As the Ravens lined up for their first play from scrimmage Sunday night at M&T Bank Stadium, just 3:58 into a showdown against the undefeated Buffalo Bills, quarterback Lamar Jackson had a feeling of what was about to happen.

“Just watching film and reading the front, we kind of knew what the defense would do,” he said.

So did rookie second-round draft pick Roger Rosengarten, who was making his first at right tackle after an injury to starting left guard Andrew Vorhees moved tackle Patrick Mekari to his spot inside.

“I knew that play either had a chance to have a really big gain or [a tackle for loss],” Rosengarten said. “We had the look we wanted for it and it ended up hitting.”

To use a phrase from the neighboring Orioles: Home run.

With the Ravens decked out in all black for the prime-time affair, running back Derrick Henry shot through a gaping hole on the right side of the line and never stopped until he reached the end zone 87 yards and 12 seconds later. It was the longest run in franchise history and the longest first play from scrimmage for a team since Terrelle Pryor had a 93-yard run for the then-Oakland Raiders in 2013.

And through the darkness of what was once a winless start two weeks into the young NFL season, the Ravens found the light — or at least their identity.

A week after Baltimore ran over and through the Dallas Cowboys for its first victory, it validated it with another punishing ground attack, with Henry setting the tone on the Ravens’ first play of an eventual 35-10 demolition.

“That’s always what we’ve been about,” coach John Harbaugh said. “If you look back at the history of the organization, even before, run the ball and playing great defense.

“The run game is massively important to us.”

And notably significant to the Ravens’ success.

Henry finished with 199 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries and caught a touchdown pass, while Jackson completed 13 of 18 passes for 156 yards and two scores and ran for 54 yards and a touchdown on six carries as Baltimore bullied the previously unbeaten Bills and this time finished them off when they had the chance.

With the win, Baltimore (2-2) moved into second place in the AFC North, one game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers, who lost earlier in the day to Joe Flacco and the Indianapolis Colts.

It also made a statement.

“They had our numbers tonight, and they came out and out-physicalled us and dominated on the line of scrimmage,” Bills linebacker Baylon Spector said.

Added Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen: “It was evident right away they had more urgency than we did.”

No one perhaps more than Henry, the Ravens’ biggest free agent splurge of the offseason who has rushed for 350 yards the past two weeks.

On his opening touchdown run, the 30-year-old reached 21.29 mph, tied for the fourth-fastest speed by any ball carrier this season and his eighth-fastest mark since 2018, according to Next Gen Stats. To put that in context, Henry has reached 20-plus mph 27 times since 2018, trailing only Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

“I think it’s a good step forward,” left tackle Ronnie Stanley said. “It shows what we’re capable of. We left some points out there as well. I think we can be even better, but it was a very formidable opponent and I think that’s reassuring for us to show us what kind of productivity we really have as a team.”

Added Jackson: “Our back [was] against the wall.”

Until they ran through it, plowing through Buffalo’s nickel defense in particular.

After Henry’s leadoff home run, Baltimore marched 70 yards in nine plays on its next series with Jackson capping the drive by finding Henry again, this time on a 5-yard touchdown pass. Then the offense went 81 yards in 10 plays, highlighted by a 26-yard dart to tight end Isaiah Likely, a 12-yard completion to wide receiver Nelson Agholor through a tight window over the middle on third-and-11 and a short drop-off to Justice Hill, who sped 15 yards to convert a third-and-14.

Two plays later, Jackson lofted a perfectly thrown pass to Hill in the back right corner of the end zone for a 19-yard score, giving the Ravens a 21-3 halftime lead.

Equally as impressive as the Ravens’ offense, which racked up 427 total yards and scored on each of its first three possessions of the night, was its previously much-maligned defense.

The Bills came into Week 4 leading the NFL in points per game (37.3) with Allen also tops in the league in passer rating and ESPN’s Total QBR along with throwing seven touchdown passes and no interceptions. Baltimore had managed to torment him in the past, however, and did so once again.

Allen was held to just 42 yards on 9 of 16 passing in the first half, and Buffalo had just 90 total yards by the break. He finished 16-for-29 for 180 yards with no touchdowns, was sacked three times and lost a fumble.

“I think we played a good game as a whole,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. “Pass rush, kept him contained for the most part.

“Thought the [defensive backs] covered really well … Once you get that shut down, then your defensive playbook opens up. So [defensive coordinator Zach Orr] could call whatever he wanted.”

The Ravens, of course, had no such trouble moving the ball, though there were moments of trepidation, if only for a moment or two.

After running through the Bills’ defense, Baltimore came out throwing to open the second half and paid for it. Linebacker Dorian Williams raced through to pressure Jackson, who was flagged for intentional grounding, and two more incompletions later the Ravens were punting for the first time.

Buffalo didn’t waste any time taking advantage.

On third-and-5 from their own 45, Allen scrambled and the Ravens’ defense eventually broke down, with Khalil Shakir slipping behind the secondary and Allen hitting the wide-open receiver for a 52-yard gain. One play later, running back Ty Johnson, who hails from Cumberland and played at Maryland, trotted around the left side and into the end zone to cut the deficit to 21-10.

But there would be no collapse this time, and that was as close as the Bills would get.

With Buffalo facing second-and-7 from the Ravens’ 44, veteran Kyle Van Noy stripped Allen on the Bills’ next possession, Hamilton recovered the ball and the offense went to work on the ground again. Henry ripped off a 25-yard run around the left end, Hill caught a short pass on third-and-7 for a 17-yard gain and Jackson raced around the right side for a 9-yard touchdown.

Then the Ravens put the game out of reach, with Odafe Oweh sacking Allen on third-and-14 and kicker Tyler Bass pulling his 48-yard field goal attempt left.

The only thing that stopped Henry from scoring a third time was a fumble as he plunged ahead from the Bills’ 2-yard line early in the fourth quarter. But fullback Pat Ricard recovered the ball in the end zone for one final touchdown.

“Now we know we are just getting better,” Harbaugh said. “We know what’s possible. We know what we’re capable of, but we’ve got a long way to go.”

Up next: The division rival Bengals in Cincinnati next Sunday.