Media Reacts to Ravens 'Losing Another Game They Had No Business Losing'
The Ravens went to Buffalo Sunday night looking to get the bad taste out of their mouths from last season's painful playoff loss. Instead, they were served a second helping of heartbreak.
The 41-40 loss to the Bills had a feeling of déjà vu, and not just because the game was in Buffalo.
As has happened multiple times in recent years, the Ravens squandered a second-half lead because the defense couldn't get off the field, and the offense – which looked unstoppable for the majority of the contest – couldn't put the game away. Throw in a costly fumble late in the game and a missed extra point earlier in the fourth quarter, and it all adds up to another improbable loss.
Make that highly improbable.
The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec: "Ravens players and coaches talked for months about how they needed to learn their lesson from their playoff loss to the Bills in January. That lesson? Stop turning the ball over and shooting themselves in the foot with mistakes. Yet, they lost another game that they had no business losing. … It was another complete meltdown, and it's going to be tough to take the Ravens seriously until games like this stop happening with relative frequency."
The Baltimore Sun’s Josh Tolentino: "This wasn't just a bad loss. It was a flashing red warning sign for a franchise that's been incapable of closing big games in critical moments. … The Ravens had Buffalo beaten. The scoreboard suggested it, the fans in the aisles nearly confirmed it. But Sunday night's final scene with red fireworks shooting into the air and shocked white jerseys retreating indoors with their head bows said otherwise. Until the Ravens prove they can finish consistently, it really won't matter what the calendar says. September or January, Baltimore's ending still looks the same."
The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer: "The Ravens spent all summer working on the small things — ball security, discipline, penalties — and some bigger goals — namely, takeaways. Maybe it'll pay off in the long run, but the Ravens' attention to detail was severely lacking as the ground beneath their feet collapsed. Tyler Loop missed an extra point. Derrick Henry fumbled. The Ravens gave up a way-too-easy field goal drive before halftime. On and on the little stuff added up, until all they had was a big problem. The Ravens looked like the NFL's best team for stretches Sunday. But how many other teams can hit a switch and almost immediately look like one of the worst?"
NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha: "The Ravens beat themselves again. Baltimore had a huge road win nearly wrapped up on Sunday night when Derrick Henry fumbled and opened the door for a seismic Bills comeback. … This is a team that has been cursed with self-inflicted errors over the last two years. This was yet another reminder of what this team must overcome to win a championship. This loss came in the same stadium where the Ravens lost in the Divisional Round last year, when tight end Mark Andrews dropped a two-point conversion late in the 27-25 loss and the Ravens committed three turnovers. The Ravens also lost to Kansas City in a mistake-filled AFC Championship Game in 2023, when Baltimore was favored to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 2012. Since we're already piling on, it's also worth recalling that the Ravens lost last year's opener in Kansas City when quarterback Lamar Jackson missed a couple wide-open receivers in the final minute before tight end Isaiah Likely couldn't keep his feet inbounds on what would've been a game-tying touchdown catch in a 27-20 defeat. See the pattern here? The biggest question about the Ravens coming into this season was whether they were ready to handle those critical moments more successfully. Week 1 told us this is still an issue."
NFL.com’s Grant Gordon: "For three quarters and change, Derrick Henry ran off a Week 1 masterpiece and Lamar Jackson wasn't far behind in his brilliant ways. They had a hand or a leg in all five of Baltimore's touchdowns. Then it all came crashing down when Henry fumbled in the fourth quarter, and the Jackson-led offense was unable to score a point over its last three drives after scoring 40 on its first eight. Rightly or wrongly, Jackson and his squad are saddled with the narrative that they can't win the big one. This was a Week 1 game, it wasn't a big one. But nonetheless, the Monday morning chatter will be about a victory squandered by the Ravens in a high-profile season opener. In many ways, it matches seasons past as Baltimore has met unfortunate ends in the playoffs after impressive regular-season runs. Henry was spectacular with 169 rushing yards and two scores before his fumble. Jackson was his usual brilliant self before it all slipped away."
Star-Studded Ravens Defense Gets No Turnovers, Just One Sack
The Ravens defense was the stingiest in the league down the stretch in 2024, and expectations are high for the star-studded group this year.
Unfortunately, on Sunday night the defense looked like the porous unit it was during the first half of last season as the Bills offense piled up 497 total yards.
