hawaiitribune_herald
The Los Angeles Rams, touted as Super Bowl favorites with four prime-time games in their first five outings, once again fell short in a 37-34 overtime defeat to the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium on Monday night. Tyler Bass nailed a 45-yard field goal with 1:55 remaining in the extra period, handing the Rams their third loss of the season before a crowd of 73,882.
Special teams blunders and penalties proved costly for the Rams, overshadowing a stellar passing display from Matthew Stafford, who threw three touchdown passes, and a career-high 17 receptions by Puka Nacua. The game echoed the teams' high-scoring affair two years ago, when the Rams edged the Bills 44-42, but this time the outcome favored Buffalo.
With the loss, the Rams dropped to 2-3, marking the fourth time in five seasons they have started with a record of 2-3 or worse after five games. In 2022, a 2-3 start led to a 5-12 finish, the worst Super Bowl hangover in NFL history. In 2023, they rallied from 2-3 to finish 10-7 but were eliminated by the Detroit Lions in the wild-card round. Last season, a 1-4 start ended with a 10-7 record and a divisional-round loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Monday's matchup featured the two most recent NFL MVPs: Bills quarterback Josh Allen (2024) and Stafford (2025). It was the first game between consecutive MVPs from different conferences since 2015, when Peyton Manning faced Aaron Rodgers.
Stafford completed 40 of 54 passes for 383 yards, tossing two touchdown passes to Davante Adams and one to Nacua, who finished with 138 receiving yards. Allen, who accounted for six touchdowns in a 44-42 loss to the Rams two years ago, completed 12 of 19 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 121 yards and another score as Buffalo improved to 4-1.
What was supposed to be a special season for the Rams has turned into a special teams nightmare. Harrison Mevis missed two field-goal attempts, including a potential game-winner in overtime that was blocked by Buffalo linebacker Greg Rousseau. The Rams also allowed a 70-yard return on the opening kickoff and committed 11 penalties for 84 yards, many of the pre-snap variety that frustrate coach Sean McVay.
Special teams miscues and penalties plagued the Rams in the first half, and they trailed 13-7 at halftime. They took the lead early in the third quarter when Stafford engineered a 60-yard drive capped by Blake Corum's one-yard touchdown run. But late in the third, Allen connected with Keon Coleman for a touchdown, though the extra point was missed, leaving Buffalo ahead 19-14.
The Rams responded immediately, with Stafford hitting Tyler Higbee for 28 yards and Corum turning a short pass into a 34-yard gain. That set up Stafford's two-yard touchdown pass to Nacua early in the fourth quarter, but a failed two-point conversion left the Rams with a 20-19 lead. Allen then led an 80-yard drive, scoring on a one-yard sneak and converting a two-point pass to Dalton Kincaid for a 27-20 Buffalo advantage with 11:28 left.
However, the Rams tied it on their next possession with a five-yard touchdown catch by Adams. Allen got the ball back with just over seven minutes remaining and orchestrated a drive that included 15- and 21-yard scrambles, ending with James Cook III's five-yard touchdown run for a 34-27 lead with 1:39 left.
On the ensuing drive, Stafford completed a 14-yard pass to Adams, then found Nacua for 16 yards and Adams again for 15. A one-handed nine-yard catch by Kyren Williams moved the ball to the one-yard line, and Williams scored with five seconds left in regulation. Mevis's extra point tied the game.
In overtime, the Bills got the ball first and appeared poised to score when Khalil Shakir turned a short catch into a 57-yard gain to the Rams' 22. Rams safety Kamren Kinchens prevented a touchdown by tripping up Shakir. But on the next play, linebacker Nate Landman punched the ball out of Cook's grasp, and Aaron Donald recovered the fumble with 7:54 left.
Stafford drove the Rams to the Bills' 30, but Mevis's field-goal attempt was blocked, setting up Buffalo's game-winning drive. The loss leaves the Rams searching for answers as their special teams continue to falter.
Originally reported by hawaiitribune_herald.