Josh Allen leads Bills past Ravens 36-10 as Lamar Jackson suffers thumb injury

Jackson hurt on the first snap

The Ravens' return for Lamar Jackson lasted one offensive play on Sunday, 1 November, at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Jackson faked a handoff to Derrick Henry and then released a pass toward Zay Flowers, but Bills linebacker Greg Rousseau came around the edge of right tackle Roger Rosengarten and got into his space. Jackson's hand struck Rousseau's arm on the follow-through, and his right thumb was hurt. He went straight to the locker room and was ruled out for the rest of the game. Coach Jesse Minter said Jackson will require surgery and be placed on injured reserve, with a possibility that he misses the rest of the season. Jackson had already missed three games with an ankle injury suffered in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans.

“It's tough. When it happened, I think at the time you're just hoping that maybe it's something small.”

Huntley out, Fagnano enters

Backup Tyler Huntley left in the first minute of the second quarter with a toe injury, and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano entered before the end of the half. Fagnano had been one of the gameday inactives, but the NFL's emergency third-quarterback rule allowed Baltimore to activate him. The rule dates to the 1991 season, was discontinued after 2011 and was revived for 2023 after the San Francisco 49ers lost their starter and backup in the NFC Championship Game. Under the current version, a team can name its third-string quarterback as an emergency option even if he is on the inactives list, provided he is on the active 53-man roster. If the starter or backup becomes healthy, he must return and replace the emergency quarterback.

Fagnano, a pocket passer from UConn, finished the game against a Bills defense that had little film on him. According to The New York Times, a few Buffalo players admitted they had never heard of him. He spent his weeks in Maryland running the next opponent's offense, and his last significant practice time with Baltimore's offense came in the preseason.

Bills rally after a sloppy first half

Buffalo's first half was messy, with two turnovers, a series of penalties and only a touchdown and three field goals. Allen said he felt he was pressing early and that the team had to calm down and work through its progressions.

“Just take a breath, settle down, settle the feet down, and just go through your progressions.”

The offense changed after halftime, when Buffalo scored touchdowns on three of its first four second-half possessions. Allen finished 21 of 34 for 289 yards with two touchdown passes, one rushing score and one interception. His career touchdown passes, including the postseason, reached 260 and passed the franchise record of 258 held by Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, according to AP. Allen also won his 102nd game, including playoffs, which moved him ahead of Tom Brady for third among players through their first nine seasons.

Bills coach Joe Brady said the team was spoiled to have Allen at quarterback.

“He literally is one of one. He's incredible.”

DJ Moore caught an 11-yard touchdown pass in his return after missing two games with a shoulder injury, and Dalton Kincaid scored on a 23-yard catch. The score chart below shows the final margin.

Buffalo Bills36

Baltimore Ravens10

Buffalo Bills

36 points

Baltimore Ravens

10 points

Data from the article text

Defense and the Ravens' outlook

The Bills' defense recorded three takeaways, four sacks and 12 quarterback hits, and it allowed 144 yards, the fewest by a Buffalo opponent in five years apart from two Week 18 JV games with the New York Jets, according to The New York Times. A Times column argued that the win proved less than it looked, because the Ravens were playing without their starter and backup. Bills safety Damar Hamlin said the identity of the quarterback mattered less than the fact that Baltimore's players were there for a reason.

The Ravens dropped to 4-4 and lost their third straight game, while Buffalo improved to 6-1 with its third straight win, according to The Guardian. Minter said Jackson's season could be over. The NFL trade deadline falls on 10 November, and Baltimore now has to decide how to handle the quarterback position before then.