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Bills Win Third Straight 30-19 Over Rams
Big win out west as Robey-Coleman gets big pick six.
by Steve Saslow
The Skinny:
Nickell Robey-Coleman returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown and the Bills snuffed out a fake punt to give them a 30-19 victory in Los Angeles. It is the first time since 2011 that the team has won three games in a row. LeSean McCoy had a fantastic day running for 150 yards on just 18 carries, the most he has had as a Bill. He went over 100 yards in the first half alone. The Bills clinched the game after the fake punt late in the game when Tyrod Taylor, who struggled most of the day, hit Marquise Goodwin for a 6 yard touchdown on third and goal to wrap it up. Early in the game McCoy had a 53 yard run that setup a Mike Gillislee touchdown. Taylor also hit Justin Hunter for a touchdown when he kept the play alive with his feet and found him in the back of the end zone.
The Turning Point:
Robey Pick Six: The Rams had all the momentum and the game was tied when Robey had his pick six that gave the Bills the lead back.
The Turning Point II:
The Fake Punt: The Rams gambling with a fake punt late in the game but the Bills were ready for it and stuffed it. That pretty much wrapped up the game.
The Big Drive:
The Bills only had one good drive and it was their first touchdown drive. They went 76 yards in 12 plays in 7:06 to their first touchdown. The pass to Hunter which was his first reception as a Bill.
Stat I Did Like:
Rushing Yards: The Bills got 193 yards on the ground in this game and that was the identity on offense.
Stat I Didn't Like:
First Downs: They gave up 23 of them to a poor Rams offense.
Scene Setters:
- It was reunion time as former Bills QB Rob Johnson was on hand and all four of his kids were wearing Bills gear.
- Greg Williams came on the field with some members of the Bills organization.
- Bills DB Coach Tim McDonald played against his son T.J. who is a DB for the Rams..
- The Bills played in the iconic LA Memorial Coliseum for the first time in 33 years.
- The Bills captains were the four players who went to USC and played in this stadium. Reggie Bush, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Robert Woods, and Kevon Seymour. Ironically Bush is banned from the stadium as a member of USC because of NCAA violations against him.
Key Matchup Results:
The winners of the battles highlighted in our preview article:
RB LeSean McCoy vs. MLB Alec Ogletree: Winner: McCoy. He had his best game as a Bill.
C Eric Wood vs. DT Aaron Donald: Winner: Wood. Donald was hurt by the rest of the starters on the line being sidelined but he only had a half of sack.
LB Zach Brown vs. RB Todd Gurley: Winner: Brown. He only had six tackles but Gurley was kept in check gaining just 72 yards on 23 rushes.
LT Cordy Glenn vs. DE Robert Quinn: Winner: Glenn. Quinn didn't play and they only had two sacks.
Keys To The Game Results:
How the keys highlighted in our preview article turned out:
1. Contain Gurley: Success! He had 108 total yards but he only averaged a little more than three yards a carry.
2. Win The Battle Up Front: Success! They dominated the line of scrimmage huge holes in the running game and tremendous pressure on Keenum.
3. Keep Taylor Moving: Failure! He didn't move around enough and when he did he wasn't too successful except on the first touchdown pass.
My Take:
It wasn't very pretty but you will always take a win on the west coast against a team that came in with just one loss. Three straight wins with the next two games against one win teams. How far have we come since that 0-2 start? A very nice win to get.
What's Ahead:
The Bills head back home to The Cap to take on the struggling San Francisco 49ers who may turn to the polarizing Colin Kapernick at quarterback for the struggling Blaine Gabbert. The Bills must keep things rolling against one of the worst teams in the league at home.
Gameballs
LeSean McCoy - Had 150 yards rushing and was getting chunks of yardage all game long.
Adolphus Washington - Had the best game of his young career. Had a sack, knocked down a pass, and was very active.
Lorenzo Alexander - He had three sacks and a big hit in punt coverage. He was very active in the Rams backfield.
Nickell Robey-Coleman - Had the pick six and put the exclamation point on the win with his second interception of the game.
Goats
Stephon Gilmore - He had an awful game. Constantly getting beat, missed a big tackle, and was called for a penalty.
Tyrod Taylor - The passing game is nonexistent this year but he did get two touchdowns and no interceptions so even when he struggles he doesn't hurt them too much.
Player Of The Week
LeSean McCoy - It was his best game since joining the Bills.
 Positional Breakdown and Grades
NFL.com Gamebook
Rams Game Preview
Gameday Homepage
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