Bills vs Rams- The Good, The Bad, The Ballwasher, & The Ballbreaker

Holy shit

Oct 13, 2026

Great Players Are Great When They Have to Be

That was probably one of the craziest Monday Night Football games in Buffalo Bills history, and I’ve seen my share of insanity over the years. I’m sitting here trying to figure out what the hell I want to write about after Buffalo’s 37-34 overtime victory against the Rams, and I keep coming back to two things: Josh Allen and this team’s resilience.

There’s an old saying in sports that great players aren’t always great. They’re great when they have to be. And Josh Allen was exactly that in the fourth quarter and overtime. It wasn’t always pretty, and for much of the night the Bills passing game looked like it wanted absolutely nothing to do with playing football, but when Buffalo desperately needed its quarterback to be Superman, Allen showed up. He did it with guts. Just pure fucking guts.

And that’s what impressed me most about this win. The Bills could have folded several times, especially after watching their defense cough up leads and allow Matthew Stafford and the Rams to move the football seemingly whenever they wanted. Instead, Buffalo kept fighting, Allen kept making plays, and the Bills somehow found a way to leave Los Angeles with a victory. I don’t know how many teams survive a game like that, but the Bills did.

Now, here’s where things get complicated. I have no idea whether we’ll look back at this game in December or January and say this was the night that propelled Buffalo toward something special. Maybe it becomes one of those defining wins that brings a team together. Or maybe we’ll look back and realize the warning signs were right in front of us all along, especially with a secondary that couldn’t stop anybody and a passing game that spent large portions of the night doing absolutely nothing.

Because if you ask me, this game left us with more questions than answers. The running game was outstanding, Josh Allen was magnificent when he absolutely had to be, and the Bills showed a level of resilience that deserves recognition. But the defense was a mess in the second half, the receivers and tight ends were largely invisible, and there were stretches where Buffalo looked completely out of sorts. Still, a win is a win, and let’s not pretend the Rams are some lousy football team. They’re a hell of a team, and winning a game like this on the road is something worth appreciating, even if it nearly gave me a heart attack.

The Good

Josh Allen: Just Pure Guts

There’s a big difference between playing a great game and being great when your team absolutely needs you. Josh Allen didn’t have a particularly good first half, and for long stretches it felt like Buffalo’s passing game was operating with one hand tied behind its back.

He finished with just 19 pass attempts, completing 12 for 210 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

His attempts/completions were the fewest he’s had in a game from start to finish since the Cowboys game in 2023

But what makes Allen special is that he can find a completely different way to beat you when Plan A goes out the window.

Allen finished with 121 rushing yards (2nd most in his career and most since 2018) on 10 carries, averaging 12.1 yards every time he took off.

This wasn’t just a quarterback scrambling because nobody was open, either. In the fourth quarter and overtime, Allen looked like a guy who simply refused to lose. There were runs where you could practically feel him deciding that if the Bills were going to win this game, he was going to have to do it himself.

And he almost had to. Buffalo scored 18 points in the fourth quarter and overtime combined, and its quarterback was the centerpiece of the comeback and eventual victory. We can argue about the offense’s limitations, the lack of receiver production, and the occasional Allen decision that drives everybody insane. But there is something special about having a quarterback who can put a team on his back when the entire thing looks ready to collapse.

James Cook: This Is Why You Pay Running Backs

I’ve changed my tune on paying running backs over the last couple of seasons, and James Cook is one of the reasons why. He finished with 111 rushing yards on 25 carries and scored two touchdowns against the Rams.

Including playoffs, it was his 21st 100 yard game of his career which ranks 3rd most in franchise history.

When the passing game wasn’t doing much of anything, Cook was giving the Bills a legitimate offensive identity.

His 17-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was one of those plays that showed why he’s so valuable. Cook doesn’t need the Bills to throw the ball 35 times to be effective, and he doesn’t need everything to be perfectly blocked to produce. He’s capable of making defenders miss, finding small openings, and putting together the kinds of runs that keep an offense alive.

Now, we’ll discuss his fumbles later…. But I’m not going to allow two mistakes to erase the fact that Cook was one of Buffalo’s most important players in a game it desperately needed to win. He’s become far more than a complementary piece to Josh Allen.

Ty Johnson: The Unsung Hero

I’m convinced Ty Johnson could disappear for three quarters, come back onto the field, make some ridiculous play that saves the Bills, and then disappear again until the following Sunday. He’s become that player who seems to deliver a random big play whenever Buffalo needs one. He doesn’t get the attention of Allen or Cook, but I wonder how many games over the last few seasons have turned because Johnson made something happen.

Against the Rams, Johnson finished with four catches for 72 yards, including a 40-yard reception during Buffalo’s second-quarter touchdown drive. He also made a critical 26-yard catch on third-and-five during the third quarter. That’s two enormous plays from a guy who isn’t exactly the first name anybody mentions when discussing Buffalo’s offensive weapons.

