Honestly, if you turned on the TV five minutes late for the Sunday Night Football clash between the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens back in September 2024, you basically missed the entire narrative arc of the game. It was one of those nights where the energy in M&T Bank Stadium felt different from the jump. The Ravens were sitting at a shaky 1-2, facing a Buffalo team that looked absolutely invincible at 3-0.
Then, the first snap happened.
The Play That Broke the Bills Ravens Play by Play
Most people look at a bills ravens play by play sheet and see "Derrick Henry 87-yard run." But the numbers don't capture the sound of that stadium. On the very first offensive play for Baltimore, Henry took a handoff to the right. It wasn't just a gap; it was a canyon. According to NextGen Stats, "The King" hit 21.29 mph. For a man that size, that's terrifying. He outran the entire Bills secondary, including Damar Hamlin, and just like that, the "unstoppable" Bills were down 7-0 before the seat cushions were warm.
That single play dictated everything that followed. Buffalo, a team that loves to dictate pace, was suddenly playing from behind against a defense that smelled blood.
Why the Ravens’ Rushing Attack Displaced Josh Allen
The Bills’ defense was missing key pieces, and it showed. Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano were sidelined, leaving a massive void in the middle of the field. Baltimore exploited this with brutal efficiency.
- Derrick Henry: Finished with 199 rushing yards. He was one yard shy of 200 because of a fumble at the goal line—which, hilariously, Patrick Ricard recovered for a touchdown anyway.
- Justice Hill: The unsung hero. He caught six passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. He was the safety valve Lamar Jackson used to dismantle the Bills' blitz.
- Lamar Jackson: He didn't have to throw 40 times. He went 13-of-18, threw for two scores, and ran for another.
The Bills managed a 50-yard field goal from Tyler Bass in the first quarter, but they couldn't sustain drives. The bills ravens play by play shows a series of "stalled" and "punts" for Buffalo. Josh Allen was under siege. Kyle Van Noy, who seems to get better with age, recorded two sacks. He’s been on a "heater," as he puts it, and Allen felt every bit of it.
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The Trick Play That Backfired
By the third quarter, Buffalo actually had a glimmer of hope. They had just scored a touchdown to make it 21-10. The defense forced a three-and-out. The momentum was shifting. You could feel it through the screen.
Then came the "turning point."
Joe Brady called a trick play—a lateral to Allen who was supposed to look downfield. Instead, Kyle Van Noy came screaming off the edge, swiped at Allen’s arm, and the ball popped loose. Kyle Hamilton recovered it. It was the kind of mistake you just can't make against a Lamar Jackson-led offense. Six plays later, Lamar walked into the end zone. 28-10. Game over.
The Playoff Revenge: A Different Story
It’s kinda wild to compare that Week 4 blowout to what happened later in the Divisional Round. If you look at the bills ravens play by play from their playoff meeting in January 2025, it’s a total mirror image. In that game, the Bills won 27-25.
What changed?
Simple: Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard were back.
In the regular season, Henry averaged over 8 yards per carry. In the playoffs? The Bills held him to a much more manageable 84 yards. They forced Lamar into two turnovers. It goes to show that while a play-by-play tells you what happened, the injury report usually tells you why.
Key Statistics from the Week 4 Matchup
Looking back at the box score from that 35-10 Ravens win, the disparity is jarring.
- Total Yards: Ravens 427, Bills 236.
- First Downs: Baltimore moved the chains 22 times; Buffalo only 12.
- Time of Possession: It felt like the Ravens had the ball for an hour. In reality, it was about 31 minutes, but they made every second count by bruising the Bills' defensive front.
Josh Allen finished with 180 passing yards and no touchdowns. For an MVP candidate, that's a rare "off" night, but it wasn't all on him. The offensive line, which had been playing great, finally crumbled under the Ravens' exotic blitz packages.
What We Can Learn From the Tape
If you're looking for actionable insights on how to beat the Bills—or how the Ravens became a juggernaut—it's all in the heavy personnel. Baltimore used Patrick Ricard and Mark Andrews to seal the edges. They dared Buffalo to play "heavy" defense, and when the Bills stayed in their nickel package, Henry punished them.
The Bills eventually corrected this later in the season by leaning more on Ray Davis and James Cook to keep opposing defenses honest, but on that Sunday night, they were one-dimensional and exposed.
Next Steps for Analysis:
- Study the Personnel: Check the snap counts for Patrick Ricard in that Week 4 game versus the playoff game. The shift in how Baltimore used their fullback changed their success rate on outside zones.
- Review the Blitz Patterns: Look at Kyle Van Noy’s positioning. He wasn't just lining up at DE; Mike Macdonald (and later Zach Orr) moved him around to find the mismatch against Buffalo’s backup tackle.
- Watch the Lateral: If you're a coach, use that fumbled trick play as a "what-not-to-do" in high-leverage situations.
The Bills and Ravens are likely to remain the gold standard for AFC rivalry games for the next few years. Every time they meet, the bills ravens play by play becomes a masterclass in adjustments, physicality, and why you never, ever let Derrick Henry get a head of steam in the first quarter.