Bills Central

Win over Ravens signals Bills may finally have luck on their side in Super Bowl quest

Several game-changing plays finished in favor of the Bills during their fourth-quarter comeback win over the Ravens.
Alex Brasky|
Bills kicker Matt Prater hugs quarterback Josh Allen after the win over the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sept. 7, 2025. Prater’s field goal put them up 41-40 in the finals seconds.
Bills kicker Matt Prater hugs quarterback Josh Allen after the win over the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sept. 7, 2025. Prater’s field goal put them up 41-40 in the finals seconds. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In this story:

Buffalo Bills | News, Scores, Schedules & Standings

Not to discount the remarkable performance put forth by Josh Allen during the Buffalo Bills’ improbable Week 1 comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens, but after receiving a number of breaks during Sunday’s historic victory, it looks like the Bills’ luck may be changing.

Just in time for a Super Bowl run.

When you take a look at what occurred during the Bills’ season-opening win, the primary catalyst that helped Buffalo storm back and steal the game from the Ravens was undoubtedly Allen’s massive fourth-quarter effort. However, there were several plays leading up to the eventual game-winning 32-yard kick from 41-year-old Matt Prater that swung in favor of the Bills and helped set the stage for what was to come before the final bell.

RELATED: Josh Allen met unlikeliest Bills' hero only two days before wild win over Ravens

As highlighted in Richie Witt’s ‘Anatomy of the Comeback’ article posted to Buffalo Bills On SI last night, three plays during the fourth quarter stood out among the rest.

After Derrick Henry bursted through the line and galloped 46 yards to the end zone, extending Baltimore’s lead to 40-25 with 11:42 to play, Baltimore kicker Tyler Loop, who was appearing in his first game for the Ravens since the team let go of longtime K Justin Tucker during the offseason, missed the ensuing extra point that would have made it a 16-point game.

An opposing kicker missing in a big spot against the Bills? I thought I would never see the day.

Tyler Loop
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Baltimore Ravens place kicker Tyler Loop (33) attempts a field goal against the Buffalo Bills during the first half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Then, with 7:27 remaining, after the Bills failed to respond to Henry’s long score, after a stalled drive of their own, Ravens punter Jordan Stout nearly placed a peach of a kick inside the Bills’ five-yard line. But instead, Baltimore’s Trenton Simpson came sliding in to down the ball and had his left hand graze the goal line ever so slightly, prompting the officials to rule a touchback. 

It wasn’t an obvious call by any means, and one that many Ravens fans had a problem with initially before the play was posted to social media, clearly showing Simpson’s hand touching the painted line. Still, at game speed, it was not an easy ruling for the officials to make and one that, if history tells us anything, the Bills usually don’t get the benefit of.

That wasn’t all, folks.

After driving 70 yards inside the Baltimore red zone on the ensuing drive, the Bills faced fourth-and-2 from the Ravens’ 10-yard line. With Allen running for his life to his right side, he hurled a pass to the right side of the end zone, intended for Keon Coleman. But before the ball reached the Bills wide receiver, tight end Dalton Kincaid jumped and tipped the pass. That forced Coleman to dive back to the ball and make a clutch touchdown reception, which helped cut the deficit to 40-32 with 3:56 to play in the game.

A clutch player making a clutch play in a clutch situation. That’s not something you have always been able to take for granted when it comes to the Bills.

Finally, on the game-winning kick, the Raven's Kyle Hamilton leapt over the line of scrimmage before coming ever so close to blocking Prater's 32-yard attempt. Upon zooming in closely, it appears as if Hamilton's hand may have even grazed the ball while it was in flight.

All this poses the question: Is the Bills’ luck finally changing?

From ‘Wide Right’ to ’13 Seconds’ and many more heart-wrenching moments over the years, the Bills have come out on the short end of the stick in so many situations that it often leaves fans wondering, “Will it ever be our year?” But Sunday’s win may have shown us that 2025 is going to be different.

Please, let it be different.

—  Enjoy free coverage of the Bills from Buffalo Bills on SI  —

More Buffalo Bills News:

Published
Alex Brasky
ALEX BRASKY

Alex Brasky is editor of Bills Digest and host of the Buffalo Pregame podcast. He has been on the Bills beat the past six seasons and now joins Sports Illustrated hoping to expand his coverage of Buffalo’s favorite football team.

Share on XFollow alexbrasky
Home/News