The Bills Have Become a Damn Good Running Team

Maybe it’s time we stop calling Buffalo a passing team that happens to run the football well. Maybe this is now a running team that just happens to have Josh Allen at quarterback. The Bills finished with 234 rushing yards (best since Cowboys 2023 game) against the Rams, averaging 6.3 yards per carry, and their ground game was the biggest reason they survived.

Between Allen’s 121 rushing yards and Cook’s 111, those two accounted for 232 of Buffalo’s 234 rushing yards. That’s a remarkable concentration of production, and it shows just how dangerous the Bills can be when those two get rolling. Add Johnson’s contributions through the air, and the running backs are giving Buffalo an entirely different offensive dimension.

The problem, of course, is that the rest of the passing game needs to catch up. But I’m not going to ignore how much fun it is watching the Bills line up and run the football effectively against a good opponent. There’s something almost refreshing about knowing Buffalo can win without Allen throwing 40 passes.

Greg Rousseau and Tyler Bass Saved the Night

I don’t know how many more dramatic moments you could possibly squeeze into this game, but Greg Rousseau blocking a potential game-winning field goal in overtime was certainly near the top. Buffalo had already watched the Rams march downfield after James Cook’s fumble, and it felt like one more defensive breakdown was going to end the night. Instead, Rousseau got a hand on Harrison Mevis’ kick and gave the Bills one more chance.

Then Tyler Bass stepped up and delivered the game-winning 45-yard field goal. After everything that had happened, including the missed opportunities and mistakes throughout the night, Buffalo actually finished the job. Rousseau and Bass deserve a tremendous amount of credit because without those plays, we’re probably having a much different conversation about this game.

And as much as I’m going to criticize the defense in this recap, it’s only fair to acknowledge the player who helped rescue it. Rousseau’s block wasn’t just a nice special-teams moment. It was one of the biggest plays of the entire game.

The Bad

The Bills Secondary: What the Hell Are We Doing?

Let’s get something straight: Matthew Stafford is an excellent quarterback, and the Rams have a tremendous collection of receiving talent. Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, and their tight ends are going to create problems for plenty of defenses. But that doesn’t mean Buffalo gets a free pass for what happened Monday night.

Stafford completed 40 of 54 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception. Puka Nacua finished with 17 receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown.

Tyler Higbee added five catches for 83 yards, and Davante Adams scored twice. It felt like every time the Rams desperately needed to move the football, they found somebody open.

Here’s the part that concerns me most: Los Angeles scored 27 points in the second half after managing just seven in the first. At some point, the Bills defense went from doing its job to looking completely incapable of slowing Stafford down. When the Rams got the football trailing 34-27 with 1:39 remaining, they marched downfield and forced overtime.

And for all the discussion about Buffalo’s passing-game problems, the Rams had no trouble getting their receivers and tight ends involved. I don’t expect this secondary to shut down every great receiver it faces. I do expect it to make opposing quarterbacks work a hell of a lot harder than Stafford had to work for much of this game.

Maxwell Hairston: What’s Happening With the Chosen One?

Maxwell Hairston didn’t start Monday night, and for much of the first half it seemed like the Chosen One had disappeared from the rotation. He finally got back onto the field during the final five minutes before halftime, which raised questions about what exactly the coaching staff was doing with him.

Was this a message? A matchup decision? Has Jim Leonhard lost confidence in him? I don’t know, and I don’t want to pretend I have the answer, but it certainly wasn’t an encouraging development for a former first-round cornerback.

What makes it even more frustrating is that Buffalo’s secondary isn’t exactly overflowing with reliable options. You would think a defense that had this much trouble covering the Rams would be desperate to get production from Hairston. Instead, we’re wondering why he wasn’t starting in the first place.

The Passing Game Needs More Than James Cook and Ty Johnson

Here’s something that should bother everybody: Josh Allen threw just 19 passes in a game that lasted nearly five quarters. And while he finished with 210 passing yards, the traditional receiving options were barely involved for much of the night.

Khalil Shakir deserves credit for finishing with 80 receiving yards, including the enormous 57-yard catch in overtime.

But Keon Coleman, Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox combined for only three catches and 20 yards.

That’s ridiculous when you’re trying to build a sustainable passing attack around one of the best quarterbacks in football.

And I understand the Rams have made major improvements to their defense since Buffalo scored 42 points against them in December 2024. Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson are serious additions, and Aaron Donald makes life miserable for anybody trying to move the football. But I’m not going to use that as an excuse for Buffalo getting almost nothing out of so many of its receiving options.

Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid: Anybody Home?

Fucking hell, Dawson Knox. Does this dude ever catch anything important? Yeah, maybe one of those first-quarter incompletions was tipped or maybe it was a shitty Josh Allen throw. I’m willing to acknowledge that not every incomplete pass is the receiver’s fault, but at some point I want to see Knox make a difficult catch in a big moment.

He finished with one catch for six yards on three targets. Dalton Kincaid wasn’t much better, recording one reception for seven yards on two targets, although he did contribute on Buffalo’s successful two-point conversion.

That’s two catches for 13 yards from the Bills’ tight end duo.

We’re talking about two guys who are supposed to be legitimate receiving weapons. Instead, their combined receiving production was barely enough to move the chains once.

