Josh Allen, Bills Rout Ravens as Lamar Heads to IR

Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third, and the Buffalo Bills pulled away in the second half for a 36-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at Highmark Stadium. The bigger story walked off the field on the first snap: Ravens coach Jesse Minter said after the game that Lamar Jackson will go on injured reserve and needs surgery on his right thumb, an injury Minter said could end his season.

That changes everything for Baltimore. Jackson had just come back from three games out with a high ankle sprain, and his return lasted one play, when his throwing hand hit Greg Rousseau's arm on a pass for Zay Flowers. The Ravens are now 4-4, losers of three straight, and host Jacksonville on Thursday night at 5:15 PM PT on a short week with their quarterback room in pieces.

How Buffalo Pulled Away

This was not pretty early. Buffalo settled for a touchdown and three field goals in the first half, and Baltimore cut it to 16-10 on a Tyler Loop field goal to open the third quarter. Then Allen took over. His 49-yard strike to DJ Moore set up a James Cook 5-yard touchdown run, and Dalton Kincaid (23 yards) and Moore (11 yards) caught touchdowns on back-to-back fourth-quarter drives.

Allen finished 21 of 34 for 289 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, plus 30 rushing yards and a score. It was his 102nd career win including playoffs, which moves him past Tom Brady for third among players through their first nine seasons. The Bills are 6-1 for the ninth time in franchise history and have won nine straight coming out of their bye under Allen.

The defense deserves its flowers too. A unit that had allowed 29 or more points in five of six games held Baltimore to 144 total yards, forced three turnovers and got four sacks.

The Ravens Ran Out of Quarterbacks

Backup Tyler Huntley lasted until the end of the fourth series, when he hurt his toe while being sacked and losing a fumble. That pushed undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano out of UConn into his NFL debut. He went 10 of 21 for 91 yards with an interception. Derrick Henry scored Baltimore's only touchdown on a 2-yard run, the 136th scrimmage touchdown of his career, tying Marshall Faulk for fourth all time.

Jackson came back to the sideline with his thumb in a splint. It is unclear whether Huntley can play Thursday, so Baltimore could be handing Fagnano the keys against the Jaguars.

What to Watch Next

Buffalo heads to Minnesota for Monday Night Football on Nov. 9 at 5:15 PM PT. One injury note matters there: receiver Josh Palmer was ruled out Sunday with a right hamstring injury after pulling up on a deep ball in the first quarter. Moore already had four catches for 82 yards, and Kincaid had four for 86.

If Palmer misses time, my Smacktok lean is higher on DJ Moore's receiving yards in Minnesota, since he is the deep option Allen kept finding once the offense woke up. For Ravens fans, the hard part starts now: life without Lamar, possibly for the rest of the year.