The Bills lead the Ravens 10-0 with 6:05 left in the first quarter of Week 8 at Highmark Stadium. Buffalo has run 14 plays to Baltimore's three. It has 89 yards, five first downs and more than seven minutes of possession. Tyler Bass hit a 56-yard field goal, and Josh Allen has a rushing touchdown. Allen is 5-of-7 for 72 yards. Khalil Shakir has three catches for 49 yards.

The game was framed around Lamar Jackson's return. Baltimore Beatdown's Nikhil Mehta wrote that Jackson comes back from a three-game absence to face Allen and the AFC East-leading Bills (5-1), and that the matchup "could be an absolute shootout." So far it hasn't been one. Jackson is 0-for-1 in the box score, and Tyler Huntley has two completions on two attempts for Baltimore. Our data doesn't say why Huntley has thrown a pass, so treat that as unexplained for now.

Baltimore (4-3) badly needed the quarterback. The Ravens have lost two in a row, 13-10 at Cleveland on Oct. 18 and 35-13 to Cincinnati last Sunday. Those two losses, both to divisional opponents, left them fourth in the AFC North. They had won 30-23 at Atlanta on Oct. 11. Baltimore's defense has been active early, with Malaki Starks, Kyle Hamilton and Trey Hendrickson all in on tackles, but it hasn't stopped Buffalo from moving the ball.

Buffalo is coming off an early bye. Buffalo Rumblings' Matt Byham noted that the Bills share the AFC lead with Kansas City. He also cited a half-game lead over New England in the division. Our table now shows Buffalo at 5-1 and the Patriots at 4-3, a full game back. New England is at Miami today, so that gap can still change. The Bills have won two straight, 33-30 at Las Vegas and 37-34 at the Rams. Their one loss was 29-26 to the Patriots on Oct. 4.

Allen has been central to that offense. He has completed 114 of 171 passes (66.7%) for 1,504 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions, for a 102.1 rating. He has also run 48 times for 240 yards and eight touchdowns, so his rushing score today fits a pattern. Buffalo's last two games both went to the final possessions, and an early lead would be a change.

The Bills travel to Minnesota for Monday night on Nov. 9. Baltimore is home to Jacksonville on Thursday, Nov. 5, a short turnaround. The Ravens' quarterback situation will matter more once the game is over.