On a rain-soaked evening in Maryland, the Buffalo Bills dropped a nightmare of one Monday night football game against the Baltimore Ravens. Losing 35-10, the Bills drop to 3-1 and leave September on a low note despite their somewhat surprising start to the season.

If we’re honest with ourselves, Buffalo didn’t go 17-0 en route to a first-place playoff birth. Everyone knows winning in the NFL is hard, which is why the Bills were a big talking point through three games. Rather, it’s the manner in which Buffalo lost to Baltimore that likely has many doubting the Bills’ prospects for the entire season. Fair or otherwise.

The big concern may be that the Bills’ receivers have failed to consistently break up and make gains against what was the league’s worst-ranked pass defense. Buffalo’s offensive line did Allen little favors and gave him even less in the way of time to find open receivers.

As a team, you’re going through as forgettable a first half as any Josh Allen-led Bills team. You go into the second half, force a three-and-out, then score a momentum-stealing touchdown early in the third quarter. Now within 11 and down 21-11, your defense forces a punt – which the offensive coordinator uses as an excuse to pull off a stupid trick. Instead of sticking with what worked, Buffalo decided to draft wide receiver Curtis Samuel at quarterback so he could throw to Allen, who fumbled while almost immediately being swarmed by a pack of hungry Ravens.

Throw that play in the trash, in Baltimore, and don’t even let it sit on the plane back to Buffalo. All the good that offensive coordinator Joe Brady has brought to the team shouldn’t be undone by one bad decision. It’s very likely that the play sounded the death knell for Buffalo, as it wiped out every ounce of momentum and led to another seven points in Baltimore’s favor the other way.

Allen himself pointed to the idea that their momentum had them ready to reach the end zone again and bring the score within four points, at 21-17 in favor of the Ravens. Instead, all the good was undone by a trick for which there is no excuse. The question now is whether they will learn from it, and what they will take with them.

‘They’ say no lead in the NFL is ever safe at halftime, but somehow the Ravens’ 21-3 lead felt as safe as it could come thanks to a Bills team that has been in almost every facet was overmatched and out-coached. To his credit, Josh Allen did some great things when he found the time, and Buffalo’s running game wasn’t smothered by the league’s number one rushing defense. Had the score been closer, it’s possible the Bills’ running game would have served as a positive talking point after these few words.

The Bills had not been on the losing side of a blowout regular season loss in the 43 games prior to Week 4. In fact, they had not lost a game by more than six points during that period in the regular season. Serious.

The last time they lost by more than six points outside of the postseason? It was in 2021, and against the Indianapolis Colts, when Buffalo lost 41-15. Interestingly enough, that was a game where they were completely blown away by their opponent’s running play. Running back Jonathan Taylor had 32 carries for 185 yards and four touchdowns.

That loss to the Colts became a thorn in the side of many Bills fans. Monday’s loss will certainly strengthen the ranks. Encouragingly, Derrick Henry failed to set an NFL record for most 200-yard rushing games, thanks to finishing with “only” 199 yards in 24 carries on the ground. Even discounting Henry’s 87-yard run, he still managed 23 rushes for 112 yards.

There will certainly be a lot of negative articles written in the coming days about Tyler Bass, who missed his second kick of the season. His counterpart, the esteemed Justin Tucker, wasn’t asked to make a field goal but made all five of his extra points. Tucker, you’ll remember, has endured his fair share of misses in the first three games.

It’s worth asking how many people ready to roast Bass are willing to admit that Josh Allen made the kick much more difficult after taking an 18-yard sack. Or will they admit that the weather was bad, which is never in favor of kickers? Yes, as Sean McDermott said again after the game, the expectation is that Bass makes his kicks. He is capable, but not always able. Failing that kick didn’t cost the Bills a win in Week 4. Inadequate preparation and execution did.

What Buffalo can get out of this game is a healthy helping of humble pie, if that’s what it needed. Remember, there was a 4-0 Miami Dolphins team last season that the NFL talked about before their embarrassing trip to Orchard Park, NY.

Head coach Sean McDermott needs to get to the heart of the problem. They will definitely see these Ravens again if they plan to make the playoffs. If they had to lose games like this to Baltimore, at least they got it out of their system in September.

After the dust settles, the Buffalo Bills are still in first place in the AFC East, still 3-1, and still ahead of the Baltimore Ravens. Next up for the Bills: a date in Texas with the Houston Texans, who are 3-1 and in first place in the AFC South.