The Buffalo Bills entered the season as favorites to go to the Super Bowl and lived up to that hype with a dominating 31-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in the season opener. NFL Thursday. Buffalo overcame four turnovers and still put up 31 points in an impressive performance, dominating the game in the second half to put away Los Angeles.
Josh Allen was 26 of 31 for 297 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in the win, while rushing for 56 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown. Allen’s four-yard touchdown on third and the 4-yard line goal early in the fourth quarter gave the Bills a 24-10 lead that set them up for the win.
The touchdown was Allen’s 32nd career touchdown, tying him with Fran Tarkenton, Kordell Stewart and Terry Bradshaw for 14th in NFL history. Allen went into his seventh game with three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown, putting him in sole possession of third in that category in NFL history (Drew Brees has nine and Tom Brady has eight).
The Bills defense forced three turnovers (all interceptions) and had seven sacks on the night, limiting the Rams to just 3.7 per play. Stefon Diggs caught a 53-yard touchdown from Allen in the fourth quarter to put Buffalo leads 31-10, capping a night he finished with eight catches for 122 yards with a touchdown.
Cooper Kupp had a good night in an inane offensive game for the Rams, finishing with 13 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown. Matthew Stafford finished with three interceptions in the loss (his second three-interception game with the Rams) and went 29 of 41 for 240 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions.
Rams head coach Sean McVay is below .500 in a season for the first time in his career. It falls to 5-1 in the season opener.
Why the Bills won
The Bills weren’t perfect Thursday night, but they were definitely better than the defending Super Bowl champions. Buffalo’s defense was very, very impressive — from the pass rush to the overall high school game. But what stands out just as much is Allen’s game.
The Bills franchise QB completed 26 of 31 passes for 297 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. The first interception wasn’t his fault, as Isaiah McKenzie practically handed the ball to a linebacker, but the second was a backlash. For 99% of the match, however, Allen was magnificent. He spread the ball to seven different receivers, and he felt like he was always above where the open option would be. Allen had just one “incompleteness” in the first half, as he went 17 of 20 for 153 yards, a touchdown and two picks.
The NBC show pointed out that Allen was getting the ball out 2.2 seconds per recoil early in the fourth quarter — which is above average. He looked comfortable both relying on his receivers to make plays in the flat and waiting in the pocket for development down.
Everyone would probably agree that Allen is a star, but on Thursday night he just relied on the fact that he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and explained why the Bills are the favorites to lift the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the year.
Why the Rams lost
There’s a lot of blame to be had on the Los Angeles side. Jalen Ramsey had a rough night, Stafford missed several shots and Allen Robinson was not part of the attack at all. But one thing that made life difficult for the Rams as a whole was offensive line play.
LA is replacing two starters on the offensive front this season, and it certainly showed. Stafford has been sacked six times for a 43-yard loss in the first three quarters alone. According to the Associated Press, those six sacks are the most the Rams have allowed in any game under Sean McVay. Stafford was sacked once again in the final stanza.
While offensive line play affected Stafford, it also hurt Los Angeles running backs. The Rams rushed for a total of 52 yards on 18 carries, averaging 2.9 yards per carry.
Turning
Down 14 points early in the fourth quarter, the Rams needed to shake things up. Instead, Stafford threw his second interception of the night.
Just three plays later, Allen found Diggs on the right side of the field for a 53-yard touchdown that extended Buffalo’s lead to 21 points.
Game of the game
It was either the moment you jumped for joy or felt your stomach knot. Down 21 points after a Rams interception and a Bills touchdown, Stafford threw his third interception of the night – an impressive make-it-yourself highlight play from Boogie Basham.
Josh Allen stiff arm
As a defensive back, it must be tough to beat a tall, athletic quarterback like Allen in the open field. Nick Scott found out firsthand that it wasn’t a pleasant experience, as he found himself on the wrong side of that stiff arm from the Bills quarterback.
And after
The Bills return to Buffalo for another primetime game as they host the Tennessee Titans next Monday night. As for the Rams, they will stay home and host Marcus Mariota and the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday afternoon.
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