Bills–Ravens rivalry

The Bills–Ravens rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens.

As the Bills play in the AFC East and the Ravens in the AFC North, the two teams do not play every year; instead, they play at least once every three years and at least once every six seasons at each team's home stadium during which their divisions are paired up, sometimes more often if the two teams finish in the same place in their respective divisions or meet in the playoffs. Though the two franchises are in different divisions within the American Football Conference and did not start playing each other until the late 1990s, their rivalry is noted for competitiveness in the playoffs, especially in the early 2020s, as both teams have contended for the AFC title. The rivalry has also been notable for the emergence of Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who were both taken in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft.

As of 2025, the overall series between the two teams is tied, 7–7. The two teams have met twice in the playoffs, with the Bills winning both games.

History

1999–2017: Early years

The two teams first played each other in 1999, but the series was not as competitive during this era; the Bills endured a 17-year playoff drought during this period, while the Ravens were among the league's top teams, winning Super Bowl XXXV over the New York Giants and Super Bowl XLVII over the San Francisco 49ers.

The rivalry began to intensify at the end of the 2017 NFL season, despite the two teams not meeting in the regular season. In Week 17, the Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins, 22–16, with their playoff chances on the line. In Baltimore, the Cincinnati Bengals stunned the Ravens, as Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton completed a 49-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyler Boyd with 44 seconds remaining, holding on to win, 31–27. As a result, Buffalo earned the number 6 seed in the AFC playoffs that season and broke their playoff drought, thanks to the Bills holding the strength of victory tiebreaker over the Ravens. This moment has been seen as a franchise-changing moment for the Bills and their fortunes.

2018–present: Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson

To this date, every game since the 2018 season between the two teams has featured quarterback Josh Allen of the Bills, and quarterback Lamar Jackson of the Ravens, who are the current main figures of the rivalry. The two quarterbacks, both selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft, have been renowned for their mobile styles of play and their overall performances, as the two have combined for three AP NFL Most Valuable Player awards.

Both quarterbacks began their rookie seasons on the bench, as the Bills named Nathan Peterman as their starter, while the Ravens would continue with Joe Flacco, their starting quarterback since 2008. The Bills and Ravens met in Week 1 of the 2018 season, where Baltimore routed the Bills by a score of 47–3. Both Allen and Jackson would replace Peterman and Flacco, respectively, during the third quarter, with the game already decided by then. Owing to Peterman's struggles during the game, the Bills immediately named Allen as their starter for the remainder of the season, while Jackson later won the Ravens' starting position over Flacco in December.

Allen and Jackson met head-to-head as the respective teams starting quarterbacks for the first time in Week 14 of the 2019 season. In a tight defensive contest, the Ravens would prevail, 24–17, as Jackson threw for 3 passing touchdowns in the win. Baltimore prevented a late Bills comeback, as Buffalo's final drive stalled out at Baltimore's 18-yard line as Allen's pass was batted down by Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters with over a minute left in the fourth quarter.

The Bills and Ravens met in the playoffs for the first time in the 2020 AFC Divisional Round at Bills Stadium. In a windy game that saw three missed field goals (two by Ravens kicker Justin Tucker and one by Bills kicker Tyler Bass), the Bills won 17–3, to advance to the AFC Championship Game for the first time since the 1993 season. In the game, Lamar Jackson threw the first end-zone interception of his career to Bills cornerback Taron Johnson, who proceeded to take it 101 yards for a touchdown. Jackson suffered a concussion on the Ravens' next series, and was relieved by backup quarterback Tyler Huntley.

The two teams met in Week 4 of the 2022 season in Baltimore. On a rainy day, the Ravens climbed to a 20–3 lead early in the second quarter, with 10 of those points coming off Buffalo turnovers. However, the Bills would successfully pull off a comeback with 20 points of their own. The Bills defense also shut out Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore offense in the second half. Late in the fourth quarter, Jackson was picked off by Bills safety Jordan Poyer in the end zone, setting up the Bills' game-winning drive, on a 21-yard field goal by Bills kicker Tyler Bass as time expired on the fourth quarter, 23–20. This game raised controversy about Ravens head coach John Harbaugh's decision to go for it on fourth down instead of trying for a go-ahead field goal. This was Buffalo's first win by one score since the 2020 season.

