Rams hold off Bills, who take huge step back in race with Chiefs for AFC’s No. 1 seed

The Buffalo Bills had to feel tortured by every close win from the Kansas City Chiefs. They couldn’t gain any ground in the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed despite being 10-2 with a head-to-head win over the Chiefs. It meant the pressure was constantly on; the Bills couldn’t really afford to lose a game.

The Bills aren’t out of the race for the top seed and lone bye in the AFC, but their path got a lot tougher Sunday. The Los Angeles Rams, who were 6-6 coming into Sunday’s game, ambushed the Bills on Sunday and won 44-42. The Bills lost despite six touchdowns from Josh Allen. He had three passing and three rushing. Fox said on its broadcast that Allen is the first player ever with three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in a regular season game.

Los Angeles started quickly, got a huge punt block for a touchdown and moved the ball with ease on the Bills defense. Buffalo got back in the game with an Allen touchdown pass cutting Los Angeles’ lead to 38-35 in the fourth quarter, but the defense couldn’t get a critical stop after that, and Puka Nacua’s 19-yard touchdown right after the two-minute warning helped put the game away. The Bills fell to 10-3 and 1.5 games behind the Chiefs, who went into Sunday night’s game with an 11-1 record.

The loss doesn’t say much about the Bills. They went across the country and lost to a well-coached team that is still in the playoff race. It happens.

But it’s the kind of loss that could mean the Bills have to travel to Arrowhead Stadium in January.

Bills dug themselves a hole

Buffalo’s defense should feel embarrassed. When your quarterback accounts for six touchdowns, you should not lose.

It was clear early on the Bills were in for a tough game. On the Rams’ first possession they went 70 yards on 12 plays, with Kyren Williams scoring a touchdown. The Rams led 10-7 when they made the play that changed the momentum. Rams linebacker Jacob Hummel came through the middle of the Bills line on a punt, got a clean block and it was scooped up by tight end Hunter Long and returned for 22 yards and a touchdown.

It took the Bills a while to recover after that. Los Angeles built a 31-14 lead early in the second half. The Rams had an efficient day on offense. Nacua had a big game with 12 catches for 162 yards. Buffalo has played well on defense most of the season, but Sean McVay and the Rams offense had answers for them. Buffalo got back in the game with two quick touchdowns to start the fourth quarter, but the Rams went on a long drive to chew up most of the clock. The Rams picked up a huge fourth-and-5 conversion with less than four minutes left, with Stafford hitting Tutu Atwell over the middle for a first down.

The Bills put together another scoring drive after that. They had a failed quarterback sneak at the 1, and that was costly because it forced Buffalo to call its first timeout. That left them with only two timeouts after Allen scored, which forced them to go for an onside kick (which failed).

The Rams needed a win to keep up in the NFC West race, with a small chance to still get a wild-card spot. They played with the urgency of a team that needed to pull off a big upset.

The Bills had urgency too, they just didn’t play well enough against a Rams team that got hot.

Chiefs increase lead for No. 1 seed

The Chiefs create a lot of their own luck, but they have caught breaks this season. They’ve been living right in close games, winning each game they’ve been in this season that was decided by one score. The Bills losing on Sunday is another big help for them.

Kansas City doesn’t need the No. 1 seed to make a Super Bowl, as we saw last season, but it can’t hurt. There are still chances for the Bills or even the 10-3 Pittsburgh Steelers to catch Kansas City for the No. 1 seed and the bye, but it gets harder with every loss.

The Bills had won seven in a row before Sunday, but still were chasing the Chiefs for the best record in the AFC. Buffalo’s bad day in Los Angeles makes that chase even more challenging.