Press Box's Bo Smolka: "The Ravens returned nearly every defensive starter, they added a former first-round cornerback in Jaire Alexander and they drafted another first-rounder in safety Malakai Starks. At all three levels, the Ravens were expected to be complete and formidable. And then Josh Allen gashed them. Allen finished 33-for-46 for 394 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions and a passer rating of 112.0. … The Ravens and Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr are going to have some uncomfortable moments watching this one in the film room."
Zrebiec: "One of the defensive questions coming into the season was whether the Ravens had enough of a pass rush to consistently impact a quarterback. On Sunday, that answer was no. Allen consistently had time to scan the field and go through his progressions. And when the Ravens did get pressure, Allen had a pretty easy time avoiding it and getting out of the pocket. The Ravens' first sack didn't come until there were under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. As good as Baltimore's offense was, Ravens Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr will have some things to fix this week. The team wants to be a swarming and turnover-forcing defense, and it had just one sack Sunday and no forced turnovers."
Ravens' Offensive Stars Put on a Show
The cruel irony of Henry's fumble with 3:06 left in the game, when the Ravens were clinging to an eight-point lead, is that the three-time All-Pro running back had been the star of the game until that moment. He finished with 169 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries (9.4 yards per carry).
Jackson and wide receiver Zay Flowers also had big games. Jackson had three total touchdowns and a 144.4 passer rating, and Flowers, who was sidelined for last January's playoff game in Buffalo, caught seven passes for a career-high 143 yards and a touchdown.
Veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins also made the highlight reel with a one-handed grab in the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown reception.
As a whole, the Ravens offense scored on its first five drives and seven of its first eight.
Smolka: "Henry and Jackson together represent a maddening combination for defenses. Key on Henry, and Jackson can win to the edge. Spread the field against Jackson, and Henry might just run through an inside line, and as he showed on a 49-yard run off right guard to set up Jackson's touchdown run, he doesn't need much room. And once he gets up to speed, good luck stopping that freight train in the open field. The Ravens' offense again is going to run through this 250-pound, age-defying marvel."
USA Today’s Jarrett Bell: "Jackson and Henry demonstrated just how lethal of a 1-2 punch they are during two sequences worth noting. Early in the second quarter, they combined for 48 yards and a TD with back-to-back long-distance jaunts. Then early in the fourth quarter they topped that, combining for 64 yards on alternating runs as Jackson scrambled for 19 yards to set up a 46-yard TD blast from Henry. Classic stuff."
Battle of AFC Heavyweights Was an 'Instant Classic'
While the result was disappointing, the matchup between two of the AFC's elite teams and elite quarterbacks lived up to the hype.
Bell: "Instant classic. That's what happened at Highmark Stadium on Sunday night. It was one of those games that if you didn't see it you would not believe it. … The game goes down as one for the ages."
"The Rich Eisen Show's" Rich Eisen: "I've never seen a Week 1 game like that, certainly never on Sunday night in front of the whole country."
The Ringer's Steven Ruiz: "I'm sure this result will spark plenty of debate-show segments this week about whether Baltimore will ever get over the hump. Instead, hopefully we still carve out some time to celebrate the quarterback duel Allen and Jackson just treated us to in Week 1."
One Loss Won't Define Ravens' Season
Just a reminder that the Ravens started 0-2 last season and then went 12-3 the rest of the way to win the AFC North. One loss, no matter how much it stings, is still just one loss.
The Baltimore Banner’s Chris Korman: "Hey, that was really fun. Two of the best teams in the league played. Led by two of the best quarterbacks in the game. It was weird and sloppy, as early games tend to be. Ravens fans are no doubt devastated by the loss but … reading much into this would go a step too far. Your team is very good. It happened to play another very good team, at their place, and failed to execute in a few spots. You've known all along the Ravens are going to need to get through this team, or the Chiefs, or both. That's the challenge ahead."
Smolka: "The overreactors will say this team was exposed. A little perspective: For the second straight year, the Ravens took one of the AFC's best teams to the brink on the road. This one hurts especially because it wasn't just in the Ravens' grasp, it was pretty much in their pocket, but they let it slip away. They need to make sure that the emotion of this loss doesn't cost them again next week."
The Baltimore Sun’s Sam Cohn: "This game isn't an indictment on the season to come, nor will it define the rivalry."
