Halfway through Monday Night Football, it appeared as though the primetime audience got a bit of a dud in Week 5. The Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams were too in their heads, trying to play a game of keep-away due to MVP quarterbacks Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford.
After Ray Davis’ opening kick return of 70 yards, what unfolded early was downright ugly football. That’s quite a feat given how little time Buffalo’s offense had the ball. Right down to the arm punt to end the first half, things felt eerily similar to last Sunday. It seemed at that moment as though Josh Allen was broken.
Most people knew that if Buffalo was to win in Los Angeles, they’d have to put their spikes in and sprint to the finish on offense. Yet, at halftime it looked like the Bills were still in the sort of funk that allowed them to throw away a game to the New England Patriots in Week 4.
To be fair, Allen lacks the sort of riches Stafford has catching passes on a routine basis. That doesn’t excuse the arm punts, which have officially re-entered “trend” territory. But just as was true of two fumbles by running back James Cook III, Allen’s interception didn’t cost the Bills a win. That’s a trend Bills Mafia can rally around, if necessary.
There is much work to be done, however. That’s true of the entire roster.
In that moment, Allen should have run for yards, or checked the ball down, or even out of bounds — anything other than heaving it into traffic. Live another down, run more clock, and make it that much harder on Stafford and company looking for quick points. Though, again, it ultimately didn’t do the team harm.
At the half, it was a bit stunning to see the Bills were ahead. How many people do you think went to bed? They’re in for quite a surprise when they wake up with the sun. But who could blame a person? Everything just felt off, yet familiar to what plagued them in last week’s loss.
Then something clicked at halftime. Both teams came out firing, perhaps throwing a bit too much caution to the wind in key moments. Yet as I’ve already stated: No turnover decided the game.
Instead, we can look back at a pair of bold points I made pre-game. The Bills would probably need to convert a two-point conversion (and against a team near-equally woeful converting them), and they had to capitalize on special teams mistakes against a woeful Rams unit.
That first point proved a challenge once again, as Brady and the offense played it cute with so much goofy pre-snap motion that it led to a false start. There’s too much thinking outside the box with their two-point offense. With Allen, the move should always be to run the ball or get him on the move and looking for Kincaid.
Well, they missed the first try, then made up for it later with a still-glitchy but successful try with a pass from Allen to Kincaid. More of that, with less glitch is all they need. Brady’s reaction was all you needed to see in understanding how big a moment it was to convert that two-point try.
As to the special teams point, it’s a full course meal. Ray Davis was shot out of a cannon early as a kick returner. Had he not been caught from behind by a defensive lineman playing kicker, Davis was scoring on the first play. It wasn’t ideal settling for a field goal after that return, but they proved to be important points.
Special teams would once again play a huge role late in overtime following Cook’s second fumble. Rousseau once again coming up huge in the crunch, leaping to deflect the Rams’ game-winning field goal attempt. Out of nowhere, the Bills had new life and no one was more relieved than Cook. (The Bills are 2-0 this season when Cook has fumbled twice in a game.)
The football world knows what happens when you keep giving Josh Allen chances. If you were to try defending the idea of QB wins as a stat, all you’d need do now is play the tape of the Bills’ final drive in overtime. Allen took complete control of the game, running through, around, and over any defender in his way. One man (and, yes, an offensive line) against 11 defenders.
Understanding the moment, once Allen got into Bass’ comfortable field goal range, head coach Joe Brady wasn’t leaving anything to foolish chance in order to create a more ideal scenario. Brady’s hunch proved correct, and Bass walked off a hero who’d been given the keys to trust.
This is the type of win that could properly fuel the team. There’s a lot of season left and they’re certain to face similar or worse adversity. They played a heck of a game of chess against a Super Bowl favorite. Now the Bills need to get things figured out on defense, while continuing to capitalize on every bit of good luck that comes their way.
It’s unfamiliar territory, to be sure, but winning in overtime looks great on Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.