The First-Quarter Offensive Disappearing Act

What the hell is going on with the Bills offense in the first quarter?

Against the Chargers, Buffalo managed 21 yards of total offense.
Against New England, it had 59 yards.
And against the Rams, the Bills finished the opening quarter with just 45 yards.

That’s 125 total yards across three first quarters, an average of 41.7 yards per 1st quarter in each game.

Buffalo at least managed six first-quarter points against Los Angeles after getting shut out in the opening quarters against both the Chargers and Patriots. But let’s not pretend this was some tremendous turnaround. I understand teams sometimes take time to figure out how opponents are defending them, but three consecutive slow starts should raise some questions. Joe Brady and his offensive staff need to figure out why this keeps happening.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson: Chuck Cecil With a Mouth

C.J. Gardner-Johnson continues to be one of the most overhyped players in football, largely because he’s a dickhead and people seem to confuse that with being a great defensive player. He’s basically Chuck Cecil with a mouth.

That second-quarter hit was a perfect example. The second you saw the replay and heard the collision, you knew it was going to be a 15-yard penalty. Everybody seemed to understand that except Gardner-Johnson, who decided it was a perfect time to celebrate.

And normally, I love celebrations. Make a big hit, flex a little, have some fun. But maybe save the celebration for a play that isn’t going to cost your team 15 yards.

He didn’t have a good game, and the antics didn’t help. There’s a difference between playing intimidating football and making a stupid mistake while acting like you’ve done something special.

James Cook: The Fumbles are concerning but not a death knell

I know I spent several paragraphs praising James Cook, and I stand by every word of it. But the guy also fumbled twice against the Rams, losing one, and that’s a problem but also shouldn’t be something to lose your dick over.

The overtime fumble was particularly brutal. Buffalo had already connected on a 57-yard pass to Khalil Shakir, putting the Bills in position to win the game, and then Cook coughed up the football. Aaron Donald recovered, and suddenly the Rams were in position to end Buffalo’s night.

Thankfully, Greg Rousseau bailed everybody out with the blocked field goal. Cook is too important to this offense to keep putting the ball on the ground, but he’s so money that what are you gonna do? Bench him for a quarter?

The Bills Still Can’t Put Together Four Consistent Quarters

For much of the first half, the Bills offense looked terrible while the defense was doing enough to keep them in the game. Then the second half arrived, Buffalo’s offense finally started making plays, and the defense seemingly forgot how to stop Matthew Stafford.

The numbers tell the story.

Buffalo scored 13 points in the first half and 21 in the second.
The Rams scored seven in the first half and 27 in the second.

That’s a pretty dramatic reversal in how this game was being played.

And that’s what bothers me about the Bills, even after a victory like this. They have stretches where the offense looks unstoppable and the defense looks completely helpless. Then they have stretches where the defense is doing its job and the offense can’t get out of its own way.

I don’t know whether this was a defining win or a game that exposed problems we’ll still be discussing in January. Maybe it’s both.

The Ballwasher

James Cook and Ty Johnson

It should be Josh Allen but that’s too easy…I’m splitting this one because I think both running backs deserve recognition for different reasons. James Cook carried a significant portion of the rushing workload and scored twice, while Ty Johnson delivered exactly the kind of timely plays that can change a game.

The Ballbreaker

The Bills Secondary

This one isn’t particularly difficult.

Matthew Stafford threw for 383 yards and three touchdowns, Puka Nacua caught 17 passes, and the Rams offense accumulated 454 total yards. Buffalo allowed 27 second-half points and nearly lost the game despite scoring 34 points in regulation.

You can blame the pass rush, defensive play-calling, missed assignments, or the talent in the secondary. There’s probably enough blame to go around. But when your opponent is completing 40 passes and repeatedly moving the football when it absolutely needs to, something is seriously wrong.

The secondary gets the Ballbreaker this week, and it isn’t particularly close.

Stats and Charts without commentary from me

Fantasy Football Idiot of the Week

Yeah, I was that idiot in fantasy football this week who decided to leave DJ Moore in my starting lineup, and of course, he didn’t play. And naturally, I had no backup.

Nothing like spending all week watching football, breaking down matchups, analyzing players, and criticizing NFL coaches, only to realize I can’t even manage my own goddamn fantasy football team.

I deserve the loss.

Final Thought

I keep going back to something I wrote at the beginning of this piece: great players are great when they have to be.

Josh Allen wasn’t great for four quarters. Neither were the Buffalo Bills. But when things got desperate, he made plays that very few quarterbacks in the NFL are capable of making, and his teammates found a way to help him finish the job.

The Bills are 4-1, they just survived one of the wildest games I can remember, and they’re leaving Los Angeles with a win against a very good football team. I’m not going to apologize for enjoying that, even if this team gave me about a dozen reasons to throw something at my television.

Does this game become a turning point? Does it give this group the confidence to overcome some of the problems that have followed it through the first five weeks? Or are the Bills going to spend the rest of the season alternating between brilliance and complete insanity?

I have no idea.

But I do know this: when you’ve got Josh Allen, you’ve always got a chance.

And sometimes that’s enough.