INGLEWOOD, Calif. – – Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams had to pile up a mountain of points, yards and possessions early on to have any chance against the Buffalo Bills’ wild fourth-quarter surge and a historic six-touchdown Performance of Josh Allen.

Allen capped his third long touchdown drive of the fourth quarter with another score a 1-yard dive with 1:00 remainingbut Ronnie Rivers recovered the onside kick and Los Angeles ran out of time in its first win over Buffalo since 2012 and its first home win since 1983.

This game was monumental for both teams: The Rams and Bills combined for 902 yards of offense without a turnover or a quarterback sack. Los Angeles had the ball 17 minutes longer and completed 18 more plays than Buffalo – and the Rams needed everything to survive.

Nacua, who had 12 catches for 162 yards and also scored his first career rushing TD In another monster game, he called it “amazing to feel like, man, this is what it feels like when the Rams are moving at full speed and connecting.”

Hunter Long returned a blocked punt 22 yards for a touchdown for the Rams, who have won six of eight games to stay in the NFC West race. Kyren Williams rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns as LA topped .500 for the first time this season.

Allen and the Bills ran out of time after battling through the first three quarters that ended with the Rams leading 38-21 before Buffalo recovered from its post-division title defense hangover.

“Hate to lose,” Allen said. “Whether you lose by two or by 100, it doesn’t matter, you still lose. Offensively, we have to find ways to score before and after halftime. We didn’t do our part.”

Allen rejected his historic six touchdowns: “I have to make one more play than them. It was a total team defeat in three phases. We didn’t live up to our standards.”

Ty Johnson and Khalil Shakir caught long scoring passes for the Bills, who became the first NFL team to score six touchdowns without a turnover in a loss. Buffalo’s 42 points were the most scored in a loss in franchise history.

“They did a great job controlling the offensive line on both sides of the ball,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “Neither the defense nor the special teams were good enough to help us win this game.”

A week after Buffalo secured the AFC East title by beating San Francisco in the snow, the Bills got off to a bad start at SoFi Stadium, giving up 24 points in the first half Cooper Kupp’s 17-yard TD catch There are 18 seconds left in the third quarter.

“What these guys have done offensively is obviously very impressive,” said Kupp. “From first-hand experience, they’re a really good football team, so we needed everything we had as a team today.”

Allen ran for a score early in the fourth before Buffalo forced LA’s first punt. But after Mack Hollins made a 21-yard TD catch for Buffalo with 8:49 to play, Stafford led Los Angeles on a clock-intensive drive that included a gritty 11-yard pass to Tutu Atwell on fourth-and-5 near midfield with less than four minutes left.

After Nacua’s catch-and-run TD On a pick play, Buffalo drew a 34-yard pass interference penalty on Quentin Lake on fourth-and-15. Buffalo got to the Rams’ 1 with 1:06 remaining – but Omar Speights stuffed Allen on his first attempt to score, forcing the Bills into a timeout that ultimately cost them dearly.

Shovel and score

Los Angeles took a 17-7 lead early in the second quarter when Jacob Hummel blocked Sam Martin’s punt. Long caught and scored the first NFL touchdown for the tight end the Rams acquired from Miami last year when All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey cut costs.

The Rams hadn’t blocked a punt since 2018, while the Bills hadn’t given up a blocked punt TD since the 2021 season opener against Pittsburgh.

Injuries

Bills: CB Rasul Douglas injured his back and knee in the second half. … DE Casey Toohill injured his ribs.

Rams: WR Demarcus Robinson injured his shoulder in the third quarter.

Next

Bills: At Lions on Sunday.

Rams: At the 49ers on Thursday night.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL