The Buffalo Bills were on the brink of defeat in overtime of their Week 5 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, but Greg Rousseau's block gave them new life. The Bills pass rusher blocked Harrison Mevis' 48-yard game-winning attempt, and Josh Allen drove the offense down within Tyler Bass' range, where he drilled a 45-yarder to give Buffalo the 37-34 victory.
Overtime was a near disaster for the Bills as they took possession to begin the extra period and seemed destined to put points on the board, particularly after Khalil Shakir ripped off a 57-yard gain to get them on the doorstep of the red zone. However, on the very next play, James Cook fumbled for the second time on the night. The loose ball forced by Rams linebacker Nate Landman was scooped up by Aaron Donald, and it appeared as if that was the final nail in the Bills' coffin. That was until Rousseau's clutch block.
We went into overtime after a frantic fourth quarter in which these two teams combined for 35 points. That came after a rather sluggish opening two quarters, but the game jumped into hyperdrive after that, with Buffalo narrowly edging out the win to move to 4-1 on the season. Meanwhile, this loss brings L.A. back under .500 on the year at 2-3.
Josh Allen was 12-of-19 for 210 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He did most of his damage on the ground, rushing 10 times for 121 yards and a touchdown. While he fumbled twice, James Cook did post 111 yards rushing on 25 carries to go along with two rushing scores. As for Stafford, he finished his night completing 40-of-54 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns. His go-to target was Puka Nacua, who was targeted 24 times and caught 17 balls for 138 yards and a touchdown.
From here, the Rams will remain in SoFi Stadium and await the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6. As for the Bills, they'll stay on the road and head to Las Vegas, where they'll take on the Raiders.
It was a night to forget for the Rams special teams unit, and their deficiencies could be felt right from the jump. On the game's opening kickoff, L.A. let Ray Davis rip off a 70-yard return that instantly put Buffalo on the doorstep of the end zone. On the offense's opening possession, Mevis then missed his first kick of the night, with his 50-yard attempt going wide left. Of course, none were as egregious as the 48-yard attempt that was blocked in overtime.
As much as the special teams unit should hold up and convert in that spot, head coach Sean McVay didn't put his team in the best position either. After Stafford completed a 21-yard pass to Puka Nacua to get them to the Buffalo 35-yard line, McVay played it a bit too conservatively with a short pass to Kyren Williams, inching them up just five yards before Mevis went out for the 48-yard attempt.
In that spot, McVay should've kept his foot on the gas, especially knowing that Mevis isn't a lock to make the kick from where they were at. For his career, Mevis is just 42.8% on kicks from 43 yards out and longer, but is 100% from 42 and in. Had they played for a few extra yards, maybe this game would have had a different result.
"I wish I would have had a better play call and gone for it and got it a lot tighter," McVay said postgame about how he handled overtime. "I'm sick right now with myself. I'm so proud of that group. This is the tough part of sports, but I'm proud of that team. I'm proud of the way that we battled, and I'm sick that we came up short. I'll be regretting kicking that and not having a better call to be able to go for it on third down and go to fourth or whatever it was. It's on me."
Coming into this game, Josh Allen was 0-7 in his career (including playoffs) in overtime, so he's finally gotten into the win column in this regard. On top of some clutch play by the special teams to block Mevis' attempt, the Bills QB was once again the straw that stirred the drink of the offense.
Unlike Stafford, who passed 54 times in the loss, Allen fired just 19 passes on the night, primarily doing his damage on the ground. Down his No. 1 wideout, DJ Moore (shoulder), for this game, Los Angeles largely did a good job bottling up the passing lanes for Buffalo, which required Allen to lean even heavier on his legs. On the night, he rushed for 121 yards and a touchdown, and 107 of those yards came on scrambles. That was the second-most in a game in his career and the most since his rookie season.
One of the several clutch scrambles that Allen had in the win came on the game-winning drive, breaking off a 19-yard run, effectively flipping the field going from the Bills 41-yard line to the Rams 40-yard line. After a designed 13-yard run to the left after that scramble, Buffalo was well within Bass' range for the game-winner.
While it didn't result in the team's defeat, it nearly did and shouldn't be overlooked. Cook had two fumbles in Week 5, with both being punched out by linebacker Nate Landman. The first fumble, which came midway through the third quarter, was barely recovered by Buffalo and was initially called a recovery by L.A. before the officials huddled and changed the call. The second should've been the dagger in overtime had it not been for the special teams unit bailing him out as it turned the ball over deep in Rams territory.
Since the start of last season, Cook has 11 total fumbles, and no other back has more than six over that same span. While it didn't burn them in this game, it's something that needs to get corrected before it rears its head at the worst possible time.
It was a busy night for Nacua, who was targeted 24 times by Matthew Stafford. He caught 17 of those targets for 138 yards and a touchdown. Of course, those targets are a new career high for Nacua, surpassing the 20 targets he saw in Week 2 of the 2023 season. His 17 receptions were also a career high and were the most receptions in a single game in "Monday Night Football" history.
Nacua is just the fifth player in Rams history with at least 15 catches, 100 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown in a game, and the first since Danny Amendola.
The Bills came back from the dead. After Harrison Mevis missed what would've been the game-winning field goal, Josh Allen moved Buffalo's offense down the field to set up Tyler Bass for a 45-yard game-winning field goal that moves them to 4-1 on the season. Meanwhile, the Rams have fallen back under .500 at 2-3 on the season.
