BALTIMORE – Josh Allen searched around for someone – anyone – who might be open. One time it was a huge gain, but more often than not it ended with Buffalo’s quarterback on the ground.

Many of the Bills’ shortcomings, which were obscured by an undefeated start, surfaced in a 35-10 loss at the Baltimore Ravens. A lack of playmakers and depth and injuries piling up, especially on defense, took their toll on a team that looked like one of the NFL’s best through the first three weeks of the season.

“I think the guys that make up this locker room understand who we are, what we are,” said Allen, fumbling with one of the three bags he brought with him. ‘We will not allow this avalanche. The guys we have in this building are smart. The guys have played a lot of football in their careers, so they understand the ebbs and flows of an NFL season. This will happen occasionally.”

It’s the first time since 2021 that the Bills have lost a game by more than six points. And this was a big departure from beating their first three opponents 112-48.

Coach Sean McDermott said he wishes the hour-long plane ride would be five times longer to break down everything his team needs to work on after being blown onto the road.

“It just wasn’t up to our standard,” McDermott said. “I’m saying we need to do things fundamentally better – in terms of execution. It’s not just one point of view. We as a team must fundamentally perform better physically. We have to find the problems tonight and make the adjustments.”

Buffalo’s defense was outpaced by Derrick Henry, who ran for 199 yards, including an 87-yard touchdown on the Ravens’ first play from scrimmage. Safety Taylor Rapp was already missing linebacker Terrel Bernard and cornerback Taron Johnson due to injury and was knocked out of the game with a concussion in the first half when he tried to tackle Henry.

The Bills fell behind early and Allen – who was dealing with an injury to his left, non-throwing hand – was unable to muster enough magic to keep things competitive. He finished 16 of 29 for 180 yards passing and also ran five times for 21 yards.

“I thought Josh kind of strayed from the spot,” McDermott said. “I’ve made some great plays with that, but it’s just not the healthiest way to live there. We will make the necessary adjustments.”

Allen’s streak of throwing to Khalil Shakir for a successful completion reached 30 before ending with a pass breakup late in the first half. He found Shakir on a 52-yard throw and catch that set up Ty Johnson’s third-quarter touchdown run.

Mitch Trubisky replaced Allen, who had become the favorite to win the league MVP title after the 3-0 start, to quarterback the final few drives. Allen was not despondent after that and figured out a way to turn the great loss into an opportunity to learn.

“Not everything was bad in this match,” he said. “I don’t want us to leave this behind and think we’re the worst. Lots to learn from. I’m glad this happened early in the season so we can correct things.”