four quarters.

Same movie.

Same song.

And until proven otherwise in big games, the same Ravens.

[Related Article: Knee Jerk Reactions to the Ravens 41-40 Loss]

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2025/09/08/lombardis-way/talk-is-cheap/