Allen, Bills pull away from Ravens at Highmark Stadium
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (Interstat) — Josh Allen threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and Buffalo’s defense kept Baltimore out of the end zone after the first quarter as the Bills beat the Ravens 36-10 at Highmark Stadium. Buffalo improved to 6-1. Baltimore fell to 4-4. The Bills won their second straight game and remained unbeaten at home. The Ravens lost their second consecutive game.
Allen was the game’s top star, completing 21 of 34 passes for 289 yards and two passing touchdowns while running seven times for 30 yards and one rushing touchdown. Baltimore quarterback Joe Fagnano completed 10 of 21 passes for 91 yards and ran three times for 3 yards. Keon Coleman had one reception for 4 yards. Greg Rousseau recorded three tackles and one sack, and Landon Jackson had four tackles and one sack. Damar Hamlin and Te’Cory Couch each made five tackles. Terrel Bernard and Geno Stone each had six tackles. Kaleb Elarms-Orr had two tackles, Dorian Williams had three, and Michael Hoecht had three. Dawson Knox had one reception for 6 yards, and Jackson Hawes had one reception for 7 yards. Khalil Shakir caught five passes for 64 yards. Dalton Kincaid had four receptions for 86 yards and one touchdown. Kyle Allen did not record statistics. Ty Johnson ran four times for 4 yards and caught three passes for 19 yards. DJ Moore had one carry for 4 yards and four receptions for 82 yards and one touchdown. Reid Ferguson made one tackle. Tommy Doman Jr. punted twice for 95 yards. Greg Dortch returned one kickoff for 22 yards and three punts for 40 yards. Ed Oliver and Bradley Chubb did not record statistics. Davison Igbinosun had one tackle and one interception. DeWayne Carter, Christian Benford, Joe Andreessen and Sam Franklin Jr. each made one tackle. James Cook III ran 21 times for 80 yards and one touchdown and caught two passes for 21 yards. Tyler Bass made all three of his field-goal attempts and made one tackle. Deone Walker, Maxwell Hairston, Keleki Latu and T.J. Sanders each made two tackles. TJ Parker and Cole Bishop each had two tackles and one sack. Javon Solomon had three tackles.
For Baltimore, Ja’Kobi Lane had one reception for 13 yards and one tackle. Teddye Buchanan and K’Von Wallace each made six tackles. Kyle Hamilton had seven tackles, Malaki Starks had 10 and Roquan Smith had 11. T.J. Tampa made three tackles. Matt Hibner and Zay Flowers did not record statistics. Mike Green had six tackles and half a sack. Mark Andrews caught three passes for 14 yards. The Ravens moved the ball well in spots but could not convert enough after their early touchdown.
Buffalo opened the scoring after a replay reversed an apparent touchdown pass from Allen to Shakir, who was ruled out of bounds at the Baltimore 1. Allen then scored on a 1-yard run, and Bass’ extra point made it 7-0. Bass added a 56-yard field goal later in the first quarter to stretch the lead to 10-0. Baltimore answered with Derrick Henry’s 2-yard touchdown run and Tyler Loop’s extra point, cutting the deficit to 10-7. Buffalo restored a two-score cushion with Bass field goals of 22 and 51 yards in the second quarter, taking a 16-7 lead into halftime.
Baltimore threatened early in the third quarter when Henry broke free for a 10-yard touchdown run, but the play was nullified by an offensive holding penalty on Ronnie Stanley. The Ravens settled for Loop’s 26-yard field goal to make it 16-10. Buffalo responded with Cook’s 5-yard touchdown run and Bass’ extra point. In the fourth quarter, Allen found Moore for an 11-yard touchdown pass, but the two-point pass to Hawes fell incomplete. Allen later connected with Kincaid on a 23-yard touchdown pass, and Bass’ extra point closed the scoring at 36-10. The Bills defense kept Baltimore scoreless over the final three quarters and protected the lead.
Buffalo’s offense finished with balance, mixing Allen’s passing with Cook’s running and contributions from the tight ends and receivers. The Bills also got pressure from multiple defensive linemen and linebackers, with Rousseau, Jackson, Parker and Bishop each getting to the quarterback. Baltimore’s best moments came early, when Henry found room and the Ravens briefly stayed within a field goal. But the nullified touchdown and a series of stalled possessions left Baltimore chasing points. Buffalo’s home crowd saw the Bills improve to 6-1 and remain in strong position in the conference. Baltimore fell to 4-4 and will look to regroup after a second straight loss. Buffalo entered after a 33-30 win at Las Vegas. Baltimore had lost 35-13 to Cincinnati in its previous game. Buffalo next plays at Minnesota, while Baltimore next hosts Jacksonville.
The Bills controlled the line of scrimmage for much of the second half. Buffalo’s running game helped drain clock, and Allen’s mobility kept Baltimore’s pass rush from settling into a rhythm. Cook’s 80 yards on 21 carries gave the Bills a reliable complement to Allen. Moore’s 82 receiving yards and Kincaid’s 86 receiving yards stretched the Baltimore defense at different levels. Shakir added five catches for 64 yards. On defense, Buffalo’s secondary tackled well, with Hamlin, Couch, Bernard and Stone each making at least five tackles. Baltimore’s Roquan Smith finished with 11 tackles, and Malaki Starks had 10, but the Ravens could not keep Buffalo out of the end zone in the second half.
Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Buffalo 41, Baltimore 31. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Buffalo with an 89.8 percent probability to win. Buffalo had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -3.5. The combined scoring total was 46, with the over/under line listed at 55.