news

Derrick Henry is one of the biggest winners of the Ravens vs. Bills

Vaseline September 30, 2024

The Buffalo Bills entered Week 4 of the 2024 NFL season as the hottest team in the league. The Baltimore Ravens stopped them right in their tracks.

The Ravens earned a blowout victory over their AFC counterparts at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore defeated Buffalo 35-10 in a game where the Ravens never trailed. Derrick Henry ran for nearly 200 yards while Lamar Jackson enjoyed another strong, efficient performance and posted a 135.4 passer rating.

The Bills fell to 3-1 after the loss, while the Ravens improved to 2-2 after starting the season with back-to-back losses. The game could ultimately prove pivotal in the AFC playoff race, especially as Baltimore inches closer to the top of the AFC North.

NFL WEEK 4: 32 things we learned, including one NFC team that separated from the pack

Here’s a look at the winners and losers of the Bills vs. Ravens game, from players to coaches and teams not taking the field Sunday night.

Bills vs. Winners Ravens

Dirk Hendrik

Any suggestion that Henry would slow down during his age-30 season seems laughable after his stint on “Sunday Night Football.” Henry took the Ravens’ first offensive play 87 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest run in Baltimore franchise history, breaking the previous record of 82 yards shared by Jamal Lewis and Le’Ron McClain.

Henry showed that he still has great top gear speed as he peaked at 34.29 km/h during the run. That’s good for the fourth-fastest run by a ball carrier so far in 2024, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

From that stretch, Henry continued to carry a heavy workload for the Ravens. He recorded 24 carries for 199 yards and two touchdowns, one on the ground and one through the air. He was just one yard shy of his seventh career 200-yard rushing game, which would have been good for the most in NFL history.

Clearly, Henry’s ability to take on the workload takes the pressure off Jackson while opening the playing field for him. The duo complements each other well, so as long as both stay healthy, Baltimore will have one of the best running games in the NFL. That could help them a lot in their Super Bowl quest in the era of the two-high safety.

BALTIMORE RAVEN: Behind the dominant Derrick Henry, Ravens become an overwhelming force

Lamar Jackson

Henry may have been the driving force behind Baltimore’s offense on Sunday, but Jackson was great, too. He was efficient through the air, completing 13 of 18 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns, while also adding 54 yards and a score on the ground.

Jackson’s efficiency made him the NFL MVP last season despite not having productive stats. He seems well on his way to re-establishing himself as one of the key players in the league, especially as he builds a harmonious relationship with Henry.

Zach Orr’s Ravens defense

Like Henry, the Ravens defense faced many questions entering the 2024 NFL season, but fans’ biggest concern was how Baltimore would replace Mike Macdonald after he left the head coaching job with the Seattle Seahawks had taken.

The Ravens decided to promote from within and gave the job to Orr, who played for the Ravens for three years before joining their coaching staff. Although Baltimore’s defense started slowly, they have gradually improved and are now playing at a high level, as evidenced by their command of what had been an explosive Buffalo offense.

The Bills recorded just 236 yards of total offense against Orr’s defense. They also held Josh Allen without a touchdown for the first time since Urban Meyer’s Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Bills 9-6 in 2021 and saw veteran edge rusher Kyle Van Noy record two sacks for the third straight game.

If Baltimore can continue to make progress each week, the Ravens’ stopping unit should ultimately be among the best in the NFL. If that happens, John Harbaugh can certainly thank the 32-year-old Orr for continuing the work started by Macdonald.

Kansas City Chiefs

Look, it may seem strange to call the Chiefs winners on a day when they potentially lost their No. 1 receiver to a torn ACL, but they are the last undefeated team standing in the AFC. It’s still very early in the season, but that still gives them an advantage in the quest for the conference’s No. 1 seed.

This was the best result for the Chiefs as they already beat the Ravens head-to-head, so they maintain a two-game lead and a tiebreaker over Baltimore, while now adding a one-game lead over Buffalo. Again, it’s early, but given the injuries Kansas City has suffered, every little advantage will matter to them if they want to win a third straight Super Bowl.

KANSAS CITY LEADERS: Rashee Rice’s injury opens the door for Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy

Bills vs. Ravens losers

Perception of the Buffalo Bills

Three weeks into the 2024 NFL season, many were saying the Bills were the best team in the NFL. They were one of five undefeated teams in the league after Week 3 and Josh Allen was playing at perhaps the highest level of his career to date.

From week 4 onwards, the story about the bills could change significantly. Why? Because the three teams Buffalo started the season with – the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Jaguars – have all endured defensive struggles that aren’t limited to their games against the Bills. That will lead some to wonder if the Bills offense has benefited from a weaker-than-expected schedule to start the year.

That is of course not entirely fair. The Bills still blew out the Dolphins and Jaguars, and Allen hasn’t thrown an interception in four weeks, a big step forward in the decision-making issues that have plagued him throughout his career. Additionally, the Ravens have one of the most talented defenses in the league.

But chances are Buffalo’s big loss to Baltimore will at least give the Bills some doubts, and NFL fans should expect to hear a lot of that ahead of Buffalo’s Week 5 matchup against the Houston Texans.

The Bills’ weapons to find passage

To be clear, Buffalo’s receivers were not bad on Sunday evening. Khalil Shakir made a big play of 52 yards to spark the Bills offense in the second half; Dalton Kincaid was a reliable target for Allen and helped keep the chains moving; and Keon Coleman showed some of his upside, earning him a second-round pick.

Still, this was the first game in which the Bills were missing Stefon Diggs. Once it went 21-3, Buffalo no longer had a player who could win and get open consistently. And while Shakir, Kincaid and Coleman were all solid, the Bills lacked a true No. 1 receiver to open things up for them.

That’s part of the reason Allen had to shuffle around in the backfield so often. He waited for the players to open up. It’s also why he made a number of contested catch shots to Coleman during the game.

Maybe Coleman can develop into more of a No. 1 option for Buffalo as the season goes on, but right now the Bills aren’t necessarily built to overcome bigger deficits or score big against great defenses. Even a great quarterback like Allen will only be able to take Buffalo so far without a true top-tier receiver.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers suffered their first loss of the season against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4. There could have been a silver lining to the loss if Baltimore had also lost, but the Ravens’ resounding win puts them just one game behind the Steelers in the AFC. North ranking.

Again, it’s early in the season, but every game will matter in the AFC playoff race. The Steelers entered Week 4 commanding the AFC North, but will now leave it as things get much tighter in a division that is always competitive.

All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter.

first Drop

first Drop

Derrick Henry is one of the biggest winners of the Ravens vs. Bills