Overtime victory keeps fans up late for epic Bills win
It was an instant classic.
When the Bills survived a pair of James Cook fumbles, mustered a block of the potential game-winning field goal in overtime and weren’t punished from some dubious clock management at the end of regulation, the result was a 37-34 victory over the Rams (2-3) at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium on Monday night.
The win improved Buffalo’s record to 4-1 and kept the Bills a game ahead of New England in the AFC East.
Neither team led by more than a single score and after a 13-7 halftime Buffalo margin, the two teams combined for 35 points in the fourth quarter.
The Bills seemed to have the game won when quarterback Josh Allen drove his offense to the Rams 5-yard line with 2nd-and-goal and 1:39 remaining. L.A. had only one timeout remaining.
But when Cook burst into the end zone for his second touchdown and a 34-27 Buffalo lead, ABC cameras showed first-year coach Joe Brady wearing a wry smile that seemed to say “Great, we scored … but we left tthem oo much time…”
And they did.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford took his team 63 yards in eight plays in 1:29 leaving five seconds and never using that final timeout.
“IT’S SO hard to score in this league,” Brady said. “They weren’t going t o just let us score (a tactic often used). Our job is to score touchdowns.”
The Rams won the coin-toss in overtime and elected to kickoff in what appeared to be an inspired choice.
Five plays after Buffalo received the kick, Cook made his second fumble of the game, also on a strip by linebacker Nate Landman, with Hall-of-Fame-bound defensive tackle Aaron Donald recovering.
And with Buffalo already having used up it first possession, the Rams drove 50 yards setting up a 48-yard field goal to win the game. But Harrison Mavis’ attempt was blocked by the hand of Bills edge rusher Greg Rousseau.
Buffalo took possession and Allen, who finished with 121 yards on 10 carries and a TD, got 32 of them on three tries that set up Tyler Bass’ 45-yard game-winning field goal.
Afterward, Brady admitted as Mavis lined up, ‘I thought what do we do if he doesn’t make it?’ If he missed, I had full confidence that T-Bass would make that kick.”
Down two receivers — D.J. Moore and Joshua Palmer — Allen threw the ball only 19 times for 210 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman.
And he admitted, “We’ve got a lot to clean up.”
The Bills might start with addressing their propensity for penalties as, against the Rams, they were flagged 13 times for 112 yards and L.A. wasn’t much better (11 for 84).
“We just can’t have that,” Allen admitted.
Nor the fumbles, especially by Cook who rushed 25 times for 111 yards and a couple of scores.
“I TOLD HIM,” Brady said, “I’m not going to bench you … I trust you. But we have to have a conversation about how and why (the fumbles) are happening.”
Because one of them almost cost Buffalo the game.
NOTES from the Bills 37-34 overtime win against the Rams Monday night at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium:
— The Bills are staying on the West Coast this week as they’ll play the Raiders in Las Vegas next Sunday.
— Buffalo’s Ray Davis returned the opening kickoff 70 yards, the Bills longest of the season.
— The Bills first giveaway was an ill–advised interception of quarterback Josh Allen by Rams cornerback Jaylen Watson, just befor halftime, his first of the season.
— In the third quarter running back James Cook, as is his wont, fumbled when hit by L.A. linebacker Nate Landman and after officials ruled it was Rams ball, the decision was changed and that Buffalo offensive tackle Dion Dawkins had recovered.
Later in the game Cook fumbled again, as Landman got his second. In Cook’s five-year career, he has fumbled 15 times, four this season, losing two.
— The Rams lone sack of Allen was recorded by defensive lineman Josaiah Stewart, his first.
— After being 0-2 on two-point conversion attempts this season and 3-for-12 the past three years, following Allen’s 89th TD from scrimmage, a franchise record in his ninth season, he threw to tight end Dalton Kincaid for a two-point conversion.
— Buffalo’s right offensive tackle, Spencer Brown, left the game late in the first half after aggravating his back problem. He didn’t return and his place was taken by Tylan Grable, a sixth-round pick in 2024.
— Buffalo’s only sack of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was logged by defensive tackle DeWayne Carter, his first. Later, lineman T.J. Sanders tackled Stafford preventing a two-point conversion.
— Rams receiver Puka Nacua caught a franchise-record 17 balls on 24 targets and had one TD. Meanwhile, Hall-of-Fame-bound receiver Davante Adams caught five balls on seven targets and had two scores.
— Landman had game-highs in tackles (13) and solos (8). Safety Cole Bishop topped the Bills with 11 tackles and six solos while cornerback Christian Benford had 10 stops and seven solos.
— Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston, last year’s first-round draft choice, had a tough game in last sweek’s loss to the Patriots. He was benched against the Rams in favor of Davison Igbinosun, this year’s second-round pick.
— Inactives for the Bills were wide receivers D.J. Moore (shoulder) and Joshua Palmer (shoulder), cornerback Dee Alford (ankle), defensive linemen Ed Oliver (knee) and Landon Jackson (knee), guard Ar’Maj Reed-Adams and tackle-guard Jude Lowery.
The Bills elevated three players from the practice squad — cornerback Anthony Kendall, defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis and wide receiver Trent Sherfield — and all three were active.
— Among the inactives for the Rams were wide receiver CJ Daniels, tight end Max Klare, defensive end Larrell Muchhison and offensive lineman Bill Murray.
Chuck Pollock is a Senior Sports Columnist for the Wellsville-Hornell-Keuka Sun and the Olean Star. You can reach him anytime, cpollock@wnynet.net
