Bills' incredible Week 1 win unanimously picked as early Game of the Year winner

Buffalo's victory is an early favorite to win the award

Bills Matt Prater is hoisted on the teams shoulders after his field goal put the Bills ahead 41-40 to beat the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sept. 7, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After years of being on the losing side of many acclaimed "games of the year," Sunday night's comeback victory against the Ravens finally got the Buffalo Bills in the win column of the unofficial category.

A panel of 11 Around the NFL staff members are voting on a running list of the top five NFL games of 2025, with the first ballot's results heavily favoring Bills vs Ravens.

The panelists, including Judy Battista, Ali Bhanpuri, Tom Blair, Brooke Cersosimo, Jeffri Chadiha, Eric Edholm, Gennaro Filice, Dan Parr, Kevin Patra, Gregg Rosenthal, and Nick Shook, unanimously selected the Sunday Night Football thriller as the No. 1 game of the young 2025 season.

Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) is tackled by Buffalo Bills cornerback Dorian Strong (43) | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Chadiha writes, "This game was supposed to be a heavyweight fight, and it didn't disappoint. He praised Buffalo's QB, explaining, "Bills quarterback Josh Allen showed why he won last year's MVP award by passing for 394 yards and scoring four total touchdowns...In the end, Allen put his team in position with timely runs and devastating throws."

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The panel also unanimously voted for Pittsburgh's 34-32 win over the New York Jets for second place, with Falcons vs Buccaneers, Seahawks vs 49ers, and Eagles vs Cowboys rounding out the top five.

While it's highly likely that the rankings change as early as next week, it would take a lot to dethrone the historic comeback anytime soon.

Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) score a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

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