ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The challenges of fielding a young roster, depleted by injuries on defense and the lack of a proven receiving threat on offense, would eventually catch up with the Buffalo Bills this season.

The only surprise is that it took until week 4 for the shortcomings to come to light on Sunday evening.

What was billed as an early season quarterback showdown between Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, ended in a 35-10 Ravens loss powered by Derrick Henry.

The Bills were outscored in all three phases of an outcome, putting a major dent in the early — and perhaps premature — Super Bowl glow they generated after a 3-0 start.

As the sky suddenly falls among fans and the door opens once again for critics to blame coach Sean McDermott, a healthy dose of perspective can be added to the equation.

The magnitude of the setback or wake-up call that the loss represents depends on several aspects, including:

– Their ability to adapt and bounce back, as the Bills have done by dropping back-to-back performances just five times since 2019.

– The roster is getting healthier, with linebacker Terrel Bernard (chest) and cornerback Taron Johnson (forearm) nearing their returns.

– And appreciate how the run-heavy and defensively sound Ravens may be one of the few NFL teams able to take advantage of Buffalo’s weaknesses, with the Bills expected to be tested again by Kansas City (17 November) and San Francisco (December 1). ) and Detroit (December 15).

As disastrous as the outcome was, there was little panic among the team after the loss.

“Not everything was bad in this match. “I don’t want to move away from saying, ‘We’re the worst,’” Allen said. “I’m glad this happened early in the season so we can correct things.”

The tenor of the game was determined after each team’s opening drive.

Buffalo got stuck in midfield and had to kick. Baltimore took over and needed one play for Henry to score on a franchise-best 87-yard touchdown run.

This was a departure from the Bills’ two previous performances, in which they raced to early leads and forced their opponents to play catch-up in 31-10 and 47-10 wins over Miami. and Jacksonville.

The Ravens effectively applied pressure on Allen, who mostly settled for quick outs on the sideline, with the exception of his desperation, an on-the-run 52-yard heave to Khalil Shakir to set up Ty Johnson’s 3-yard TD run to make. Allen failed to score a touchdown (passing, rushing or receiving) for the fourth time in a game he starts and finishes, and his passing of 42 yards in the first half matched the second-fewest in the first 30 minutes of his career.

Henry and the Ravens’ massive offensive line did the rest by pushing around substandard defense with backups at both linebacker positions, and a secondary more suited to defending against the deep pass than facing the 300-pound fullback Patrick Ricard bulldozing holes in front of the 250-pound Henry.

On the plus side, the Bills enter Week 5 preparing to play Houston, still alone on what appears to be a flawed AFC East field so far. And they left Baltimore with an encouraging message from Henry.

“They’ve been hitting on all cylinders,” Henry said of Buffalo. “We were the better team tonight. But I’m sure they will sort things out in the coming weeks.”

What works

Fourth down conversions by going 1 for 1 to improve to 6 for 6 on the season. However, McDermott doubted he didn’t go more often to keep Henry on the sidelines.

What needs help

Sufficient in an outing in which Buffalo’s 12 first downs matched its fewest since 2018, Baltimore’s 271 yards rushing was the third-most allowed in eight seasons under McDermott, and Tyler Bass continued to raise questions about his accuracy by kicking a 50-yard field goal. miss. attempt.

Stock up

Receiver Keon Coleman. After dropping a deep pass in the final minute of the first half, the rookie caught his next three targets, finishing 51 yards.

Stock down

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady for calling a trick play on second-and-7 at the Baltimore 44, which led to Allen being sacked and losing a fumble midway through the third quarter. The turnover stifled any momentum Buffalo had generated with an opening drive in the second half to cut the lead to 21-10 and the defense forced two three-and-outs.

Injuries

Safety Taylor Rapp did not return after being placed in the concussion protocol. Shakir returned and finished the match after hurting his right ankle, but was seen wearing a boot afterward.

Key numbers

1-10 — Buffalo’s record, including playoffs, in rushing for fewer than 100 yards since the start of the 2021 season.

Next steps

A trip to Houston to take on a CJ Stroud-led passing attack involving former Bills star Stefon Diggs, who was traded to the Texans in April.

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AP N.F.L.: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl