Bills Beat Rams 37-34 in OT After Rousseau Block Sets Up Bass Winner

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Key Points

  • Buffalo won 37-34 in overtime at SoFi Stadium on Monday night, improving to 4-1 and dropping Los Angeles to 2-3.
  • Greg Rousseau blocked Harrison Mevis’ 48-yard overtime try, and Tyler Bass hit a 45-yard field goal with 1:55 left.
  • Josh Allen totaled 331 yards, including a game-high 121 rushing, for his first overtime win after seven career losses.
  • Matthew Stafford threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns, and Puka Nacua caught a career-high 17 passes in defeat.

The Buffalo Bills beat the Los Angeles Rams 37-34 in overtime on Monday Night Football, surviving a fumble in Rams territory when Greg Rousseau blocked a potential game-winning field goal and Josh Allen ran Buffalo into range for Tyler Bass.

Bass drilled a 45-yard kick with 1:55 left in the extra period at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, ending a Week 5 game that featured six lead changes and 890 combined yards of offense, according to NFL.com.

What happened

The first half was a grind. Ray Davis returned the opening kickoff 70 yards to set up the first of two Bass field goals, and Buffalo led 13-7 at halftime as the teams combined for just 20 points.

The fourth quarter turned into a shootout. Puka Nacua’s 2-yard catch put the Rams ahead 20-19, Allen answered with a 1-yard touchdown run and a two-point pass to Dalton Kincaid, and Davante Adams tied it at 27 with a 5-yard catch from Matthew Stafford with 7:14 left.

James Cook gave Buffalo a 34-27 lead on a 5-yard run with 1:39 to play. Stafford then moved the Rams to the 1-yard line, and Kyren Williams powered in with seconds remaining to force overtime, according to the Associated Press recap published by ESPN.

Allen finished 12 of 19 for 210 yards, with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman and an interception. He added 121 yards on 10 carries as Buffalo ran for 234 yards as a team. Cook had 111 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.

Latest development

Overtime swung twice. On Buffalo’s opening possession, Khalil Shakir turned a short pass into a 57-yard gain to the Rams 22. On the next play, linebacker Nate Landman punched the ball away from Cook, and Aaron Donald recovered at the Los Angeles 20. Donald ended his retirement and returned to the Rams in late August.

Stafford drove the Rams to the Buffalo 30, but Los Angeles handed off to Williams for no gain on third-and-5. Rousseau then got a hand on Mevis’ 48-yard attempt. It was Mevis’ second miss of the night after an earlier 50-yard try.

Allen took over from there, scrambling for 19 and 13 yards. Coach Joe Brady sent Bass out on second down, and the kick was good.

“Greg Rousseau made a play,” Allen said afterward, per the AP. Rams coach Sean McVay was blunt about his special teams: “It cost us the game tonight.”

Why it matters

The matchup paired the NFL’s last two AP Most Valuable Players, and both delivered. Stafford completed 40 of 54 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns, while Allen’s legs decided it. The win was Allen’s first in overtime after seven career losses, including the playoffs, according to NFL.com.

Buffalo is 4-1 for the sixth time in eight seasons and the first time under Brady, a first-year head coach. For Los Angeles, special teams remain the story. McVay said he would evaluate everything, and Mevis’ three missed field goals this season are the most in the league, the AP reported.

Nacua caught a career-high 17 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown. Adams had five catches for 51 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 121 regular-season receiving touchdowns, tied with Larry Fitzgerald for sixth all time.

What happens next

The Bills visit the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS. The Rams stay home to host the Arizona Cardinals the same afternoon at 4:05 p.m. ET on FOX, according to ESPN’s schedule.

Buffalo will also monitor right tackle Spencer Brown, who left in the second half with a back injury. Top receiver DJ Moore sat out Monday with a shoulder injury, the AP reported.

New to the league or catching up on how the season is structured? Our guide to how the NFL works covers the basics, and you can revisit our Week 2 look at Buffalo against Detroit.

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