INGLEWOOD, CA – In almost every other game on any other night, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s performance was more than good enough for a win.

Bills coach Sean McDermott called his performance “unbelievable.” Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay called him an “alien” considering what he is capable of on the field. Bills left guard David Edwards said he was “the best in the world.”

Allen’s day was full of records. With six touchdowns, he now has 252 passing and rushing touchdowns in his career, tying Patrick Mahomes (107 games) for fewest games to reach 250. It was his fifth career game with multiple passing and multiple rushing touchdowns, breaking a tie with Steve Young for most in NFL history.

“It’s hard to win in this league, but if our quarterback can continue to warm up, find his rhythm and develop his feel, that’s a plus for us because we’re still pushing forward,” said left tackle Dion Dawkins. “…When Josh Allen is Josh Allen, everyone is better…with six touchdowns, that’s incredible. That’s hard in this league and for Josh to continue to go in and out every week with the MVP mentality of just seeing who our leader really is.

In the moments following the Bills’ 44-42 loss to the Rams, Allen took some of the blame, including what went wrong on a quarterback sneak that led to McDermott using a timeout – a timeout that gave the Bills one There could have been another chance to win the game on the last offensive drive. Allen scored a goal later on the same play.

“I just try to make the call as best as I can,” Allen said. “I have to find a way to get in.”

However, Allen trailed a second-half effort that led to the Bills (10-3) erasing a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter and closing the game at two points. He became the second player in NFL history to score three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in a game (Otto Graham, 1954).

“You can’t make this up,” running back Ty Johnson said. “You see that drive to keep making plays and putting points on the board. It’s a spectacle to see and I’m happy to be his teammate.”

According to ESPN Research, his 51.88 fantasy points (PPR) were the most by a quarterback in a game since 1950.

Allen finished the game completing 22 of 37 passes for 342 yards and carried the ball 10 times for 82 yards. His four second-half touchdowns only added to his MVP candidacy, and his chances increased as he kept the Bills in the game. According to ESPN Bet, he entered the game as the -240 favorite to win the award for the first time and is at -450 heading into Sunday night.

The effort wasn’t enough to extend the Bills’ winning streak to eight games. The loss was due in large part to failures on defense – which gave Allen the most points of any start in his career – and special teams, including a blocked punt return for a touchdown and confusingly only nine players on the field for a punt on the last move.

“We have to get off the field and get the ball back to Josh,” McDermott said. “You saw what he could do. So we have to do better. I thought we lost two of the three phases today.”

Not only did the Bills’ offense score on all but three drives, the team also scored touchdowns on every drive while still being without two key offensive players in wide receiver Keon Coleman (wrist) and tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee). .

The loss ended a streak in which the Bills won 15 straight regular-season games in December and January (most recently in December 2021). It’s only going to get tougher with a tough challenge against the Detroit Lions next week (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS). All while trying to stay in the fight for the No. 1 seed, which is now two games behind the Kansas City Chiefs.

Allen continues to show why he is putting together arguably his best season yet. The next step is to pick up the pieces from a worrisome defensive performance against a Rams team contending for the playoffs and take advantage of Allen’s performance level.

“We needed to come out with some urgency, though, and I don’t think we did that at any stage of the game today,” Allen said. “We’re going to talk about it as a team and try to figure it out … playing in a playoff atmosphere, a team playing like they’re in the playoffs right now, and just trying to learn from it again moving forward.”