Allen plays hero after almost being goat
Bills quarterback leads late game-winning drive on Rams
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen might get the credit for saving the Buffalo Bills from a monumental second-half meltdown. The thirdyear starter was more upset that he helped put the team in that position to begin with.
Two second-half turnovers led to the Los Angeles Rams rallying from a 25-point deficit, but
Allen bailed the Bills out by completing a 3-yard pass to tight end Tyler Kroft with 15 seconds remaining to secure a 35-32 win on Sunday.
“Yeah, probably just got too relaxed and that’s on me,” said Allen, whose five-touchdown outing (including one rushing) was clouded by two turnovers that led to Rams TDS.
“I’ve got to be better for our team and our offense,” he added.
“I can’t throw an interception, and I can’t fumble the ball, and then lose my cool like that,” he said, referring to a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that nearly ended Buffalo’s final drive. “But we bounced back. Proud of our guys.”
The game appeared to be a blowout once Allen hit Stefon Diggs for a 4-yard pass to put Buffalo up 28-3 with 8:05 left in the third quarter. It ended up being a nail-biter.
Jared Goff led the Rams to score on four consecutive drives, and LA took the lead on Darell Henderson’s 1-yard run with 4:30 remaining.
Allen responded by marching the Bills on a 11-play, 75-yard drive. He hit Cole Beasley for 16 yards on third-and-25, and then got help from a pass-interference penalty against Darious Williams on fourth-and-7.
One play later, Allen had time to drop back and wait for Kroft to cut across the middle. Watching as Kroft got a step past linebacker Micah Kiser, Allen lofted a pass, which the tight end reached up and caught before tumbling to the ground for his second TD of the game.
Buffalo has won its first three games in consecutive seasons, the first time it has done that since 1991-92 and the third time overall.
The Rams (2-1) failed to match what would’ve been the third-largest comeback in NFL regular-season history.
Allen finished 24 of 33 for 311 yards with four touchdown passes and also scored on a 1-yard run.
■ NEXT: Giants at Rams, 1:05 p.m. Sunday. Bills at Raiders, 1:25 p.m. Sunday.