The Bills and Ravens met for their next meeting in Week 4 of the 2024 season, on Sunday Night Football at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens would blow out the Bills, 35–10, as the Buffalo defense had been missing several key pieces due to injury. Ravens running back Derrick Henry rushed for 199 yards on 24 carries, (including an 87-yard touchdown run on the Ravens' first play from scrimmage) while Lamar Jackson threw for two passing touchdowns in the blowout victory.

The two teams met in the postseason for the second time in the last five years in the 2024 AFC Divisional Round. Six days before the game at a press-conference on January 13, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, alongside the rest of the press-conference, laughed when a reporter called Buffalo a "city of losers" in reference to a clip he made on his radio show. This caused tension between the Ravens and the Buffalo fans, who booed the Ravens as they took the field. On a cold and snowy night at Highmark Stadium, this game was tightly contested in comparison to their meeting during the regular season. Both teams traded touchdowns on their opening drives, before Jackson was intercepted by Bills safety Taylor Rapp on the Ravens' next possession. However, the Bills could not take advantage of the turnover and punted the ball away. The Bills took the lead later in the second on a Josh Allen run, and expanded the lead to 21–10 at the end of the first half. Baltimore would not go out quietly, however, as Justin Tucker kicked a field goal to cut the lead to 21–13, and would score a Derrick Henry touchdown on their next drive, to cut the Bills' lead down to 21–19 after a failed two-point attempt. In the fourth quarter, the Bills expanded their lead on a field goal by Tyler Bass. On the Ravens' next possession, Jackson completed a pass to tight end Mark Andrews. However, Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard forced a fumble that he recovered at the Buffalo 44-yard line. Buffalo's offense then responded with a 5-minute drive that ended in a 21-yard field goal by Bass to extend the Bills' lead to 27–19. The Ravens would quickly drive the ball 88 yards on just eight plays from their own 12-yard line, as Jackson threw a touchdown pass to tight end Isaiah Likely to cut the deficit to two. On the two-point conversion attempt, Jackson threw the ball to Andrews, who was open. However, Andrews dropped the ball near the pylon, resulting in an incompletion. Baltimore then attempted an onside kick with 1:33 remaining, which was recovered by Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas. The Bills then proceeded to hold on for the win, kneeling the ball out to end the game after the Ravens burned their final timeout.

Both teams met in a rematch of the previous season's playoff game in Week 1 of the 2025 season on Sunday Night Football at Highmark Stadium. While the Bills would start out the game with a touchdown, the Ravens answered back with rushing touchdowns by Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson to take the lead. The first half ended with three field goals, two by Matt Prater of the Bills, and one by Tyler Loop of the Ravens. Heading into the second half, the game would turn into a shootout for both offenses. The Ravens added three touchdowns, two receiving touchdowns by Zay Flowers and DeAndre Hopkins, while Henry added another rushing touchdown to elevate the Ravens' lead to 40–25. For the Bills, Josh Allen and running back James Cook added rushing touchdowns for the Bills in the second half, but failed to convert on a pair of two-point conversion attempts. With the Bills trailing by 15 points with just 3:56 left in the fourth quarter, Buffalo began its comeback. Josh Allen threw a touchdown pass to Keon Coleman on a 4th-down play that was deflected off the hands of another receiver, making the score, 40–32. On the Ravens' next possession, Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver forced a fumble on Henry, setting up another drive for Allen, who ran for a touchdown to cut the Baltimore lead to 40–38 after a two-point conversion failed. The Bills defense then forced the Ravens to go 3-and-out. After receiving the punt, the Buffalo offense charged downfield one last time with two passes from Allen to wide receivers Josh Palmer and Coleman, respectively, setting up a game-winning 32-yard field goal from Matt Prater to defeat Baltimore, 41–40. The Bills' win was their first when trailing by 15 points or more in the fourth quarter since 1967, as they scored their final 16 unanswered points in the final four minutes of the game.

Season–by–season results

"All 32 NFL teams are going to be rivals in some way, from the Inter Conference rivalries as teams, then there are the In Conference Non Divisional Rivalries to the Division Rivalries which are considered notable as they are the only teams a team plays every year, and twice as well. Now to the poi..." Read more

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Main Menu

Bills–Ravens rivalry

History

1999–2017: Early years

2018–present: Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson

Season–by–season results

See also