Inglewood, California — On a day marked by Josh Allen’s record-setting performance of three touchdown passes and three rushing touchdowns, the biggest talking point revolved around a critical play in the Buffalo Bills’ 44-42 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Late in the fourth quarter, with just over a minute left and the Bills trailing by nine points, Allen failed to score on a quarterback sneak at the Rams’ 1-yard line, resulting in Buffalo calling its first timeout with 1:02 remaining on the clock.
“I have to find a way to get in,” said Allen, who completed the game with 324 passing yards and 82 rushing yards. “I don’t know the stats, but I know it wasn’t good enough to win the game.” After being halted on the sneak attempt, Allen found pay dirt on subsequent down, rushing for his ninth touchdown of the season to narrow the score. However, with just one minute left, the Bills opted for an onside kick, which was recovered by Ronnie Rivers of the Rams at the Buffalo 45-yard line, allowing Los Angeles to run out the clock and end the Bills’ streak of seven consecutive victories.
This loss shifted the Bills’ record to 10-3, leaving them tied with Pittsburgh for the second seed in the AFC, making their pursuit of the top spot held by Kansas City more challenging. Allen has had notable success with quarterback sneaks this season, having only been stopped three times in 19 attempts from a yard out. Alarmingly, two of those failures occurred at the opponent’s 1-yard line, highlighting the significance of this particular play.
Coach Sean McDermott, who took some time before addressing the media after the game, stood by his decision-making, explaining that had the team chosen to spike the ball rather than take a timeout, they would have lost additional seconds crucial to their attempt at a comeback. “You have two options and neither are great,” he stated. “When you’re in that situation with three timeouts, we felt that running our best play gave us the best chance to score.”
With an emphasis on the challenging nature of recovering onside kicks, McDermott noted that this season, only three of 41 attempts have been successful due to rule changes that limit overloads on one side of the field. As the game progressed, though the Bills excelled in the scoring department during their final four possessions, Allen expressed disappointment over failing to capitalize on opportunities before and after halftime. “We have to find ways to score before and after the half. We didn’t do our part,” he remarked, acknowledging that it was a collective loss across all aspects of the game. “I have to make one more play than they do.”
Despite his challenges, Allen demonstrated resilience, gaining the majority of his rushing yards in the second half as the Bills came close to overcoming a steep 38-21 deficit late in the third quarter. He matched a rare feat in NFL history alongside Kordell Stewart by tossing at least three touchdown passes and running for two scores in multiple games. Furthermore, Allen’s performance marked his fifth game with at least two rushing and passing touchdowns, surpassing Steve Young’s previous record.
Rams coach Sean McVay praised Allen’s multifaceted capabilities as a quarterback while admitting that they had to find alternative strategies to contend with his versatile skillset. “He can beat you from the pocket, he can beat you with his mind, he can beat you with his arm, he can beat you with his legs,” McVay acknowledged. “That’s why he’s a legitimate MVP candidate.” The Rams’ special teams efficiently blocked a punt in the second quarter, adding to the Bills’ troubles as they fell behind further.
In light of the loss, McDermott recognized Allen’s impressive performance and stressed the need for improvement from the surrounding squad as they turn their focus to an upcoming road game against a formidable 12-1 Detroit team. “We have our work cut out for us this week,” he concluded.
