Bills beat Rams 37-34 in overtime as Tyler Bass kicks winning field goal
Tyler Bass kicked a 45-yard field goal 1:55 into overtime at SoFi Stadium on Monday, 12 October, after Greg Rousseau blocked the Rams' 48-yard attempt. The win lifted Buffalo to 4-1 and left Los Angeles at 2-3.
Bills start fast, Rams answer
The Buffalo Bills beat the Los Angeles Rams 37-34 in overtime on Monday, 12 October, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The New York Times counted eight lead changes in the game. The Bills opened with a 70-yard kickoff return by Ray Davis, and after two field goals gave them a 6-0 first-quarter lead, Davante Adams scored the Rams' first touchdown on a goal-line fade. The teams combined for nine touchdowns in the game, with seven of them coming in the second half, according to dpa.
- Ray Davis returns the kickoff 70 yards for Buffalo
- Buffalo leads 6-0 on two field goals
- Davante Adams scores the Rams' first touchdown
- James Cook's 17-yard touchdown run puts Buffalo ahead 13-7
- James Cook's 5-yard touchdown gives Buffalo a 34-27 lead
- Kyren Williams's 1-yard run ties the game 34-34
- Tyler Bass's 45-yard field goal wins 37-34 after Greg Rousseau blocks the Rams' attempt
Second half becomes a scoring race
After the break both offenses took over. Per n-tv, the Rams relied on Matthew Stafford and the passing game, while Buffalo leaned on Josh Allen and the run game. Stafford threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to Davante Adams, while Puka Nacua caught 17 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown. Allen completed just 12 passes but led three straight touchdown drives when his team needed them, and James Cook had 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns. With the Bills ahead 34-27 on a 5-yard Cook touchdown with 1:39 remaining, Kyren Williams caught a one-handed third-down pass to reach the 1 and scored from there, tying the game at 34-34 with four seconds left in regulation.
- Stafford passing yards
- 383 yards
- Allen passing yards
- 210 yards
- Allen rushing yards
- 121 yards
- Cook rushing yards
- 111 yards
- Nacua receiving yards
- 138 yards
Overtime turns on a blocked kick
Buffalo received the first possession in overtime and drove deep into Rams territory. Cook then fumbled at the Rams' 22-yard line after a Nate Landman punchout, and the Guardian reported that Aaron Donald recovered it. The Rams moved 50 yards in eight plays to set up a 48-yard field goal attempt by Harrison Mevis, which Rousseau blocked. Allen's runs of 19 and 13 yards then put Buffalo back in range, and Bass kicked the winner. Allen said after the game:
Guys kept chipping away, defense kept going out there making plays, special teams was big tonight.
Stafford, Allen and the week ahead
Allen finished with 331 total yards, 210 passing and 121 rushing, and he had been 0-7 in overtime before this game. He said he had nothing but respect for Stafford and the Rams quarterback's place in the game. Allen said of Stafford:
If he's not the greatest thrower of a football of all time, I don't know who is.
The Rams fell to 2-3 after five games, under.500 for the fourth time in five seasons, according to the Guardian. The Bills travel to Las Vegas to face the Raiders in Week 6, while the Rams host the Arizona Cardinals at home.
