Bills at Ravens: Highlights, score and recap

The Baltimore Ravens beat the Buffalo Bills 13-7 in a defensive struggle at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 1 of the 2016 NFL season. Here are the highlights.

Joe Flacco threw a touchdown strike to Mike Wallace to add to a Justin Tucker field goal as Baltimore built a 10-0 lead in the first half. LeSean McCoy went over from close range on fourth-and-goal to answer for the Bills, but Dan Carpenter missed a field goal and blew the chance to tie it in the third quarter.

By contrast, Tucker remained unerring and converted from 37 yards just over 10 minutes into the final period to stretch the Ravens’ lead to six.

Running back Terrance West later made a crucial third-and-short conversion the other side of the two-minute warning to seal the W for Baltimore.

Both defenses rolled down the shutters from the start. The Bills getting to Flacco a host of times and shutting down the ground game. Meanwhile, the Ravens focused their efforts on Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor, baffling him with a sophisticated array of fronts, disguise and pressure.

A flummoxed Taylor threw for barely over 100 yards, while last season’s top-ranked running game could only manage 65 yards.

Highlights

Flacco was never going to stay safe throwing it short. The first time he stretched the Bills, the big play came from an unlikely source in forgotten man Breshad Perriman:

Perriman didn’t play a down as a rookie, but he only needed one catch as a sophomore to show the Ravens what they had been missing. It wasn’t long before Flacco went deep again.

The next time he hauled it vertical, No. 5 found another forgotten man, veteran Wallace:

Wallace was once arguably the NFL’s premier deep threat when he played for Baltimore’s hated division rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers. But dismal stints with the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings made the 30-year-old seem like a spent force.

One 66-yard grab showed Wallace still has it.

Three Stars

Jerry Hughes

Hughes helped himself to a pair of sacks and made a vital fourth-down stop when he took down West late in the third. The rush end was the only member of Buffalo’s front seven who consistently made like difficult for Flacco.

Ronnie Stanley

Hughes may have got two sacks, but he got both of them off the right side, away from left tackle Ronnie Stanley. In fact, Hughes consistently moved away from the rookie to find more favorable blocking matchups.

Stanley handled the myriad of complex schemes Bills head coach Rex Ryan loves to throw at O-linemen. The ex-Notre Dame stalwart reacted quickly and smartly to overloads and stunts. He also created some push in the running game.

For a first start, this was encouraging stuff from Flacco’s new primary protector.

Mike Wallace

Three catches for 91 yards and 11 yards rushing off a reverse may not be eye-popping numbers. But they were enough to make Wallace the Ravens’ most effective offensive playmaker in this tight defensive battle.

Wallace has always had enough ability to match any receiver in the league. Application has been his issue. Having a strong-armed quarterback, and being supported by a deep stable of fellow pass-catchers, should help Wallace stay focused.

It’s now up to Wallace to make his fourth NFL stop a true home and finally deliver on his talent week-to-week. He’s off to a good start.

Odds

The Ravens were three-point favorites and managed to cover the spread.

Week 2

The Bills will get Week 2 underway when they host AFC East rivals the New York Jets on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Ravens will also keep it in the division when they travel to meet the 0-1 Cleveland Browns in a key AFC North battle.