A Buffalo Bills fan crossed the line with Lamar Jackson and DeAndre Hopkins — and got ejected from the stadium

A fan struck Hopkins and Jackson’s helmets as they celebrated after a touchdown; Jackson shoved the fan back.

The first week matchup between two NFL powerhouse rivals—the AFC’s Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens—lived up to the hype with amazing play and a comeback win by the Bills, but what happened on the sidelines with a Bills fan also had people talking. 

After a Sportscenter Top 10 worthy, one-handed touchdown catch by the Ravens wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in the third quarter, putting the Ravens up 34-19, Hopkins and his teammate, superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson celebrated by running along the outer wall at Highmark Stadium—the home stadium for the Bills—when a fan slapped the helmets of both Hopkins and Jackson as they jogged by. In video shared across social media, you can see the fan hit Jackson’s helmet hard enough to elicit a reaction from the Ravens star—Jackson shoved the fan back into his seat.

In postgame comments, Jackson spoke about his actions, acknowledging that he can’t respond that way.

“I just forgot where I was for a little bit. You gotta think in those situations. You got security out there. Let security handle it. I just let my emotion[s] get the best of me. Hopefully it won’t happen again. I learned from that,” he said.

According to Mark Maske, an NFL reporter for the Washington Post, the fan was ejected from the stadium. The NFL has not issued a statement yet on whether (or not) Jackson will face any sort of discipline for his interaction with the fan; the fan instigating the reaction by physically striking Jackson and Hopkins will likely factor into any decisions coming from the NFL’s head office. 

While the celebration in the third quarter caused a ruckus between Bills fans and the Ravens, ultimately, the Bills executed a highly unlikely fourth quarter comeback, winning the game 41-40, in what is likely another classic game in the rivalry between two of the NFL’s best QB’s in the Bills’ Josh Allen and the Ravens’ Jackson. 

The Bills and Ravens do not face each other again in the 2025 regular season; they would only meet this year in the AFC playoffs.