The Los Angeles Rams lost another heartbreaker on Monday night, losing in overtime to the Buffalo Bills, 37-34. It’s not just that the Rams lost this game. It’s the way they lost it, having a potential game-winning field goal blocked in overtime.
Despite the disappointing result, there were still plenty of standout players for Los Angeles – along with a few duds, of course.
Stud: Puka Nacua
Nacua caught just about everything thrown his way, and he was targeted a lot. He finished the game with 24 targets and 17 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown, coming up with big play after big play. He did an excellent job as a run blocker, too, and even had two rush attempts for 9 yards (one of them being a catch on a backwards pass). He’s such a difference-maker for the Rams’ offense and it’s unfortunate that Los Angeles wasted an all-time performance from its star receiver.
Stud: Tyler Higbee
Ever since Terrance Ferguson went down, Higbee has stepped up. For the third straight week, he had at least 60 yards receiving, going off for five catches and 83 yards in this one. He even made up for a false start on fourth-and-1 by catching a 10-yard pass on the next play, erasing what could’ve been a costly penalty.
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Stud: Blake Corum
Corum didn’t have a great game running the ball, but he was impactful as a receiver. He caught three pases for 53 yards, including a 34-yarder in the second half to set up a touchdown. His previous career-high was 24 yards in a single game, so he eclipsed that number with one catch.
Stud: Nate Landman
The Bills ran the ball well, but not because Landman played poorly. He had a forced fumble on James Cook, which he nearly recovered himself, and then knocked Cook back on a goal line run that went for a 5-yard loss. He made another tackle for no gain on first-and-goal from the 5 late in the fourth quarter, too.
His best play of the night? A second forced fumble, which came in overtime after the Bills got to the Rams’ 22-yard line, knocking it out of Cook’s hands again.
Stud: Davante Adams
Adams keeps winning in the red zone, scoring two more touchdowns on Monday night. One was on a fade route against C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and the other was on a beautiful route over the middle where he got behind the linebackers and came wide open. He finished with five catches for 51 yards and two touchdowns.
Stud: Matthew Stafford
Stafford missed his share of throws in this one and nearly threw an interception in the first half, but his numbers were eye-popping. He completed 40 of 54 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Through the air, he unquestionably outdueled Josh Allen, who finished with 210 yards passing and 121 yards rushing. And even after leading a game-tying drive and a potential game-winning drive, the Rams still lost the game.
Dud: Harrison Mevis
It might be time for the Rams to make a change at kicker. Sean McVay rarely gives him a chance to kick long field goals, but he gave him the green light on Monday night in the first quarter. Mevis missed a 50-yarder wide left, which will do nothing to gain the trust of his head coach.
It was Mevis’ third miss of the season, but it got worse.
His 48-yard game-winning field goal attempt in overtime was blocked, making him 0-for-2 on the night and giving him his fourth miss of the season.
Dud: Quentin Lake
Lake has been great all year but he really struggled against the Bills. He was called for pass interference on a pivotal fourth-quarter drive and should’ve been flagged for PI on another play earlier in the game, too. He collided with Jaylen Watson on Keon Coleman’s touchdown and also allowed Khalil Shakir’s 57-yard catch in overtime.
Dud: Chris Shula
The Rams bottled up Josh Allen and the Bills offense in the first half, but the dam broke in the second half and overtime. Shula did not have a good enough game plan in the second half, allowing Allen to sit back and navigate the pocket easily. Allen rushed for 91 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime alone, showing just how poorly the Rams contained him late in the game.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Studs and duds from Rams’ overtime loss to Bills