Inglewood, Calif. (WGR) - The Buffalo Bills survived a wild, epic "Monday Night Football" game with a 37-34 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. With the victory, the Bills improve to 4-1 on the season and remain atop the AFC East standings.
With the win, I start with my Arrows Up for the fourth time:
Inglewood, Calif. - Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass celebrates after kicking the game-winning field goal in overtime over the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 12, 2026. Katelyn Mulcahy - Getty Images
ARROW UP
Continuing to fight
This was a gutsy win for the Bills. A lot of things didn’t go right and it felt like they had given the game away several times. But they continued to fight and come back time after time until they ultimately pulled out the win.
Josh Allen using his legs again
Josh Allen hadn’t been running much the last couple weeks, but he did Monday night, taking off when he didn’t see anything available and gaining huge yardage on critical plays late. He finished with 10 carries for 121 yards, and the Bills needed every last one of them. He also scored another touchdown on the ground.
Greg Rousseau’s hand
Greg Rousseau basically saved the game for the Bills when he was able to get his hand on the potential game-winning field goal by the Rams in overtime.
Ray Davis
Davis started the game off with a 70-yard kickoff return all the way to the Rams 26 yard line. He also took a pass 31 yards down to the 1 yard line setting up a score.
Ty Johnson
Johnson was once again a reliable outlet out of the backfield, finishing with a team-high four catches for 72 yards.
Tyler Bass
Yes, Bass did miss an extra point earlier in the game after a penalty pushed it back five extra yards, but he nailed the game-winner from 45 yards out and made five total kicks on the night.
Anthony Kendall
The Bills signed Kendall to the 53-man roster right before the game and immediately became the Bills primary nickel cornerback. He did not look out of place and wasn’t specifically an issue as far as getting beaten. He contributed with a pair of tackles.
Run defense
As poor as the pass defense was, the run defense was very good once again. The Rams ran the ball 23 times for only 77 yards and averaged just 3.3 yards per carry.
Two-point conversion!
The 0-for-11 drought ended when Josh Allen hit Dalton Kincaid for a successful 2-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter. That conversation was significant because it gave the Bills a 7-point lead.
Tommy Doman
The Bills punted just one time the whole game. But Doman placed his one chance perfectly down at the Rams 7 yard line.
Jeff Rodgers
The Bills had an excellent kickoff return to begin the game. Tommy Doman placed his only punt to the 7 yard line. Tyler Bass kicked the game-winning field goal. Greg Rousseau kept it alive by blocking a field goal. Jeff Rodgers’ special teams units did a heck of a job and were a big part of the win.
T.J. Sanders’ sack on two-point attempt
After they took a one point lead on a touchdown (20-19), the Rams went for two. But TJ Sanders was able to get to Matthew Stafford and bring him down for a sack to keep it a one point game. The sack doesn't officially count in statistics because it happened on a two point conversion, but the two points saved were massive.
DeWayne Carter
Carter had the only official sack of the night for the Bills. He finished with a pair of tackles and a quarterback hit. He played well.
Inglewood, Calif. - Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua catches a touchdown pass against Buffalo Bills cornerback Davison Igbinosun during the fourth quarter of a game at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 12, 2026. Luke Hales - Getty Images
ARROW DOWN:
Pass defense
The Bills pass defense continues to struggle and get beaten far too often. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 40-of-54 attempts (74%) for 363 yards and three touchdowns. Cornerback Davison Igbinosun and safety CJ Gardner-Johnson were both beaten in one on one plays in the end zone. Cole Bishop committed a pass interference at the goal line. Christian Benford was targeted early and often. Max Hairston gave up a couple first downs.
Not defending Puke Nacua better
This goes hand-in-hand as part of the above, but Matthew Stafford targeted Puka Nacua 24 times(!) in this game. That’s the most any player has been targeted since Brandon Marshall’s 28 targets in a game in 2009. Nacua caught 17 of those passes on his way to 138 yards and a touchdown. The Bills had no answer for him.
James Cook
Cook ran for a nice 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but he put the ball on the turf twice, which is inexcusable. The second fumble came when the Bills were getting close to scoring in overtime, and the Rams recovered.
Passing offense
It was another tough night without DJ Moore on the field. Allen had trouble finding open receivers most of the night. He completed 12-of-19 passes (63.1%) for 210 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Of 12 completions, only four went to wideouts. Three by Khalil Shakir and one by Keon Coleman.
Dawson Knox drop
On the very first drive, Allen found Knox in the end zone, but as the tight end was going down, the ball hit him in the hands and he didn’t hold on. That ultimately turned a would-be 6 points into a field goal.
No catches for Skyler Bell
Bell made his NFL debut because DJ Moore and Joshua Palmer were both out. He was targeted twice but did not grab a catch.
Lack of targets for Dalton Kincaid... again
For the second week in-a-row, Kincaid was targeted just twice and only had one catch. He has to be more involved in the offense.
Third-down offense
The Bills were just 2-for-7 (28.6%) on third down.
Fourth-down defense
The Rams converted both fourth downs they attempted.
Penalties
The Bills were flagged 13 times for 112 yards. That is just far too many penalties.
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