The Bills resisted a second-half fightback from the Rams to avoid blowing a 25-point lead
Monday 28 September 2020 01:33, UK
Josh Allen found Tyler Kroft for a three-yard touchdown with 15 seconds remaining as the Buffalo Bills fended off a superb comeback from the Los Angeles Rams to stay perfect at the start of the season.
The third-year quarterback finished 24 of 33 passing for 311 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, while Devin Singletary persevered on the ground in the absence of Zack Moss with 13 carries for 71 yards.
Jared Goff went 23 of 32 for 322 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for the Rams, with Darrell Henderson consistently finding lanes in the Bills' run defense to pound his way to 114 yards rushing for a touchdown off 20 carries.
Having found themselves 28-3 down, the Rams reeled off 29 straight points on the back of a questionable and momentum-swinging interception in favour of John Johnson, however couldn't see out the job as the Bills orchestrated one final drive to move to 3-0 on the year.
Sam Sloman, tasked with filling the shoes of Greg Zuerlein, missed a 53-yard field goal to put the Rams ahead early on, to which Allen replied by picking out tight end Lee Smith for a one-yard touchdown pass. Stefon Diggs had seen two scores ruled out on the drive, the first due to Allen's low pass hitting the ground before the receiver dived to the endzone and the second because of a holding call on the offensive line.
Goff's response was foiled by an interception from Levi Wallace on a pass into traffic intended for Van Jefferson, before the Bills took advantage with a one-yard touchdown run from Allen to cap a seven-play, 66-yard drive boosted by a 39-yard pass to Gabriel Davis.
After holding the Rams to a field goal, the Bills extended their lead late in the half thanks to a three-yard touchdown catch from wide-open tight end Kroft in the flat following a series that saw Allen connect with Davis for 21 yards and Cole Beasley for 29 yards.
After containing the Rams on a fourth-and-four attempt, the Bills came back with a drive spring-boarded by Singletary's 34-yard screen catch-and-run, before Allen capped it with a four-yard touchdown pass to Diggs, who had got the better of cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
The Rams finally had their first touchdown on the ensuing drive as Goff dived over from one yard out following some tough running from Henderson and Malcolm Brown.
Then came what threatened to be a game-changing play for the Rams, Johnson claiming an interception on Allen's pass to Kroft, who came down with the catch but was ruled to have had the ball swiped away from the safety. Goff found Tyler Higbee for a 31-yard pickup on the resulting series, which finished with Robert Woods' 25-yard touchdown catch-and-run.
A rejuvenated Rams offense continue the comeback with a 16-yard touchdown catch from Cooper Kupp, with Goff finding Higbee for the two-point conversion to make it a three-point game.
Aaron Donald left his mark with two sacks in four plays, the second of which saw him recover the fumble to set up the Rams' go-ahead drive capped by Henderson's one-yard touchdown run after Allen had given up 15-yards with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
With momentum in the Rams' favour, Allen restored some composure to move the chains on third-and-22 with a 22-yard pass to Beasley.
After giving up 15 yards for a facemask penalty, Allen found Diggs to pickup 16 yards on third-and-25, before capitalising on a pass interference call and automatic first-down with a game-winning three-yard touchdown pass to Kroft with 15 seconds to play.
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