Buffalo Bills win 31-10 over Los Angeles Rams: Game Thread
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INGLEWOOD, CA (WHEC) – The Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams face off in the 2022 NFL Kickoff Game. Refresh our game thread throughout for updates and live tweets from Jackson Roberts and Mat Mlodzinski.
Bills score touchdown on opening drive
Josh Allen went a perfect 5-for-5 for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Facing a 3rd & inches, Allen executed a play-action pass perfectly to find a wide open Gabe Davis who walked into the endzone. Tyler Bass connected on the extra point to make it 7-0 with 9:56 to go in the first quarter.
Stefon Diggs caught two passes on the drive for 18 yards. Devin Singletary picked up 15 total yards.
Von Miller gets first sack as a Buffalo Bill, force Rams to punt
The Rams started the drive with a few positive plays, as Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp connected on a 23 yard pass on 3rd & 8 that brought them to midfield.
But on 2nd & 6 from the Buffalo 43-yard line, Von Miller came through with his first sack as a Bill. The Rams couldn’t pick up enough yards on third down. That gave Miller sack number 116.5 of his career.
Former Syracuse punter Riley Dixon pinned the Bills on their own 9-yard line.
Bills second drive ends on an interception that falls out of Isaiah McKenzie’s hands
Interception one for Josh Allen wasn’t exactly number 17’s fault. On third down, he threaded the needle to find Isaiah McKenzie, who looked to be just short of the line to gain. However, McKenzie couldn’t hold on and Terrell Lewis picked it off on the Rams’ 24-yard line.
Leading up to the turnover, the Bills had moved the ball into scoring position. Four different Bills caught passes.
Allen had quite the drive going into the pick, completing his first 10 passes.
Bills stop Rams to force another punt
Two plays after the interception, the Buffalo defense stopped L.A. on a 3rd & 6. That ended the first quarter with the Bills on top, 7-0.
The Bills defense came up big to force another punt. Riley Dixon boomed it 58 yards, but Jamison Crowder returned it 21 yards to the Buffalo 32-yard line.
Bills rookie James Cook fumbles and Rams recover
Josh Allen completed a two-yard pass to Zack Moss on the first play of the Bills drive. Then, rookie James Cook fumbled on his first career rushing attempt, giving the Rams the football on the Buffalo 36-yard line.
Matthew Stafford turns it right back over
Cam Akers rushed it for no gain. On the very next play, it was Stafford’s turn to join the turnover party, throwing a pass right into the hands of Dane Jackson.
Bills settle for field goal, take 10-0 lead
It was another near-perfect drive for Josh Allen.
QB1 went 5-for-6 on the drive for 42 yards. He threw into tight coverage on 3rd & 4, with Gabe Davis not able to get a hand on it.
Tyler Bass just snuck in a field goal from 41-yards out to give the Bills a 10-0 lead with 8:48 to play in the second quarter.
Cooper Kupp toe-taps for Rams touchdown
The Rams used a 11-play drive to go 60 yards into the endzone, finishing off on a Matthew Stafford touchdown throw to Cooper Kupp for four yards.
Stafford went 5-for-6 on the drive for 37 yards, but it was a Darrel Henderson 18-yard scamper that brought Los Angeles into the red-zone.
A Matt Gay extra point made it 10-7 with the Bills still on top.
There was also an injury to note:
Allen throws second interception of game
Allen threw his second interception of the game, also on a risky throw that touched the hands of Jamison Crowder. However, this one was also made by Troy Hill, who gave the Rams the ball on their own 45-yard line.
Leading up to that, the Bills had moved the ball down the field, including a ten yard strike to Stefon Diggs.
There’s also an update on Oliver:
Matt Gay ties it up right before halftime
Rams kicker Matt Gay nailed a 57-yard field goal to make it a tie game at halftime.
The Bills did sack Stafford on the drive to push the Rams back a bit, but it was still in range enough for the long field goal.
Rams go 3-and-out to start second half
After scoring right before the half, L.A. couldn’t keep it up, after Greg Rousseau sacked Stafford for a loss of seven yards.
The Rams punted to the Buffalo 42-yard line.
Allen stiff-arms for first down, later throws TD pass
Josh Allen can do it all.
On 3rd & 7 from the Rams’ 43-yard line, Allen pushed and shoved his way to a first down. A few plays later, he found Isaiah McKenzie in the endzone for the touchdown.
A Bass kick later and the Bills find themselves on top, 17-10 with 7:59 left in the third quarter.
Allen works his magic again, Bills take 24-10 lead
On their second drive in the second half, Josh Allen continued to play on fire.
The drive included a 47-yard deep ball to Gabe Davis which eventually set up Allen to score on a leap into the endzone.
Stafford throws second interception of game
Matthew Stafford hadn’t looked on point all night and threw his second pick of the game, this one going to Jordan Poyer.
Stafford would later throw a third interception.
Diggs hauls in 53-yard TD
It was Allen’s second throw that traveled at least 45 yards and this time it ended in a score to put the Bills on top by 21 points.
This put the Bills on top 31-10. Buffalo would hold that score for the final.