Ravens fall victim to familiar heartbreak in season opener against Bills

ORCHARD PARK, NY – Let John Harbaugh tell us how his Baltimore Ravens will regroup and step out of the fresh mess marked by a stunning collapse on Sunday night. They opened a new season with a stinking old habit in blowing a 15-point lead in the final minutes against the Buffalo Bills.

history, repeating itself, already.

“We’ll go back to work like we always do,” Harbaugh said after the 41-40 setback. “We’ve been here before.”

Uh-oh. Clearly, this is not where they want to go again. At least not like this.

“This is how the NFL works,” Harbaugh continued. “It’s a tough league. You play tough games in tough environments.”

Story Highlights:

The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Buffalo Bills after blowing a 15-point lead, continuing a pattern of late-game collapses.
Under coach John Harbaugh,the Ravens have now lost 17 games in wich they held a double-digit lead.
* Despite regular season success and multiple division titles, this recurring issue has become part of the team’s identity.

Ravens Face Soul-Searching After Collapse Against Bills

“We’re just banging our heads on the wall about it at this point,” Kyle Hamilton, the all-pro safety, said after the latest drama. “First and foremost, the offense put up 40 points. No way that we should be in that position as a defence. I don’t know. We just need to figure out how to win games. We are winning them for 45 minutes,but you have to win for 60 minutes.”

Of course, soul-searching is widespread. Henry, the dominating running back, blasted the Bills in rushing for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns. But that monster performance was marred by his fourth-quarter fumble – forced by Ed Oliver — that led to a Buffalo touchdown.

Henry apologized to his teammates in the locker room afterward and accepted blame for the loss.

“First of all,I have to take care of the ball,” Henry said. “I told my teammates after the game that the loss is on me. I own it like a man.We emphasize taking care of the football, keeping it high and tight. I got lackadaisical. they made a play, but I put this loss on me.”

That’s noble enough, but these big collapses are never steadfast by one play. on Sunday night,the Ravens were also stung by a fourth-down touchdown pass by Josh Allen late in the fourth quarter that was deflected by tight end Dawson Knox into the hands of Keon Coleman. And after Henry’s 46-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter, rookie kicker Tyler Loop (w