Bills QB Josh Allen Takes Blame for Late Miscue in Rams Loss

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen had a historic performance in Sunday’s 44-42 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but it was one missed play that stuck with the MVP candidate after the game.

Allen helped the Bills rally from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter. But with just over one minute remaining and the Bills knocking on the door for a touchdown, Allen failed to convert a quarterback sneak from the one-yard line and the Bills were forced to call timeout.

Though Allen plunged in for a touchdown on the next play, the defense didn’t have enough time to stop the Rams on the following drive. After the game, the Bills quarterback put the blame on himself for not coming through on the first attempt.

Josh Allen: ‘I’ve Got to Be Better’

Speaking to reporters after the game, Allen reiterated several times that he needed to get into the endzone on the first play, after a pass interference penalty had set the Bills up on the one-yard line. The Bills still held all three timeouts at the time and could have stopped the Rams with time left on the clock on the subsequent drive.

But because the Bills had to use a timeout after the failed quarterback sneak, they could only stop the clock twice and the Rams were able to run out the clock on a fourth-down punt into the endzone on the next drive.

Allen lamented the missed opportunity after the game.

“I’ve got to be better for our guys,” Allen told reporters.

Allen had one of the best statistical games of his career. He completed 22 of 37 passes for 342 yards with three touchdowns and played largely mistake-free, throwing no interceptions and not being sacked. Allen also rushed 10 times for 82 yards with three touchdowns on the ground.

On a day where the Bills defense gave up 37 points and the special teams had a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown, Allen stressed that it was a total team loss and the offense wasn’t without blame.

“We gotta make one more play than they do,” Allen said. “It’s a total team loss, all three phases. We feel like we didn’t play up to our standard.”

Josh Allen’s Historic Performance

Allen may be alone in placing blame on himself after the loss. The Bills quarterback had a historic performance, becoming the first player in NFL history to throw for three touchdowns and rush for three more. The performance came just a week after he became the first quarterback in NFL history to record a throwing, rushing, and receiving touchdown.

Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News suggested that Allen’s performance in the loss to the Rams could help sew up the MVP award for him.

“To also recall college football, that’s a ridiculous ‘Heisman moment’. All told, Allen was responsible for 424 yards and six TDs in the same game in a prime television window,” Iyer wrote. “Doing that in the NFL should be impossible, but Allen still did it. His team gets blown out with absolutely no chance without him on the field. He’s the most valuable in every sense of the word now.”