Bills-Rams Recap. How the Bills Stunned the Rams

Bills-Rams Reactions: Josh Allen Puts the Cape On in a 37-34 Overtime Win

The Bills went into SoFi on Monday night and won the kind of game they usually find a way to lose, beating the Rams 37-34 in overtime to move to 4-1. Josh Allen accounted for 331 yards and two touchdowns, and when the offense bogged down, he took the game over with his legs. On the 1st and 5 Bills-Rams recap episode, Dave and Greg broke down a back-and-forth thriller in Los Angeles, including:

• How Buffalo won a game it usually finds a way to lose
• What a career day from Puka Nacua exposed on defense
• Why this offense still needs a second receiver
• The overtime that almost got away, and the block that saved it

Josh Allen Carries the Bills, Again

Allen finished with 210 passing yards, 121 rushing, and two touchdowns. When the Rams’ secondary locked up his receivers, he pulled it down and ran, including scrambles of 19 and 13 yards on the final drive that set up the winning kick. Buffalo ran for 234 yards as a team, and Allen got his first career overtime win while outdueling Matthew Stafford.

James Cook was a big part of the ground game too, going for 111 yards and two scores before his fumbling trouble came back. The passing game lived underneath. Keon Coleman caught Allen’s only touchdown throw, and the backs did the rest, Ty Johnson and Ray Davis moving the chains on screens while Khalil Shakir broke off a catch-and-run. With DJ Moore out, Shakir and Coleman were the only wide receivers to catch a pass. Buffalo put up 37 on the league’s top-ranked defense, and very little of it came the way it was drawn up.

Is the Defense Going to Be a Problem All Year?

Puka Nacua had a career day, catching 17 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown, and the bigger concern was how open he was for most of it. Stafford threw for 383 yards and three scores, and Davante Adams added two touchdown catches of his own. The communication problems in the secondary that Jim Leonhard and Sean McDermott have flagged for weeks were all over the tape again, with receivers running free through the middle and defenders expecting help that never came.

There were a few bright spots. Christian Benford held up through a banged-up toe, and the run defense has been solid all season. The back seven is the issue. The coverage was soft all night and the linebackers struggled in space, and five weeks in, the same breakdowns keep showing up. On the show, Greg went as far as wondering whether Leonhard is in over his head, and whether this is about personnel or a scheme that isn’t getting it done.

Does Buffalo Need Another Receiver?

The case for adding a receiver got stronger. With Moore out, the Bills had no wideout who could consistently win on his own, and the offense turned into Allen creating everything himself. That works for a night. It isn’t a plan for a season, especially with Moore’s shoulder flaring up and no guarantee he stays healthy.

The trade deadline lands around the Ravens game in Week 8, and Buffalo has the draft capital to add a proven second option. A plug-and-play veteran makes more sense than developing a rookie this late in Allen’s prime. The defense needs help too, which makes it the harder call for Brandon Beane, whether to shore up the back seven or get Allen another weapon and try to outscore people.

The Overtime That Almost Got Away From the Bills

Overtime nearly ended in disaster. Buffalo drove into Rams territory, then Cook fumbled, and Aaron Donald recovered. What saved the Bills was their own defense and some shaky Rams decisions. With a chance to win it, Sean McVay got conservative on third down and sent out Harrison Mevis, a kicker who had already missed, and Greg Rousseau blocked the attempt to keep Buffalo alive. McVay owned it afterward, saying the kicking game cost them the game.

From there Allen did the rest, and Joe Brady made a bold call. He sent Tyler Bass out for a 45-yard field goal on second down with nearly two minutes left, trusting a kicker who had missed an extra point earlier in the night. Bass drilled it and was running off to celebrate before the officials signaled it good. Dave liked the nerve, with the fair counter being why not run more clock first in case the kick missed.

Greg kept coming back to how thin the margin was. Cook’s fumble and Bass’s earlier miss both could have flipped this into a loss, and the Rams’ mistakes were a big reason they didn’t. The Bills were good on Monday night, and they were fortunate.

Bills Turn Their Attention to the Raiders

Buffalo is 4-1 with a win it probably drops in other years. The offense is carrying this team while the defense tries to sort itself out, and the Raiders are up next in Las Vegas.

Should Brandon Beane spend the trade deadline fixing the defense, or get Josh Allen another receiver?

Be sure to tune into the 1st and 5 podcast live on YouTube each weekday starting at 12 ET, and be sure to Like, subscribe, and comment.