Rams offense puts together explosive performance to dominate Bills – Daily News

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Helmets are seen during a rally before an NFL football game between the Rams and the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

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INGLEWOOD — Their 17-point lead dwindled to three as the Rams faced 3rd-and-5 from the Buffalo Bills 19 coming out of the two-minute warning Sunday. The stakes were clear: convert and keep working down the clock, or score a field goal on fourth down and give the ball back to Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, who has three straight touchdowns, with plenty of time and three timeouts.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has found a third option.

Noticing that Buffalo was preparing to blitz without any high safeties, Stafford left the play at the line of scrimmage into a bubble screen on the right side. Puka Nacua caught the ball just as Cooper Kupp crashed into the first man, sealing the outside. Right tackle Rob Havenstein dropped out and made a chip block. And that was all the space Nacua needed to rush toward the end zone.

Allen would have another touchdown in him, but the score was enough to help the Rams (7-6) close out a 44-42 victory over Buffalo (10-3) behind the team’s most complete offensive performance in the ‘year.

“The players did something today,” said head coach Sean McVay.

All season, the Rams have lamented execution errors that led to slow starts and low conversion rates on third down and in the red zone. But the Rams who showed up at SoFi Stadium on Sunday provided the game-to-game and quarter-to-quarter consistency the group was looking for.

It started in the running game. Kyren Williams was once again a bruiser, absorbing blows as he reached the second level behind a merged offensive line. The 29 races for 87 races don’t come off the page. But the result was that the Rams faced an average of 5.9 yards to gain on third downs, which they converted at an 11-for-15 rate.

“I thought our guys did an incredible job up front when you look at it in the running game and the passing game,” Stafford said. “I did a really good job of keeping myself clean despite having a really good run, and then we had some kinks in the running game as well. So it starts with these guys, they did a hell of a job.

While the line didn’t allow a sack — the first team to do so against Buffalo this season — Stafford threw for a game-high 320 yards while completing 23 of 30 attempts. Twelve of those completions went to Nacua.

The second-year receiver, who missed five games with a sprained knee, had his best game of the season on Sunday. A season-high 162 yards through the air. Sixteen rushing yards and the first rushing touchdown of his career. Toe tappers on the sideline. Jump the ball on the third try. Find the weak spot in the area on the third try.

“He was such a trigger today,” McVay said. “He is so tough physically and mentally. Love it. “Igniter” is one of the highest compliments I can give someone. You elevate everyone around you, you bring an energy to this football team and he certainly did that today.

Nacua had his fair share of play-calling candidates. Kupp did too, including a touchdown against his knee. But the special teams were not left out in the second quarter.

As they lined up for a Bills punt, linebacker Jacob Hummel rushed through a guard and blocked the kick with his elbow. Tight end Hunter Long recovered the ball and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown, the first of his career.

The Rams needed all that firepower, because Allen wasn’t about to go quietly. The MVP candidate turned in a six-touchdown performance. After a three-and-out on the first drive of the third quarter, the Bills scored touchdowns on four straight possessions. In the third, Allen made a perfect pass to Mack Hollins on a corner to bring the Bills within three with 8:49 left.

“I think that was the mentality going into this week, knowing the team we were going to play and the offense we were competing against,” Williams said. “So we knew that on our side of the ball, we just had to keep working, keep getting those hard-earned downs.”

The Bills almost gave the ball back to Allen. But a fourth down conversion to Tutu Atwell kept the Rams alive in Bills territory. And then Stafford made the criticism audible on Nacua’s touchdown.