NFL: Josh Allen’s superhuman performance lifts Bills to 40-41 comeback over Ravens in instant classic

INSTANT CLASSIC The NFL showed every professional sporting league on the planet how to open a season by scheduling the marquee AFC blockbuster, Ravens at Bills, for Sunday Night Football. And it didn’t disappoint. The 41-40 victory for the home team, taking the lead with a field goal as time expired, marked the biggest fourth-quarter comeback by the Bills since 1967, and, honestly, still doesn’t seem real. Consider this: Buffalo trailed by 15 points with less than four minutes remaining in the game, with ESPN giving Baltimore a 99.1 per cent win probability. But Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen has a way of making logic look silly. The reigning MVP kept his team in the game by sheer force of will, making throws few passers in the league would even contemplate on the way to amassing more than 400 combined yards from scrimmage and accounting for four touchdowns. It took that superhuman effort to get past a Ravens team that looked absolutely dominant for much of the game, led by two-time MVP Lamar Jackson (279 combined yards from scrimmage, three TDs) and running back Derrick Henry (169 yards rushing, two TDs). So, what does this result mean going forward? It could be a key tiebreaker for the race for the No.1 seed in the AFC, but it’s not all good news for the victors. We thought the Bills defence was going to be a problem and now we know it is. Baltimore won’t face Josh Allen every week, so don’t expect other teams to drop 41 points on them, but Buffalo’s D was cut to shreds in a way that doesn’t bode well. OLD FACE, NEW PLACE As always, there was a ton of player movement in the offseason and Week 1 brought an early indication of what we can look forward to seeing from veterans with new teams. No debut was more impressive (or noteworthy) than new Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers returning to New York to face a Jets team he parted ways with in awkward circumstances. The future Hall of Famer turned back the clock, tossing four TDs, which is the first time a Pittsburgh passer has hit that mark since 2021. The stat line is pimped by some short fields and run-after-catch efforts from his teammates, but Rodgers’ performance in the 34-32 win is surely heartening to Steelers fans. Jets QB Justin Fields, who started for the Steelers last year, was also better than expected. As was former Giants first-round pick Daniel Jones suiting up for the Colts in a 33-8 win over Miami. Are we witnessing the return of Danny Dimes? Let’s pump the brakes on all of these vets until we get a bigger sample size. CONTENDER WATCH In the NFC, the Eagles still look like the team to beat, even if they did it the hard way in 24-20 win over Dallas. Don’t sleep on Green Bay though, who showed the value of making the big swing to acquire Micah Parsons from the Cowboys. Parsons was a menace in the season opener against NFC North rivals Detroit, racking up one sack on just 30 snaps in the 27-13 smothering. How much this one move changes the Super Bowl calculus for the Packers will be fascinating to track. Over in the AFC, the Ravens and Bills are the cream of the crop after Week 1, but the Chargers looked good in a 27-21 win over perennial conference champs Kansas City. It’s also worth noting the Bengals had only their second Week 1 win since coach Zac Taylor took over in 2019. The last time was in 2021, a season that ended in a Super Bowl appearance. PANIC INDEX HIGH: The Dolphins have the highest variance of any team in the NFL this season, being capable of a playoff wildcard or slumping to a four-win shocker. After Week 1 it looks like the latter is more likely. LOW: The Titans made Cam Ward the No.1 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, but the young passer did not look good in a Week 1 20-12 loss to an excellent Denver defence. Remember, neither did Commanders QB Jayden Daniels in his debut last season, and he went on to break rookie records.