Week 5 of the NFL was a thrilling one, and with each and every game impacting the post-season race, a heavyweight showdown on Monday Night Football was expected to be no different.
The Buffalo Bills (4-1) and Los Angeles Rams (2-3) came into the new season as genuine Super Bowl contenders, and on Monday, many believe they were being treated to a potential Super Bowl preview. Unsurprisingly, this one absolutely delivered from the start, and while both Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford were playing in this one, it was the veteran that stole the show.
On the night, Stafford ended with 383 yards on 40/54 passing with three Touchdowns while Allen's effectiveness was certainly limited, as Buffalo leaned on James Cook with 111 yards, while Allen himself chipped in with a very impressive 121 rushing yards on the night in his own right.
From the outset, the Rams passing game was clicking on all cylinders, while the Bills were happy to ground and pound their way to success away from home, and after three quarters, this was a very tight 19-14 contest in favor of the road team. However, the fourth quarter is when this game came alive, with the team trading scores before the Rams led a six-play, 1:34 drive down the field late in the fourth to tie things, sending this game to OT tied at 34-34.
From there, things got tense in overtime, with both teams having great opportunities to push the ball down the field and end the game, but with less than three minutes to go in OT, there was still no resolution in this one.
However, that's when things turned, as the Rams drove down the field, giving themselves an opportunity to end it with a 48-yard field goal, but when the kick went up, it was Gregory Rousseau that played the hero for Buffalo, blocking it and putting the Bills in great field position.
From there, it was all Josh Allen, as the Bills still had some work to do to clinch this one, and with back-to-back plays of 19 and 13 yard runs from the former MVP, he had them in perfect position to finish off a dramatic, back-and-forth contest.
Obviously, after the block at the other end, nothing was going to be elementary, but in the biggest moment, Tyler Bass stepped up and iced the game, much to the relief of Allen, who played a crucial role in sealing this one for the Bills to go to 4-1 on the season.
While both teams are still expected to compete for the Super Bowl, this loss drops the Rams to 2-3 on the season, but with those three losses coming in Australia to the undefeated 49ers, on the road at Denver and now against Josh Allen and the Bills, there's plenty of positives to take away from their season thus far.
Ultimately though, on Monday, it was the Bills that came out on top in the dramatic shootout thanks to Allen's running game and an incredible play on special teams, with the NFL saving their best for last in what was an incredible Week 5 slate of action.