The Buffalo Bills lost a thriller to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14. A truly remarkable performance by quarterback Josh Allen was matched by stellar play from Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.
Buffalo’s defense was on their heels the entire day and logged one of its worst performances in the Sean McDermott era. A big issue the Bills’ defense struggled with was their lack of efficiency in getting off the field on third down.
The Rams converted on 11 of their 15 third down attempts; Buffalo also let up an additional third-down conversion due to a defensive penalty. Reviewing the All-22 film angle might give us some insights to what the problem was for the Bills on third down.
Play 1
I don’t mind how the Bills played this 3rd & 1. Defenders were aggressive at the point of attack, but the running back found enough room to pick up the first. Defensive end Greg Rousseau demolished a blocker but took himself out of the play in the process. That ultimately ended up being the reason why the Rams were able to convert.
Play 2
Buffalo’s defense initially took all options away for the Rams, forcing Stafford to break the pocket. However, the Bills broke down in two different moments during the play. First, edge rusher Von Miller took an inside move once he hit the back of the pocket, allowing Stafford to roll out untouched and extend the play. Then linebacker Terrel Bernard lost sight of the wide receiver running through his zone behind him, allowing him to work back to his QB and get up to convert the third down.
Play 3
The Rams got the Bills’ defense on this play a few times before Buffalo finally figured it out. Defensive end A.J. Epenesa came crashing down hard to chase down the stretch play the other way, but the jet sweep coming across his face was already past him. Credit the LA, as this was a nice play and proved effective.
Two points to note: cornerback Rasul Douglas needs to not duck inside on that tackle, keep outside leverage and let inside pursuit make the tackle, and then linebacker Matt Milano has a chance to go blow up the play if he trusts his eyes. It would be a tough stop for Milano to make, but it looks like he initially wanted to attack yet hesitated and got caught up with the blocker.
Play 4
The Rams could have scored on two different routes on this play, but Buffalo’s six-man blitz results in a free rusher, forcing Stafford to get rid of the ball before he wanted. Well-executed play call by the Bills.
Play 5
Buffalo blitzed a linebacker and played Cover 1 man-to-man behind it. Good coverage on this play was defeated by a better throw and catch by LA. Pretty simple, the Rams won the rep.
Play 6
Does this play look familiar? It should because it’s the same as “Play 1” above. The Rams ran “duo” double-teaming Buffalo’s defensive tackles, working up to the second level. Once again, Rousseau took himself out of the play by crashing down hard. Safety Damar Hamlin played this awesome though, aggressively fighting off the block and making the tackle — it just wasn’t enough to stop the first down.
Play 7
Fantastic coverage and decent pressure on this play don’t stack up to the throw and catch by Stafford and Nacua.
Play 8
The Bills did everything they could to stop the Rams on this 3rd & 7 play. They played Cover 1 man-to-man with a free play in the middle (Bernard). Plus, they only rushed three with Von Miller dropping into coverage to defend the quick pass. However, the Bills took away the inside slot, and the Rams connected on the outside with a slant. Rasul Douglas got beat even when he was called for a pass-interference penalty. Once again, the Rams were just better on this play.
Play 9
Rousseau got blasted by the wide receiver on this play, which is the first problem. I feel like I’ve roasted him a little bit much in this article, which is a shame. Rousseau has played well this season. Safety Taylor Rapp missing a tackle and nickel cornerback Taron Johnson getting swallowed up by a blocker don’t help things either. Give the Rams credit: they had numbers on the right-side edge, and they executed to perfection.
Play 10
The Rams used the “sail” route numerous times throughout the game and found success, including on this play. This route concept is tough to cover in the defense the Bills were playing, but they could have received some help from the pass rush.
The Bills ran an interior line stunt where the DTs run a twist, but they got tangled up and managed no interior pressure. When Von Miller rushed around the edge and pushed Stafford up the pocket, ideally the interior pass rush would be in his face resulting in a sack or difficult throw. Instead, Stafford escaped the pocket and hit the open receiver.
Play 11
The Bills were searching for coverage that would be effective, but this wasn’t it. They played a Cover 3 zone where Damar Hamlin dropped down to defend the first-down marker. However, the Rams had the perfect play call with two seam routes to put Buffalo’s coverage in a bind. The Bills actually had decent coverage at the catch point with Douglas and Rapp, but Cooper Kupp made an incredible catch.
Play 12
A simple Cover 2 zone proved effective for the Bills on this 3rd & 10 play. Make the Rams throw short of the sticks and rally to the tackle. Well done.
Play 13
The Bills technically “succeed” in stopping this 3rd & Long play, but the 11-yard gain set up a 4th & 5 for the Rams, which they converted.
Play 14
This play has some controversy to it. In my opinion, the refs could have called offensive pass interference or holding, but they didn’t — so it doesn't matter. The Rams caught the Bills off guard and with everyone at the line of scrimmage, this was the perfect play call because there was no inside pursuit from the second level.
Play 15
Everyone in the world knew this was going to be a run play. The Rams were trying to run the clock to end the game on third down. The Bills got the stop they needed but it was ruined by a wasted time out when the Bills were on offense a few plays earlier.
In summary
Ultimately, the Buffalo Bills’ inability to stop the Los Angeles Rams on third down was a key reason for this tough loss. Give credit to head coach Sean McVay and Los Angeles’ offense, as they consistently exploited Buffalo’s defense in vulnerable areas and also let their talented wide receivers shine.
This game will serve as a painful wake-up call for the Bills’ defense. As Buffalo prepares for the season's final stretch, I expect them to right the ship. However, they have a massive test in stopping the Detroit Lions’ supercharged offense in Week 15.