Bills get pummeled by eager Ravens, lose 35-10 in Sunday night stinker

The Buffalo Bills have lost their first game of the 2024 NFL season in ugly fashion.

David Faux | 2 Hours Ago

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The Buffalo Bills didn't look particularly encouraging in their first loss of the 2024 season, dropping their Week 4 clash to the Baltimore Ravens 35-10. Baltimore got off to a hot start by forcing the Bills to punt early and immediately took advantage, scoring on the first play of its first possession. It continued to snowball from there, with the game getting away from the Bills in a hurry. While a spirited comeback effort in the second half brought the deficit down, it was ultimately all for naught.

We’ll be breaking down the most inspiring part of the game (yes, technically I did put something there), inquiring about a position group that needs its starters back, digging into players who require a better performance, and breaking down just how incredibly irksome one very specific play was during this game.

Inspire - Staying in this game (mostly):

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The score is ugly. The game itself was largely ugly. It could have easily been a lot worse.

After halftime, the Bills came out with a plan and played much sharper and better than they did in the first half, both offensively and defensively. It obviously didn’t end well for them and there is plenty of criticism to be doled out for the players and coaching staff, but this game could have been over at halftime, and they brought it all the way into the late third quarter before it got completely away from them.

Moral victories don’t count for anything, but on a night when the Bills were clearly outmatched at the start, it shows something that they were able to fight back in the second half. As far as individual performances go, Josh Allen was his normal self, and Dalton Kincaid was more involved than he has normally been to start the season, finishing with five catches for 47 yards. Despite a brutal drop, rookie Keon Coleman was able to bounce back with two big plays down the field in the second half. Khalil Shakir also continued to be steady as he reeled in four catches for 62 yards.

Inquire - How Long until Bernard and Johnson return?:

Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Through the first few weeks, the Bills have been able to manage the various injuries they suffered on defense. All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano was hurt before the season started with a torn biceps, elite nickel cornerback Taron Johnson had his arm broken early in Week 1, and starting middle linebacker Terrel Bernard suffered a strained pectoral in Week 2. Buffalo has been able to coach around those losses and play good football through the first few weeks of the regular season.

The Ravens clearly saw the weakness and attacked it over, and over, and over again, getting into heavy personnel and just slamming the ball downhill. After a point, the Bills had to get out of their usual nickel defense and start to play with some three-linebacker “base” looks. It didn’t help that much at the end of the day, and the question of when the two biggest keys to the Bills’ defense come back is lingering as the Bills will have three difficult games in front of them. Getting Taron Johnson or Terrel Bernard, or both, back in the next few weeks will be critical to bringing the floor of the Bills’ defense up to a reasonable level. Until then, the Bills have to find a way to hide players like Baylon Spector and Cam Lewis, and hope that’s enough.

Require - Offensive and Defensive Line:

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There’s a general notion among NFL analysts, fans, etc., that if you have a good quarterback, offensive line, and defensive line, you’ll be competitive in any game you play. The Bills were anything but competitive on either side of the ball when it came to their line play on Sunday.

The offensive line was overwhelmed by the Ravens' defense from the start, and the defensive line was outmatched for most of the game. For the first few weeks, the line play for the Bills was a major plus, as they were able to control the line of scrimmage offensively and run the ball effectively to control the pace of the game. Defensively, they got pressure and sacks fairly consistently. It simply didn’t happen in Baltimore, and it dictated the game pretty early on. While it’s certainly not a cause for concern (in the sense that it likely won't be this bad for the rest of the season), it was a major issue Sunday and it’s an issue that has to be fixed now; issues with either line cannot be afforded time, they need to be corrected and fixed by the time next week rolls around.

Irk - That trick play:

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator, Joe Brady

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There really isn’t anything else that can get put in this spot, is there? All the momentum had swung to the Bills after forcing two Baltimore three-and-outs and reaching paydirt to start the second half, and they were in Ravens’ territory moving the ball effectively and methodically. The last thing they needed to do was shoot for the moon and steal yards at that moment, but that's what they did, calling a flea-flicker, of sorts, that involved Curtis Samuel and Josh Allen and resulted in an Allen fumble. Regardless of what the plan was, regardless of whether or not they were in the position or got the look defensively they wanted, there was simply no reason to call that play.

Joe Brady has been, rightfully, praised since taking over as the offensive coordinator after the firing of Ken Dorsey last year. One of the reasons he’s been more successful than Dorsey is that Brady seemed to have a really good feel for the game and how it ebbed and flowed as it developed in front of him. That was simply not the case Sunday and it was never more apparent than in calling that trick play that not just resulted in a turnover, but got his superstar quarterback blown up. Those sorts of things just cannot happen or be allowed to happen, as those mistakes are too costly.

The Buffalo Bills will take on the Houston Texans next week at NRG Stadium at 1:00 p.m. The Texans have gotten off to a fine start, matching the Bills' record through four games, but they’ve struggled to get to that 3-1 record. All the headlines will be around former Buffalo wide receiver Stefon Diggs and his first opportunity to play against his former team. That being said, it’s a potential game for the Bills to steal from the Texans, take advantage of their weaknesses, and bounce back from a rough outing against Baltimore. If they lose two in a row, however, things will start to tighten up.

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