Harrison Mevis lined up for a 48-yard field goal that would've won the game, but the attempt was blocked by Greg Rousseau. The Bills have life.
Nate Landman made the biggest play of the night. The Rams LB punched the ball out of James Cook's arms, and Aaron Donald scooped up the loose ball. Now, all L.A. needs is a field goal to win.
Buffalo has started OT off strong with a 57-yard catch-and-run by Khalil Shakir. Bills are now on the doorstep of the red zone.
We're knotted at 34 apiece after a frantic fourth quarter. In fact, this was the most fourth-quarter points scored this season and the most since Week 7 of last season.
An immaculate drive by the Rams to tie the game with four seconds left in regulation. In just over a minute, L.A. sliced 62 yards down the field, and Kyren Williams punched in the 1-yard touchdown. Williams and Stafford connected on a pass over the middle to set up the quick score.
With 99 seconds left in regulation, James Cook punched in his second touchdown of the night and gave the Bills a 34-17 lead. The Rams trail by seven with one timeout in their pocket.
In a gotta have it moment on third-and-5, Josh Allen didn't have a man open and decided to call his own number, ripping off a 15-yard gain on the ground. He's an unbelievable weapon with his legs.
For the second time tonight, Stafford connects with Davante Adams for the touchdown. The first was a fade to the corner of the end zone, while this was an easy score over the middle of the field. Adams has three catches for 22 yards and those two touchdowns tonight. We're all tied up at 27 with just over seven minutes left in regulation.
While Nacua has been the heavily targeted option, Tyler Higbee has been pulling off some key chunk plays for Los Angeles. The latest comes with a 30-yard gain that puts the Rams in the red zone.
After Ray Davis got the Bills to the goal line, Buffalo kept the ball in the hands of Josh Allen, who snuck it in for the touchdown. Dalton Kincaid reels in the 2-point attempt, and it's now a 27-20 lead for Buffalo.
Just when you think you have Josh Allen sacked, the Bills QB tucks it and runs up the gut for a 22-yard gain. He's truly a cheat code with his rushing ability.
It has been a busy night for Puka Nacua, and the Rams wideout has now reached paydirt, hauling in a 4-yard touchdown from Matthew Stafford. After Stafford was sacked on the 2-point attempt, it's a 20-19 lead for the Rams. Meanwhile, Nacua now has 12 catches on 17 targets for 85 yards and a touchdown.
The Rams offense had been lacking some chunk plays for the bulk of the night, but is starting to find some lanes. Tyler Higbee ripped off a 28-yard reception to get L.A. into Bills territory. Then, on the very next play, Blake Corum caught a 34-yard gain that put the Rams in the red zone.
Josh Allen was short of the goal line on a third-and-goal scramble, but Buffalo was given new life as L.A. was called for a defensive holding penalty on the play. After getting a new set of downs, Allen eventually connected with Keon Coleman for a 5-yard touchdown.
That 26-yard catch-and-run by Ty Johnson on third-and-5 was the first third-down conversion for Buffalo on the night, and it came with just over 5 minutes to play in the third quarter.
Buffalo got a huge break after James Cook put the ball on the ground. The officials initially ruled that the Rams got the loose ball, but then quickly changed their minds and gave the ball back to Buffalo. It did look like a Bills defender got it at the bottom of the pile.
There's been a weird pace to this game, and that's led to a funky box score for Josh Allen. With just over eight minutes left in the third quarter, the Bills QB has attempted just nine passes so far.
A DPI penalty on Cole Bishop while covering Tyler Higbee near the end zone put the ball at the 1-yard line for the Rams. Stafford then handed the ball off to Blake Corum, and he barreled in for the touchdown, his first of the season. The extra point gives L.A. the 14-13 lead.
Tyler Higbee was initially called for a false start on fourth-and-1. Even after being backed up, Sean McVay left the offense on the field and, as fate would have it, Stafford connected with Higbee for the 10-yard gain to move the chains anyways. A quick redemption for the tight end.
It was a little bit puzzling for the Rams not to try to get a chunk play with eight seconds left before halftime and try for a long field goal. Matthew Stafford instead opted for a deep ball to Puka Nacua, but the end zone heave was too far out in front. Kicker Harrison Mevis did miss a 50-yard attempt earlier in the half, but I still think that would've been the smarter approach, especially with it then cutting down the lead to a field goal and L.A. getting the ball back to begin the second half.
Reminiscent of his interception last week, Josh Allen takes an initial hit, absorbs it, and tries to chuck it deep. Instead of making a big play, he turns the ball over, with Jaylen Watson making the interception.
After the completion of Nacua was overturned, things went off the rails a bit for the Rams. Stafford nearly threw an interception, and then left tackle Alaric Jackson was called for a false start, setting up a third-and-15 attempt that they failed to convert.
For the first time as an NFL head coach, Joe Brady has thrown the challenge flag. And it looks like he'll be 1-0 on challenges as Puka Nacua's toe tapped out of bounds.
So far tonight, the Rams have converted four of their six third-down opportunities. They've been able to move the chains with relative ease on the key down.
It's a 13-7 lead for Buffalo after James Cook punched in a 17-yard touchdown one play after Ty Johnson's 40-yard gain.
Ty Johnson gave the Bills offense some much-needed burst. The back hauled in a short pass from Josh Allen and took it 40 yards into the red zone for Buffalo.
