Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season has concluded, marking the start of our fourth consecutive year of a weekly series called “Team of the Week.”
For our first selection, we recognize the Buffalo Bills, who secured an impressive victory against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football in front of their home crowd at Highmark Stadium.
Never Count Out Josh Allen
In the fourth quarter, when all hope seemed lost and fans began leaving the stadium, quarterback Josh Allen put on his best performance. During this final quarter alone, he and the Bills managed to pull off a 15-point comeback, winning 41-40. They achieved this by throwing a touchdown pass to wide receiver Keon Coleman and successfully executing a two-point conversion with a one-yard run. This remarkable effort set up new Buffalo kicker Matt Prater, who made a game-winning field goal as time expired in his first game with the team.
Josh vs. Lamar, the Great Debate
The discussion throughout last year about who would become the NFL MVP primarily centered around two names: Allen and Lamar Jackson. In this game, we witnessed this thrilling rivalry once again, which may play a significant role in the MVP conversation for this season.
Josh Allen demonstrated why he was selected as MVP, completing 33 of 46 passes for 394 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to rushing 14 times for 30 yards and scoring two more touchdowns on the ground. On the other hand, Lamar Jackson had an impressive performance as well, going 14 of 19 for 200 yards and two touchdowns, while also carrying the ball six times for 70 yards and scoring one touchdown. Notably, both quarterbacks ranked second in rushing stats for their respective teams.
Lamar Jackson vs. Josh Allen on a random Sunday night in September pic.twitter.com/ftVAPCuYvU
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) September 8, 2025
Defense Wins Games
In addition to Josh Allen’s performance, the Buffalo defense played a crucial role in the team’s comeback during the fourth quarter, ultimately securing their victory.
One standout player was defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who previously played college football at the University of Houston. In this game, Oliver led the team with six solo tackles and made a pivotal sack that resulted in a 15-yard loss for Jackson and the Ravens.
Oliver also stripped the ball from Ravens running back Derrick Henry—an impressive feat that few in the NFL have accomplished—causing a fumble that set up the Buffalo offense to drive down the field and ultimately win the game.
Bills linebacker Matt Milano also had an impressive performance against the formidable Ravens offense, contributing one sack and four tackles.
The Man, The Myth, The Legend
High school kickers often dream of making it to the NFL, envisioning moments like the one experienced by Prater on Sunday night. It’s a chance to kick a game-winning field goal as time expires, securing victory for your team. Now, Prater himself has been in the league for an impressive 18 years, which means he debuted the year I was born.
Scenarios where the clock is winding down and your team has no timeouts are quite rare, and a 32-yard field goal is no easy task in the NFL; anything can happen. Additionally, Prater was only officially signed to the roster on Friday, just two days before this game took place. However, the veteran kicker connected as time expired, giving Buffalo a one-point victory.
41-year-old Matt Prater has over 450 field goals made in his career.
He took a red eye Thursday to join the Buffalo Bills and just nailed the game winning field goal.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) September 8, 2025
With that, our first Team of the Week has been selected. The Buffalo Bills demonstrated their deserving status for these honors with a remarkable 15-point comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens in the first week of the 2025 NFL season.
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