The Buffalo Bills found themselves improbably close to victory on Sunday despite their defense allowing scores on six of the Los Angeles Rams’ first seven possessions.
The Bills (10-3) had superstar quarterback Josh Allen, who was in the midst of setting an NFL milestone. With under a minute left in the game, Allen dove into the end zone, becoming the first player in league history to throw for three touchdowns and rush for three touchdowns in a single game. However, even with Allen’s historic performance, the Bills suffered a heartbreaking 44-42 loss to the Rams, with a costly mistake overshadowing their final moments.
A crucial offensive pass interference call against the Rams, drawn by Bills receiver Amari Cooper, set up Buffalo with a 1st-and-goal at the 1-yard line with 1:06 remaining. Down by nine points (44-35) and with all three timeouts in hand, the Bills faced a critical decision. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady opted for a quarterback sneak, counting on Allen to reach the end zone.
But the gamble backfired. Allen was stopped short, trapped under a pile as the clock ticked away. Head coach Sean McDermott burned one of the Bills’ timeouts to stop the clock, a decision that drew immediate criticism. Fox analyst and NFL legend Tom Brady voiced his disapproval, arguing that the Bills should have attempted three consecutive passes instead of risking a run.
“Take three shots throwing it, don’t use a timeout,” Brady suggested. “Even if they score, they’re still facing an onside kick. I don’t like that one bit.”
The Bills eventually scored on Allen’s next attempt but were left needing an onside kick to stay in the game. They regained possession with only seven seconds left following a Rams punt, but the game ended as the clock expired on a touchback.
On their final drive, the Bills ran eight plays in just 54 seconds, preserving their timeouts until the critical quarterback sneak attempt. After the game, McDermott defended his decision to call the timeout, explaining that the time required to clear the pile and reset for another play would have been too costly.
“You’re in a pile. It takes time to clear and get set,” McDermott said. “Whether you spike it or run another play, it’s a time-consuming process.”
Critics questioned the decision to run the ball in the first place, knowing a stop would force the team into this dilemma. McDermott admitted he considered passing but ultimately trusted Allen’s ability in short-yardage situations.
“We feel good about Josh getting that one yard,” McDermott said. “He’s been great at it, and so have we as a team. We went with our best play, and it just didn’t work out.”
Allen finished the game with a staggering 424 total yards, but the Bills became the first NFL team to lose despite scoring six touchdowns with no turnovers—a feat that had previously resulted in a 245-0 record for other teams.
Left guard David Edwards took responsibility for the failed sneak, saying, “I didn’t do my job well enough to get Josh in on that first run.”
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