Top 3 Things We Learned

Top 3 things we learned from Bills vs. Ravens Week 8

Nov 01, 2026 at 07:54 PM

Content Manager

Buffalo Bills vs Baltimore Ravens, Regular Season, November 01, 2026 at Highmark Stadium.

After a slow start and a major injury to Baltimore's quarterback room, the Bills took control in the second half and rolled to a 36-10 victory over the Ravens to improve to 6-1 on the season.

From Josh Allen's passing performance and the offense's halftime turnaround, to a defensive game plan that overwhelmed Baltimore's backup quarterbacks, here are three things we learned from Buffalo's Week 8 win.

1 — Bills pull away from Ravens with dominant second half

The Bills didn't play their best football in the first half, but a dominant second-half performance turned a competitive game into a 36-10 victory.

Buffalo outscored Baltimore 20-3 after halftime, with quarterback Josh Allen leading the charge. The quarterback completed 13 of 15 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns in the second half, posting a 155.4 passer rating. Allen also set season highs in second-half passing yards and touchdowns.

"That first half was, by our standards, really bad. We didn't play up to our standard," Allen said. "We're going into halftime, just saying, 'Hey, we're way better than this.' It's just focusing on the details. I couldn't tell you our second-half splits, but that second half is who we want to be."

The Bills opened the game with a 10-play, 60-yard touchdown drive, capped by Allen's 1-yard scoring run. Buffalo then managed just 65 yards across its next five possessions, struggling to find consistency through the air or on the ground. Allen admitted afterward that he felt like he was "pressing" early on.

"Just take a breath, settle down, settle the feet down, and just go through your progressions," Allen reminded himself.

After regrouping at halftime, the offense found its rhythm. Buffalo totaled a season-high 242 second-half yards and averaged 7.0 yards per play. Three of the team's four possessions after the break, not including the final kneel-down drive, ended in touchdowns.

"The second half I thought was more of who we are, being able to finish drives," Brady said.

Allen has been especially effective against Baltimore after halftime in recent meetings. Including last year's Week 1 matchup, he has totaled 458 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, no interceptions and a 77.2% completion percentage in the second half of the last two games against the Ravens.

One of Allen's two second-half touchdown passes carried additional significance. His 11-yard strike to wide receiver DJ Moore in the fourth quarter moved him past Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly for the most touchdown passes in franchise history (259). Kelly was in attendance to witness the milestone.

"There are a lot of guys that have put a lot of work into this that have helped me get to this spot right here, and I don't take that for granted to be the quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. I said this in the interview after: God has placed me here for a reason, and I'm going to continue to trust His plan," Allen said.

2 — Turning up the heat on Ravens' three QBs

The game's biggest turning point came just one play into Baltimore's opening drive when Ravens QB Lamar Jackson left with a right thumb injury.

The Bills brought pressure on the game's first defensive snap, and OLB Greg Rousseau helped force Jackson from the pocket. During the throw, Jackson's right thumb appeared to jam against Rousseau's arm.

Jackson immediately went to the sideline and into the locker room. He did not return to the game and was seen on the sidelines in the second half with his right hand wrapped.

"That'll be a surgery deal; he'll go to injured reserve," Ravens head coach Jesse Minter said of Jackson. "That's a tough deal."

Veteran backup Tyler "Snoop" Huntley, who had started the previous three weeks, replaced the injured Jackson and played three series before exiting with a toe injury after being taken to the ground by DL Ed Oliver.

That left emergency quarterback and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano as the last remaining active QB on the Ravens. He entered the game in relief and played most of the second quarter and all of the second half.

Minter explained that Fagnano served as the scout team quarterback during the week, mimicking Josh Allen and the Bills offense in practice. As a result, the rookie did not get many reps with the starting offense during the week.

"Obviously not an easy situation to do that on the road," Minter said. "[Fagnano] is really engaged in the meetings, pays attention, and was ready to really execute some of the plays, to his credit. And then I think when stuff like that happens, you need everybody to raise up a little bit and that's probably what we weren't able to produce."

With Baltimore down to its third-string quarterback, Buffalo dialed up the pressure and never let the Ravens settle in offensively.

Buffalo blitzed 20 times against Baltimore, its highest total of the season. The aggressive approach paid off, as the Ravens averaged just 2.5 yards per play when blitzed.

Eight of Buffalo's blitzes came on third down, and the Ravens converted just 3 of their 13 third-down opportunities. Safety Cole Bishop was a blitzer on one of those third-down plays in the first half, getting home for a strip sack on Huntley, while rookie linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr recovered the fumble.

"Sometimes it's about creating the matchups, there's so many different nuances to [blitzing]," Brady said. "I thought Jim Leonhard called an incredible game. He had a great pulse on how the game needed to be played."

3 — DJ Moore's return provides a spark for Bills passing attack

After dealing with a shoulder injury that kept him out the last two games, WR DJ Moore turned in one of his best performances as a Bill on Sunday.

Moore finished with four receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown, highlighted by a 49-yard catch that helped spark Buffalo's offense.

His 11-yard touchdown reception from Josh Allen in the fourth quarter also carried historical significance, marking the record-setting 259th touchdown pass of Allen's career and moving him past Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly for the most in franchise history.

The veteran admitted there were some nerves to shake off early in the game after missing time.

"I was like 'am I in game shape?' and today I found out I was," Moore said.

Moore said he suffered an SC joint injury that forced him to miss Weeks 5 and 6, and the time off helped his body heal. He added that the shoulder did not bother him during practice throughout the week or during Sunday's game.

"I was running, running fast," Moore said.

Any concerns about his availability quickly disappeared as he became one of Allen's most reliable targets throughout the afternoon.

Moore also briefly limped off the field late in the game after hyperextending his knee on a tackle. Fortunately for the Bills, neither Moore nor head coach Joe Brady appeared concerned afterward.

"We be good, though," Moore said.

Brady added, "He's good to go."