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Buffalo Bills' offensive line was elite in one category during win over Ravens
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Protecting quarterback Josh Allen is always the No. 1 priority for the Buffalo Bills considering his importance to the team.

Well, the Bills succeeded in doing that in the Week 1 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.

According to The 33rd Team's metrics, the Bills ranked first in pass protection in Week 1. The ranking is based on the average of the marks Buffalo achieved in pressure rate, sack rate and time to throw.

ESPN notes that the Bills' group upfront registered a pass-block win rate of 81%, which ranked third in the NFL. Buffalo also thrived in the run game, as evidenced by its 79% win rate, good enough for second-best in the league in Week 1.

Despite dropping back 46 times, Allen was only sacked once. He was given a shade over three seconds on average to throw the football and only eight quarterbacks in the NFL had more time.

What makes the performance more impressive is the fact that the Bills' offense ran a ton of plays, especially late in the game.

Center Connor McGovern credited the conditioning work the team did during the offseason for Buffalo's offensive linemen being able to avoid getting tired late in the contest, which is particularly difficult to avoid early on in the season.

“ I remember thinking in the fourth quarter, ‘I’m in a lot better shape than I thought,’ he said. "I think we’re all like that. Next-level conditioning compared to most teams and I think that really gives us a chance.”

Allen ultimately finished with MVP-caliber numbers, completing 33-of-46 passes for 394 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 13 carries for 30 yards and another two scores.

For his efforts in Week 1, Allen received two honors, including the AFC Offensive Player of the Week and FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week.

If his offensive line can continue playing as well as it did in Week 1, chances are there are going to be more honors coming Allen's way moving forward.

This article first appeared on Buffalo Bills on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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