The Buffalo Bills moved to 6-1 after defeating the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium, 36-10. While Josh Allen and company secured the victory, this game was marred by quarterback injuries for Baltimore, namely surrounding Lamar Jackson.
On the first play from scrimmage for the Baltimore offense, Jackson, who was making his return after missing the past three games with an ankle injury, hurt his right thumb on an incomplete pass intended for Zay Flowers. On the follow-through, Jackson's hand can be seen colliding with Bills pass rusher Greg Rousseau. Jackson immediately jogged to the sideline, was taken into the locker room, and was ruled out rather quickly. He was later spotted on the sideline with a sizable cast that covered his thumb.
The injury to Jackson thrust Tyler Huntley, who started in his absence, back into the lineup. However, he was unable to finish the first half due to a toe injury, so the Ravens were quickly down to their emergency third quarterback, Joe Fagnano, an undrafted rookie out of UConn.
That created a rather monumental mismatch at quarterback, with Fagnano needing to go toe-to-toe with Josh Allen. That proved to be too tall a task, as Allen and the Bills offense outscored Baltimore 20-3 in the second half to cruise to the victory. The dagger for Buffalo came in the early portion of the third quarter. Allen connected with DJ Moore for a 49-yard completion, which set up a 5-yard touchdown run for James Cook to create a 23-10 lead. That was more than enough to keep Baltimore at bay.
Allen completed 21 of 34 on the afternoon for 289 yards, two passing touchdowns, and one interception. He also rushed for 30 yards and a touchdown on seven attempts. Dalton Kincaid was his top target, catching four of his six targets for 86 yards and a touchdown. As for Baltimore, Fagnano completed 10 of 21 for 91 yards and an interception. He also fumbled.
From here, the Bills will get ready for a road matchup on "Monday Night Football" against the Minnesota Vikings. As for the Ravens, they play on a short week, opening Week 9 on Thursday by hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Lamar Jackson needs surgery on right thumb
Coach Jesse Minter told reporters that Jackson's right thumb injury will require surgery and land him on injured reserve. Minter added, "We'll see" when asked if the injury is considered season-ending. As we noted above, Jackson had his thumb jammed on that opening throw intended for Flowers and was spotted later in the game with a black cast covering his thumb.
After Tyler Huntley (toe) went down, Joe Fagnano is the only healthy quarterback on Baltimore's roster at the moment, which couldn't come at a worse time as they play this Thursday against Jacksonville.
DJ Moore makes immediate impact in return
Moore had been in and out of the lineup prior to the Week 7 bye due to a nagging shoulder injury. The wideout did not play in Buffalo's two games leading into the bye, so Sunday marked his return to the field for the first time since Week 4.
Almost instantly, Moore showed Buffalo why they traded for him this offseason as he turned in one of the few explosive plays of the day. While Baltimore was dealing with an array of injuries at quarterback, they were still somewhat hanging around. That was until Moore hauled in a 49-yard reception from Allen, which set up a 5-yard rushing touchdown for James Cook.
That big-play ability through the air had been lacking for the Bills and adds a valuable layer going forward, provided Moore can stay healthy.
Josh Allen passes Jim Kelly on Bills all-time TD list
Josh Allen is the all-time leading touchdown passer in Bills history. The former NFL MVP passed Jim Kelly for the franchise record, notching his 259th career touchdown pass to Moore early in the fourth quarter. Kelly was in attendance, cheering for Allen as he set the organization's record.
Allen, who entered Week 8 with the NFL lead in total touchdowns, added three more touchdowns to his résumé for the season (two passing and one rushing). On top of surpassing Kelly, Allen also tied Johnny Lujack (1950) for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (9) through seven games of a season, all-time.