Alaina GetzenbergSep 8, 2025, 01:59 PM
CloseAlaina Getzenberg covers the Buffalo Bills for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2021. Alaina was previously a beat reporter for the Charlotte Observer and has also worked for CBS Sports and the Dallas Morning News. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Matt Prater went up to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in the locker room before the season opening game against the Baltimore Ravens.
“[Prater] just said, ‘Hey, I promise you I’m going to give you everything I got tonight,'” Allen recalled after the game.
He wanted Allen to know that while it might not be perfect right away, Prater said, “I’m going to do everything I can to try to be perfect to help.” Prater, 41, only joined the team Thursday morning, taking a redeye flight to be there as Bills kicker Tyler Bass eventually was placed on injured reserve with left hip and groin issues.
Perfect? The Bills’ performance was anything but.
Allen, however, showed off his reigning MVP form against two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, leading the team on a comeback performance that will go in the history books. And Prater was there to kick the game-winning 32-yard field goal as time expired in the final season opener at the current Highmark Stadium.
The Bills came back from a 15-point deficit that the team faced for much of the fourth quarter to score 16 points on three scores in the final four minutes of the game to beat the Ravens, 41-40.
“It took everybody there. I’m just proud of our team for staying in it,” Allen said. “No one on the sideline blinked. I mean, down 15 points, whatever we were with five, six minutes left. Staying with it, fans leaving the stadium, you got to play this game for 60 minutes and that’s a really good outfit that we just played, and God willing, we take care of business how we’re supposed to and how we think we will.”
The Bills became the first team in NFL history to overcome a 15-point deficit in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter to win a season opener, per Elias Sports Bureau. The team extended a 12-game home win streak and 23 games without losing the turnover battle, the longest streak in NFL history including playoffs. Since 2000, teams are 3-2,312 when trailing by 15-plus points in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter.
The effort was led by Allen, who put up a career performance in the fourth quarter, throwing the most passing yards in any quarter of his career (251) and becoming the first player with 250 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns in any quarter since at least 1978.
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“What can’t he do though,” wide receiver Keon Coleman said. Wide receiver Joshua Palmer descried Allen as “inspiring,” on the sideline.
Opening up the field helped Allen as his average target depth in the first three quarters was just 7.1 yards, while he averaged 11.2 in the final quarter. The Bills finished outgaining the Ravens, 497-432.
Prater finished the game making all three of his field goal attempts and both point after attempts. He only was able to practice kicking with the team on Friday before pregame on Sunday, but the 19-year veteran got comfortable quickly.
The win even shocked one of the newest Bills.
“I’m like, in a dream right now. That was unbelievable,” defensive end Joey Bosa said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been this happy after a win, it’s obviously, it’s just the first game of the year and we gave up a lot of points and I could be better in a lot of ways, but we got the win and we gave our offense a chance.
“And I guess when you have Josh Allen, you just have to give him a chance and anything’s possible.”
Allen finished the game completing 33/46 passes for 394 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 30 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.
1st 3 Qtr.4thAvg target depth7.111.2Yds143251*YPA5.712.0TD11*** His most in any quarter in his career** Also had 2 Rush TD in 4th quarter
He led the Bills to score on four of five possessions in the fourth quarter, including the nine-play, 66-yard drive that ended the game. In the final 4:50, Allen completed his last seven passes for 118 yards and one 10-yard passing touchdown to Coleman that got the Bills within one score, 40-32, in addition to a rushing touchdown.
“We start every practice least two of the three practices that we get during the week with two-minute [drills],” coach Sean McDermott said. “And [Allen’s] extremely comfortable in those situations. … When you practice it over and over and over again you try and hit as many of those situations different time on the clock, different amount of time else to put our guys at practice under some stress. They don’t like it sometimes. They get a little bit mad at me. But it’s for a good reason. So, I’ll take that.”
The Bills defense struggled to get off the field for much of the game, giving up four touchdown drives to the Ravens on four plays or less and allowing Baltimore to score on seven of its first eight possessions. The difference, however, came on the final three drives, getting Baltimore off the field in three plays or less but with a punt, a forced fumble by defensive tackle Ed Oliver that was recovered by linebacker Terrel Bernard and then the Ravens electing to punt again on fourth-and-3 from their own 38-yard line with 1:33 left in the game.
Oliver had an impressive performance with six tackles, a sack with three total tackles for loss and the forced fumble.
Just like in the 27-25 divisional round loss in Buffalo, the Ravens couldn’t overcome turnovers. Running back Derrick Henry said his fourth-quarter fumble — which came when the Ravens led 40-32 — cost Baltimore the game.
“I told my teammates after the game that the loss is on me,” Henry said. “I own it like a man.”
The Ravens suffered their fifth loss after leading by 10 or more points in the fourth quarter since 2019, which was Lamar Jackson’s first full season as a starting QB. That’s tied with the Bears for the most in the NFL over that span.
Jackson said Henry shouldn’t shoulder the loss.
“I told [Henry], ‘Let that go, man,’ He’s [already] did enough for us,” Jackson said. “Things happen. Unfortunately, it just happened at the wrong time. I’m not going to knock him for that. Shoot, I fumbled in the playoffs. It is what it is.”
As for the Bills, the reminder in the locker room postgame was to keep the win in perspective.
“The guys that showed up, they showed up big and I’m thankful, but we got a lot of work to do,” left tackle Dion Dawkins said. “This is not the Super Bowl, and we got a conference game next week, so we’re going to enjoy this tonight, for sure, and we’re going to put it to bed.”
ESPN staff writer Jamison Hensley contributed to this report.