Matthew Stafford had a timeout in his pocket when Kyren Williams went down at the 1-yard line in the final seconds of regulation Monday night. The Los Angeles Rams quarterback never used it, rushing his offense to the line instead, and Williams punched in the tying touchdown with five seconds left against the Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium.
The Rams still lost 37-34 in overtime, but Stafford’s decision to go fast instead of stopping the clock was one of the biggest calls of the night, and he was asked about it afterward.
Why Matthew Stafford kept the tempo
“Trust our guys,” Stafford said after the game. “This is sports. You don’t know anything. But trust our guys to go out there and make the play. Felt like we had them kind of reeling.”
The Rams had been playing fast all the way down the field. After James Cook’s touchdown put Buffalo up 34-27 with 1:39 left, Stafford led an eight-play, 63-yard drive that took 1:34. He said the offense “was on the ball” the entire possession, even after plays that ended out of bounds, because the plan was to keep going fast.
The crowd made it harder. Stafford credited Williams for “a fantastic catch” and “great effort to get down there low,” then said the noise picked up so much that he was “doing the best I can” just to hear what Sean McVay wanted and get it communicated to the huddle.
It worked. Williams scored on the next snap, and the Rams forced overtime. The rest of the night didn’t go their way. On third-and-5 in overtime, a Williams run went nowhere, and Harrison Mevis’ 48-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Greg Rousseau. McVay said afterward he’ll be regretting that call, and Tyler Bass won it for Buffalo with a 45-yarder.
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Stafford did his part. He finished 40 of 54 for 383 yards and three touchdown passes without a turnover, and Puka Nacua caught a career-high 17 passes for 138 yards. Stafford said Nacua can “access all areas of the field,” whether it’s the screen game or the perimeter.
Asked what it will take to string together four full quarters, Stafford noted it’s “tough to find a perfect game” anywhere in the league. The 2-3 Rams don’t have long to find one. They’re back at SoFi to host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, and Stafford’s message was simple: “Got to move on and be ready to rock and roll.”
