INGLEWOOD, CA (AP) — Following the Bills’ 44-42 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the play that generated the most discussion was the one in which Buffalo’s quarterback failed to reach the end zone, making Josh Allen the first player to have three touchdown throws and three rushing touchdowns in the same game.
Allen was stopped for no gain on a sneak up the middle on first-and-goal from the Rams 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter on Sunday, when the team was behind nine. Then, with 1:02 left, Buffalo used the first of its three timeouts.
Allen, who carried for 82 yards and passed for 324 yards, said, “I have to figure out a way to get in.” Although I am not aware of the statistics, I am aware that it was insufficient to win the game.
After being stuffed, Allen got the Bills within two points by running off left guard on second down for his eighth of the season. However, Buffalo was compelled to try an onside kick with one minute remaining.
At the Bills 45, Ronnie Rivers of the Rams recovered a kick from Tyler Bass, allowing Los Angeles to win the final seconds and snap Buffalo’s seven-game winning streak.
The Bills are 10-3 and tied with Pittsburgh for the second seed in the AFC, rather than within striking distance of Kansas City for the top place.
This season, Allen and the Bills have had success with short-yardage sneaks. He was only stopped with a to-go distance of at least one yard for the third time in 19 running tries. The opponent’s 1-yard line has been the site of two of those stops.
Throughout his seven-year career, the Bills quarterback is 20 of 27 on sneaks from the 1; this season, he is four of six.
The play call and subsequent timeout were justified by Bills coach Sean McDermott, who did not show up for his postgame news conference until 67 minutes after the game ended.
McDermott said that if they had attempted to spike the ball rather than use the timeout, an additional 15 to 20 seconds would have been deducted off the clock.
He answered, “You have two options, and neither is great.” We were below the time limit where we had a legitimate opportunity to win with no timeouts when you were in that scenario with three timeouts. We performed what we believed to be our best play of the year.
On the opening play, I believed we could get it. We had 15 yards and maybe 50 seconds, and we felt good about ourselves if we did receive the onside kick.
The success rate has been lower when recovering an onside kick rather than using all three timeouts and attempting to stop the Rams on three plays. Only three out of 41 teams have recovered an onside kick this season due to the requirement that teams declare an onside kick and regulations that prohibit the kicking team from overloading players on one side.
Allen stated that going three-and-out on their first drive of the second half and failing to score close to the conclusion of the first half loomed huge, even though the Bills made it to the end zone on their next four possessions.
Before and after the half, we need to figure out how to score. Allen, who completed 22 of 37 passes, stated, “We didn’t do our part.” I have to make one more play than they do. It was a total team loss in three phases. We failed to live up to our expectations.
Allen had all but one of his rushing yards in the second half as the Bills nearly rallied from a 38-21 deficit late in the third quarter. He joined Kordell Stewart as the only players in NFL history with at least three TD passes and two rushing scores in multiple career games.
It also was Allen s fifth game with at least two rushing and passing scores, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young for the most in NFL history.
I mean, he s a nightmare to defend, and so it s a balance. I don t think you can just sit back and let him navigate the pocket, Rams coach Sean McVay said. He can beat you from the pocket, he can beat you with his mind, he can beat you with his arm, he can beat you with his legs. That s why he s a legitimate MVP candidate.
He s one of the best players in this league, but we were searching for some different answers.
Buffalo forced the Rams to punt only twice in nine possessions and also had a breakdown on special teams when Sam Martin s punt in the second quarter was blocked by Jacob Hummel. Hunter Long scooped up the loose ball and went 22 yards to extend Los Angeles lead to 17-7.
McDermott said Allen had an incredible game but that we have to do a better job around him, especially with a road game at 12-1 Detroit next week.
We have our work cut out for us this week, he said.
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