SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, California) — In a battle between the last two players to win MVP, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills emerged victorious over Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in a 37-34 overtime win in a game widely billed as a Super Bowl preview.
And the win helped Allen get at least one monkey off his back. It served as his first career overtime win. He had gone 0-7 in overtime games prior to Monday, including the postseason, as Buffalo improved to 4-1.
As for Los Angeles, it’s back to the drawing board as its underwhelming start has continued. It’s now 2-3 on the year.
Here are my takeaways from Monday’s thriller.
With the team’s No. 1 receiver in DJ Moore out with a shoulder injury and Joshua Palmer (shoulder) also unavailable, Buffalo needed to rely on Khalil Shakur and Keon Coleman to fill the void. Neither wide receiver stepped up for much of the game, though.
However, the lack of healthy receivers didn’t matter, as Josh Allen once again put the Bills on his back in the fourth quarter and overtime. He finished with a game-high 121 rushing yards and a score, and also threw for 210 passing yards, basically serving as the offense for the Bills.
That was evident on the Bills’ final drive. Allen ran for a total of 32 yards on back-to-back plays, leading Buffalo to get into field goal range.
Along with Allen, James Cook also helped the Bills grind out the game on the ground, totaling 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.
2.
Rams’ Special Teams Highlights Sloppy Play
In a game expected to be a Super Bowl preview with two of the top four favorites to make the Super Bowl, we instead got a sloppy affair. The two teams combined for 19 penalties and missed kicks by both kickers.
In fact, Los Angeles continues to find new ways to give up game-changing plays on special teams. Kicker Harrison Mevis had the game on his foot, but his 48-yard game-winning attempt was blocked in overtime. That came after a 50-yard miss earlier in the game, and a 70-yard return for the Bills on the opening kickoff that immediately turned into points for the Bills.
Mevis is now 5 of 9 on field goal attempts this season for the Rams.
Los Angeles continues to find new ways to give up game-changing plays on special teams. In this one, the Rams gave up a 70-yard kick return by Ray Davis that the Bills turned into a Tyler Bass 49-yard field goal. Harrison Mevis missed another field goal, this one wide left from 50 yards out. Mevis is 5-of-8 on field goals this season after finishing 12-of-13 on field goals during the regular season last year.
And Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen threw an interception for a third straight game, as cornerback Jaylen Watson earned his first pick as a Ram. Allen finished with 129 passing yards and a score, along with 68 rushing yards and a touchdown.
3.
Give The Ball To Puka Nacua And Move Out Of The Way
The BYU product posted his best game statistically of the season, finishing with a career-high 17 catches that went for 138 yards and a score on 21 targets. Rams head coach Sean McVay used Nacua in different ways, on jet sweeps, bubble screens and passes down the field.
But why didn’t McVay go to Nacua again on a third-and-5 from the Bills’ 30 in overtime? The team opted to run Kyren Williams up the gut for no gain, leading to Mevis’ blocked field goal as they could’ve marched the ball further down the field.
Still, Nacua’s performance on Monday goes to show how vital he is to this offense. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford finished 40 of 54 for 383 yards, three touchdowns, with no interceptions, posting a 111.9 passer rating.
The Rams leaned on Nacua and the passing game because they couldn’t get the running game going consistently. The Rams finished with just 73 rushing yards. Kyren Williams led the charge with 45 yards on 13 carries. Tight end Tyler Higbee added five catches for 83 yards.
3 1/2. 
What’s Next
The Rams face the bottom dwellers of the NFC West, the Arizona Cardinals, on a short week at SoFi Stadium on Sunday. It’s a much-needed matchup for the Rams as they look to stay alive in the NFC West race.
The Bills stay on the West Coast to face the Las Vegas Raiders, who are looking to break a two-game losing streak of their own.
