The Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams have one half of their "Monday Night Football' matchup in the books. At the break, the Bills hold a slim 13-7 lead.
Buffalo opened up the scoring with a Tyler Bass field goal thanks largely to Ray Davis ripping off a 70-yard return on the game's opening kickoff, putting the Bills just outside the red zone. L.A.'s defense not only stood tall and held them out of the end zone on that possession, but they did the same the second time they were on the field as well. After finding themselves in a 6-0 hole, Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense came alive with a 14-play, 71-yard touchdown drive that culminated with a Davante Adams 4-yard touchdown catch.
Josh Allen and Co. reclaimed the lead on the very next possession and had another chunk play to credit point coming on the board. Running back Ty Johnson took a short pass from Allen 40 yards down the field, which put Buffalo in the red zone and set up a 17-yard touchdown run by James Cook on the very next play.
Will Buffalo hold onto its lead and move to 4-1 on the season? Will the Rams rally and move above .500 for the first time this year? We're about to find out. As this second half unfolds, check out our live blog of Monday's contest. Below, you can find real-time highlights and expert analysis.
Buffalo got a huge break after James Cook put the ball on the ground. The officials initially ruled that the Rams got the loose ball, but then quickly changed their minds and gave the ball back to Buffalo. It did look like a Bills defender got it at the bottom of the pile.
There's been a weird pace to this game, and that's led to a funky box score for Josh Allen. With just over eight minutes left in the third quarter, the Bills QB has attempted just nine passes so far.
A DPI penalty on Cole Bishop while covering Tyler Higbee near the end zone put the ball at the 1-yard line for the Rams. Stafford then handed the ball off to Blake Corum, and he barreled in for the touchdown, his first of the season. The extra point gives L.A. the 14-13 lead.
Tyler Higbee was initially called for a false start on fourth-and-1. Even after being backed up, Sean McVay left the offense on the field and, as fate would have it, Stafford connected with Higbee for the 10-yard gain to move the chains anyways. A quick redemption for the tight end.
It was a little bit puzzling for the Rams not to try to get a chunk play with eight seconds left before halftime and try for a long field goal. Matthew Stafford instead opted for a deep ball to Puka Nacua, but the end zone heave was too far out in front. Kicker Harrison Mevis did miss a 50-yard attempt earlier in the half, but I still think that would've been the smarter approach, especially with it then cutting down the lead to a field goal and L.A. getting the ball back to begin the second half.
Reminiscent of his interception last week, Josh Allen takes an initial hit, absorbs it, and tries to chuck it deep. Instead of making a big play, he turns the ball over, with Jaylen Watson making the interception.
After the completion of Nacua was overturned, things went off the rails a bit for the Rams. Stafford nearly threw an interception, and then left tackle Alaric Jackson was called for a false start, setting up a third-and-15 attempt that they failed to convert.
For the first time as an NFL head coach, Joe Brady has thrown the challenge flag. And it looks like he'll be 1-0 on challenges as Puka Nacua's toe tapped out of bounds.
So far tonight, the Rams have converted four of their six third-down opportunities. They've been able to move the chains with relative ease on the key down.
It's a 13-7 lead for Buffalo after James Cook punched in a 17-yard touchdown one play after Ty Johnson's 40-yard gain.
Ty Johnson gave the Bills offense some much-needed burst. The back hauled in a short pass from Josh Allen and took it 40 yards into the red zone for Buffalo.
Not great for the Bills offensive line. Starting right tackle Spencer Brown is down on the field and is currently being looked at by trainers. Came on a first-and-15 play where Khalil Shakir hauled in a 6-yard catch.
With that score, Davante Adams now has 120 career receiving touchdowns. That's just one shy of tying Larry Fitzgerald for sixth-most all-time.
Had Allen not made this catch on third down, L.A. likely would've had to settle for a field goal. Tremendous effort from the tight end to turn back, snag the catch, and keep the ball from hitting the turf.
After a sluggish first quarter, the Rams have taken the lead in the opening minutes of the second quarter. After converting several third downs, Stafford and Adams connected for a fade on the left side of the end zone, beating C.J. Gardner-Johnson in coverage.
It was pointed out on the broadcast, but 2025 first-round pick Maxwell Hairston has not logged a defensive snap yet tonight. The corner struggled mightily last week against the Patriots, so this is possibly him seeing a demotion on Joe Brady's depth chart.
Once again, the Rams defense comes up big and holds Buffalo out of the end zone. Josh Allen had time in the pocket, but his pass intended for Dawson Knox in the end zone was too far out in front of him. Tyler Bass comes out for the field goal, and it's a 6-0 lead for Buffalo.
Man, Aaron Donald nearly had his first sack of the season and the first since coming out of retirement. The Rams lineman absolutely cooked the left guard and laid a big hit on Josh Allen for the sack. However, Trent McDuffie was called for illegal contact, which negated the play.
Something to watch the rest of the game. I've noticed Stafford has largely ripped off short, quick passes. When he had to drop back and fire it deep to Nacua over the middle of the field on third down, the Rams QB simply missed him. Coming into tonight, Stafford had a 28.3% off-target rate on throws at least 10 yards downfield this year. For reference, that was 15.5% last year.
Special teams have been a problem for the Rams through the early stages of this game. After letting off a big kickoff return that led to a Bills field goal, L.A. placekicker Harrison Mevis missed a 50-yard field goal wide left.
The Rams are attacking the Bills secondary, particularly with Puka Nacua. Already, Stafford has targeted him three times for 17 yards, including a 9-yard gain to move the chains. I expect L.A. to attack a shaky Buffalo secondary all night.
It might have been tipped a bit by Rams linebacker Nate Landman, but Dawson Knox should've caught the second-down pass from Josh Allen. The Bills QB largely threaded the needle and found the tight end over the middle for a would-be touchdown, but it went through his hands.
After that incredible kickoff return, the Rams defense stood tall, allowing just three yards and forcing a Bills field goal attempt. It's a 3-0 Bills lead, but that's about as good as L.A. could expect given the circumstances.
Can't ask for a better start than this for the Buffalo Bills, who'll begin just outside the red zone thanks to Ray Davis.
"This is one of the best games of the week. The Bills are coming off a tough loss to the Patriots, while the Rams rallied to beat the Eagles. Look for a lot of points in this one as Josh Allen and Matt Stafford have big games. In the end, the Rams will make the plays late to win it." -- Pete Prisco, who has the Rams pulling out the 34-33 win.
The last time these two teams squared off, points came in bunches. The Rams won a 44-42 shootout, and Buffalo became the first team in NFL history to lose a game despite scoring six or more touchdowns and recording zero turnovers. Josh Allen was the first player with three-plus passing touchdowns and three-plus rushing touchdowns in a regular-season game. Meanwhile, Puka Nacua recorded 162 receiving yards and two touchdowns (one rushing and one receiving.
Lost in the shadows of Matthew Stafford vs. Josh Allen is a heck of a running back matchup. James Cook entered the week with the third-most rushing yards (421) in the league. Meanwhile, Williams is coming off a clutch showing in the comeback win over Philly last week, rushing for 80 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 10 catches and 67 yards receiving.
Allen is coming into this game playing some of the best football of his career. He's averaging 289.3 total yards per game and has 13 total touchdowns through four games. Allen's tied for the most rushing touchdowns (7) in the NFL entering Week 5 and is tied for the most 30-yard touchdown passes in the first four games of the season in franchise history.
