Buffalo needed a kicker on Thursday. By Sunday night, a 41-year-old veteran they just signed had the biggest moment in the stadium. Matt Prater drilled a last-second field goal to lift the Bills past the Ravens, 41–40, in a Week 1 thriller at Highmark Stadium. It was a primetime rematch of last season’s AFC Divisional nail-biter (Buffalo won 27–25), and it lived up to the hype.
The matchup pitted two AFC heavyweights that finished 2024 with top playoff seeds—Bills at No. 2, Ravens at No. 3—and it came with a twist: new faces in big roles, including Derrick Henry in Baltimore’s backfield and rookie wideout Keon Coleman flashing big-play ability for Buffalo.
How fans followed for free: radio, antenna, and watch-alongs
If you were chasing a Ravens vs Bills live stream, your truly free, legal choices came down to radio and over-the-air TV in local markets. Here’s how it worked on Sunday:
- Radio in Baltimore: WBAL NewsRadio (1090 AM/101.5 FM) carried full game audio. You could also listen on the WBAL app or website, but only within roughly a 100-mile radius of Baltimore City because of NFL streaming rules. Outside that zone, the stream was blacked out.
- Radio in Buffalo: Bills fans in-market could tune in on the team’s flagship (WGR 550 AM) for live play-by-play. As with most NFL rights, digital listening is also geofenced to the local area.
- Free TV with an antenna: Sunday Night Football airs on NBC. Fans in Baltimore could pick it up over the air on WBAL-TV 11; in the Buffalo market, WGRZ carried the broadcast. If you’re within range, an indoor antenna remains the simplest no-cost way to watch.
- National broadcast and paid streaming: NBC had the telecast, and Peacock streamed it for subscribers. Those aren’t free, but they’re the official video options for viewers outside the local antenna footprint.
- YouTube “watch-alongs”: Channels like Ravens Rundown hosted live shows with real-time commentary, scoreboards, and chat. These are great for community and analysis, but they don’t carry the actual game footage because of NFL rights. Think of them as a companion feed, not a replacement for the broadcast.
That geofence note is worth repeating. NFL audio streams are tightly controlled, so even if you find the right station app, you may hit a regional block the moment you leave the home market. Over-the-air TV avoids that problem if you’re close enough to your local NBC tower.
One more tip for future weeks: if you’re on the edge of your market, moving closer to a window or using a higher-gain antenna can make the difference for a clean NBC signal. For radio, AM signals travel farther after dark, but FM gives clearer audio if you’re within range.
What happened on the field: a Week 1 shootout decided at the horn
From the first quarter, it felt like January in September. The Ravens came out aggressive with Lamar Jackson steering a quick-tempo attack, mixing RPO looks with Derrick Henry’s downhill runs. Mark Andrews found space up the seam, while Zay Flowers’ motion kept Buffalo guessing. Baltimore’s plan was clear: force the Bills to defend every blade of grass.
Buffalo answered with balance. Josh Allen kept the chains moving, spreading the ball underneath and then taking his shots. Keon Coleman, the rookie with the big frame and bigger confidence, turned intermediate throws into chunk gains and finished with 112 receiving yards. Each time the Ravens surged, the Bills countered, and the scoreboard never got a chance to rest.
The second half turned into a trading-post of explosive plays. Henry bullied his way through contact for extra yards that mattered, and Jackson extended broken plays into first downs with sharp scrambles. On the other side, Allen trusted his young wideout and worked the middle of the field to set up red zone chances. Special teams and situational football—timeouts, clock control, field position—loomed larger with every possession.
Then came the late drama. Tyler Bass was out with an injury, so Buffalo turned to Prater, signed just days earlier. With seconds left, he stepped into a high-pressure kick and became the oldest player ever to convert a game-winner for the Bills. The stadium erupted. Final: 41–40, Buffalo. Week 1, decided by a newcomer who barely had time to unpack.
Context matters here. Last season’s playoff meeting ended 27–25, and both teams entered this year expecting another run at the AFC crown. Baltimore brought new muscle with Henry and a healthy pass-catching group featuring Andrews, Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and DeAndre Hopkins. Buffalo, retooled but still well-schooled in late-game situations, leaned on Allen’s poise and Coleman’s burst to keep pace in a track meet.
For fans, the broadcast told two stories at once: a chess match between coordinators trying to steal a possession, and a heavyweight fight where every jab landed. Jackson kept Baltimore’s offense on rhythm despite constant pressure. Allen managed traffic, got the ball out on time, and trusted his young receivers to win. And when it all tightened, special teams swung the result.
There’s also a bigger takeaway for viewers looking ahead: this is what Sunday Night Football is supposed to be—prime matchups, clean production, and stakes that feel playoff-level even in September. If you’re planning for future weeks, keep the same game plan: local radio for free audio (watch the blackout zones), an antenna for NBC if you’re in market, and legal streaming if you’re out of range. Add a watch-along on a second screen if you want the fan chatter and real-time breakdowns.
Rematch hype is easy to sell. Backing it up in prime time is hard. In Buffalo, it came down to one kick from a 41-year-old who wasn’t even on the roster five days ago. That’s a Week 1 memory both fan bases will carry into the fall.
