ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Here are my five takeaways from the Buffalo Bills’ 31-10 victory against the Los Angeles Rams Thursday night at SoFi Stadium:
1. Josh Allen played like the NFL MVP that so many of us believe he will be named after the season.
Allen made another career-highlight run on a four-yard touchdown that gave the Bills a 24-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. In the grasp of linebacker Bobby Wagner, he stretched his 6-foot-5 body for all he was worth and extended his right arm while firmly grasping the ball just enough to break the plane of the goal line.
Allen led the Bills to a touchdown with ease on the game’s first possession. He maintained his poise after some adversity, with Isaiah McKenzie allowing one of his throws to be intercepted and another pickoff resulting from a late throw to Jamison Crowder, to continue to make big plays with his arm and legs. Allen set up his TD run with a 47-yard strike with Gabe Davis to the Rams’ 6.
Allen completed 26 of 31 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns. He connected on his first 10 passes. He also was the game’s leading rusher with 56 yards and a TD on 10 carries.
2. Von Miller had a tremendous homecoming to provide early validation that he, indeed, was the missing piece the Bills’ defense desperately need to upgrade its pass rush.
Miller easily outperformed his former Ram teammate, Aaron Donald, with two of the Bills’ seven sacks of Matthew Stafford for minus-17 yards and multiple pressures.
At 33, Miller showed the quickness off the ball and explosiveness that has made him one of the all-time great pass-rushers in the NFL.
3. Speaking of the Miller-Donald comparison, the Bills’ offensive line did a remarkable job of shutting down Donald.
He did have a sack, but it came during an exceptionally quiet night from the man widely regarded as the NFL’s best defensive player. Donald was limited to a pair of tackles and he was a virtual non-factor.
Yes, the Bills had four turnovers, but the three they forced from the Rams were more damaging. The best example was the third, a Jordan Poyer interception of a Matthew Stafford pass that was high for Cooper Kupp and bounced off his hands into the grasp of Poyer.
4. Give the Bills’ youthful secondary enormous credit for holding up against a Rams offense that was so explosive last season.
Yes, Kupp caught 13 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. But Stafford wound up with only 240 passing yards and a TD, with three interceptions. One of those picks was by Dane Jackson, who was paired with rookies Christian Benford and Kaiir Elam.
The bottom line was that the Rams only scored 10 points.
5. It was only one game, but a loud statement was made.
The Bills put the league on notice that they’re every bit the Super Bowl favorite that they are widely considered. Their offense picked up where it left off in 2021, producing points virtually at will.
And their defense showed the improved pass rush that they set out to establish, not only by Miller but by the rest of the defensive front. The return of Jordan Phillips after he spent two seasons with Arizona already showed dividends with him making an impressive spin move on the way to a sack and a half.