Inglewood, Calif. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Bills' push for the No. 1 seed in the AFC took a considerable blow on Sunday in a 44-42 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Not only does the loss drop Buffalo's record to 10-3 this season, but it also snaps a seven-game winning in the process.
It was not a good day for the Buffalo defense in Southern California, as the Bills gave up a season-high 44 points, and only forced one punt from the Rams offense. The unit was also unable to get to quarterback Matthew Stafford, and didn't even pressure him enough to take him off his game.
With the Bills looking to close the gap to two points late in the fourth quarter, one of the more questionable decisions of the game for Buffalo was a quarterback sneak at the Rams' one-yard line that did not result in a touchdown. That failed attempt forced the Bills to burn a timeout with 1:02 remaining on the clock.
The Bills were able to score a touchdown on the very next play, but not having all three timeouts at that point of the game did not allow Buffalo one more chance at getting into scoring position with seconds left on the clock.
At that time, Bills head coach Sean McDermott felt it was the best play call, getting Josh Allen to sneak it in at the one-yard line.
"When you're in that situation, holding three timeouts and with the ball, felt like we were underneath, kind of a time overall where we felt like we could get the ball back with a legit chance to win the games with no timeouts," explained McDermott following Sunday's loss.
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The defense had, arguably, its worst performances of the season in Los Angeles, with the Rams able to convert 11-of-15 third down attempts (73.3%), as well as a fourth down that led to another score for the home team.
On the Rams' last scoring drive of the game to put things out of reach for the Bills, Buffalo had the option to decline a penalty that would have made it a 4th-and-7 for Los Angeles. McDermott felt it was the best opportunity to get the Rams out of field goal range in deciding to accept the penalty.
Despite another historic performance by Allen with six total touchdowns - becoming the first player in the modern NFL to record three passing and three rushing touchdowns in the same game - McDermott knows the group still needs to be better around their quarterback.
"If you look at the game, it's the line of scrimmage being able to run the ball with their running backs," McDermott said. "It's the line of scrimmage on defense, it's special teams giving up big plays. When you lose two of the three and the line of scrimmage overall, you're making it really hard. You've got to score 40-some points, and even then, you're holding your breath to win."
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The Bills are back in action next week, on the road taking on the 11-1 Detroit Lions from Ford Field. Kickoff is slated for 4:25 p.m. EST on the home of the Bills - WGR Sports Radio 550.
Hear more from McDermott's postgame press conference available in the player below: