For as bad as the New England Patriots looked in their loss Sunday, the Buffalo Bills looked worse — thanks to some help from an old friend.
The Bills were shellacked 35-10 by the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. Buffalo was competitive early, but things turned ugly after a trick play gone wrong resulted in a turnover.
Trailing 21-10 — but with some momentum in the second quarter — the Bills came out in an odd formation. Quarterback Josh Allen was split out wide to the left four yards behind the line of scrimmage. Meanwhile, wide receiver Curtis Samuel was behind center to take the snap.
To no surprise for the Ravens defense, Samuel took the snap and immediately pitched it to Allen, who tried to pass. But there was a problem: The Bills had zero success in blocking Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
Van Noy, who had two stints in New England, blasted past left tackle Dion Dawkins to hit Samuel as he pitched the ball. Van Noy then turned around and hit Allen as well, stripping the ball before the quarterback could get the pass away, leading to a strip-sack.
You can see the play here — along with the disastrous results.
The Bills were blasted online for the poor execution of the play. Meanwhile, Buffalo players simply gave Van Noy his flowers.
“Coach called a shot and the guy made a good play. That’s as simple as it is,” Allen said. “He dove inside, I tried to stay out, and I was just trying to get rid of the ball and the guy made a good play, and that’s what it comes down to.”
As for the Bills coaching staff, head coach Sean McDermott admitted that he and offensive coordinator Joe Brady did not make the best call there.
“I’m sure he wants that call back. I do as well,” McDermott said.
As for Van Noy, the 33-year-old linebacker is having a resurgent run in Baltimore. The veteran is coming off a career-best 9.0 sacks in 2023 and has already notched 6.0 sacks so far in 2024.
A two-time Super Bowl champ in New England, Van Noy has gotten plenty of praise from his current teammates in Baltimore.
“He’s damn near a coach on the sideline,” defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike said to The Baltimore Banner. “He’s so smart. And he just knows things are coming before they even come.”
Of course, with that praise comes a little bit of razzing from Van Noy’s younger teammates.
“The old man out there ballin’, having fun,” defensive tackle Travis Jones said to The Baltimore Banner with a snicker. “… He just an old man. The way he act, the way he carry himself — he’s just older.”
The Bills fell to 3-1 with the loss while the Ravens improved to 2-2 on the year.
