Featured photo: Josh Allen scrambles against Washington in 2021. Photo by All-Pro Reels, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Archival image, not from the Rams game.
A blocked field goal and a 45-yard kick from Tyler Bass gave Buffalo a dramatic 37–34 overtime victory over Los Angeles, while Josh Allen came away with a milestone he had waited years to reach.
The Buffalo Bills left SoFi Stadium on Monday night with more than a close road win. Their back-and-forth game against the Rams ended with Allen earning his first victory in a contest that went to overtime, after his previous seven overtime appearances had ended without a win. The quarterback helped set up the decisive score with his legs, and Buffalo’s defense and special teams delivered the plays that kept the game alive.
A finish that kept changing
For much of the evening, neither team could hold the momentum for long. The Rams leaned on Matthew Stafford’s passing game, while Buffalo looked for ways to create space on the ground and through short throws. The contest tightened as the fourth quarter progressed, with both offenses finding the end zone and repeatedly answering one another.
Buffalo moved ahead late after Allen converted a key third down with a scramble. He followed that with another long run to bring the Bills into scoring range, and James Cook finished the drive with a five-yard touchdown run. The score put Buffalo ahead 34–27 with 1 minute and 39 seconds left in regulation.
Los Angeles had enough time for one final response. Stafford moved the Rams down the field, and running back Kyren Williams crossed the goal line from close range with only five seconds remaining. The touchdown tied the score at 34 and sent the teams into overtime, extending a game that had already featured a series of late scoring drives.
Overtime turns on two special-teams plays
Buffalo began overtime with a promising gain when Allen connected with receiver Khalil Shakir on a short pass that Shakir carried 57 yards downfield. The Bills looked poised to take control, but Cook lost the ball on the next play and Los Angeles recovered. The turnover shifted the pressure to Buffalo’s defense.
The Rams advanced into field-goal range and lined up for a 48-yard attempt. Outside linebacker Greg Rousseau broke through and blocked the kick, preventing Los Angeles from ending the game. The stop gave Allen and the offense another opportunity—and changed the direction of the overtime period.
Allen took over on the ensuing drive with two determined runs that moved Buffalo closer to the posts. Bass then converted a 45-yard field goal with 1 minute and 55 seconds remaining in overtime. The kick sealed the 37–34 result and capped a sequence in which Buffalo’s defense, quarterback and kicker each had a decisive role.
Allen and Cook carry the ground game
Allen’s rushing was central to Buffalo’s comeback. He gained 121 yards on 10 carries and scored once on the ground, helping the Bills make progress when open passing options were harder to find. His late scrambles mattered most: one extended a drive in regulation, and the two in overtime put Bass in position to win the game.
Cook added 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns. His late scoring run gave Buffalo the lead with less than two minutes remaining, but his fumble in overtime briefly put the Bills in danger. Buffalo’s defense responded by forcing a field-goal attempt, and Rousseau’s block gave the offense a chance to recover from the turnover.
Stafford kept Los Angeles in the contest with 383 passing yards and three touchdown passes. Receiver Puka Nacua caught 17 passes for 138 yards and a score, giving the Rams a consistent target as they worked to erase Buffalo’s leads. The late touchdown drive showed why the Bills could not relax, even after taking the lead near the end of regulation.
A personal milestone in a team win
The overtime result marked Allen’s first win in eight career games that required an extra period and his 100th overall career victory, according to the Bills’ official recap. Afterward, he credited the team’s persistence and singled out the contributions from the defense and special teams. His reaction reflected the relief of finally getting a different ending in overtime, but the finish was built through a full-team effort.
For Buffalo, the victory offered a useful example of how the team can respond when a game becomes unpredictable. The offense found timely yards on the ground, the defense stopped a potential game-winning kick, and Bass handled the final moment. The Bills also had to overcome a costly turnover and a late Rams touchdown, so the win came with details the team can review as it prepares for its next game.
Allen’s first overtime victory will stand out in his career record, but the night’s sequence made the result memorable: a lead surrendered, a late equalizer, a turnover in overtime, a blocked kick and one final field goal. Buffalo survived every swing and finished the night with a 37–34 win.
The Bills had built their early points through several different kinds of plays. Ray Davis returned the opening kickoff 70 yards, helping set up Bass’s 49-yard field goal. Later, a screen pass to Ty Johnson gained 40 yards and helped create room for Cook’s touchdown. Allen also connected with Keon Coleman for a seven-yard score. That variety gave Buffalo options on a night when the passing game did not always find a steady rhythm, and it mattered as the game turned into a fourth-quarter exchange.
Reporting checked against the Buffalo Bills’ official game recap and NFL coverage.