Bills' Sean McDermott points at crucial flaw that led to loss against the Rams

To put it mildly, there were a lot of things that didn't go right on Sunday for the Buffalo Bills when they took on the Rams in Los Angeles. They couldn't stop the Rams offense seemingly at all, they allowed the wide receiver duo of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua to carve them up and […]

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Taron Johnson
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To put it mildly, there were a lot of things that didn't go right on Sunday for the Buffalo Bills when they took on the Rams in Los Angeles. They couldn't stop the Rams offense seemingly at all, they allowed the wide receiver duo of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua to carve them up and put them on countless posters, and they failed to generate hardly any pressure on Matthew Stafford.

One thing in particular stood out about this game, and head coach Sean McDermott agreed — Buffalo couldn't get off the field on third down.

It was a glaring weakness throughout this game. Buffalo failed to get a sack and failed to generate a turnover, which is the first time this season that they've failed to do so. Don't get to the quarterback, don't turn the ball over, and allow your opponent to convert on third downs, and you're going to have a very difficult time winning at any level of football.

"They converted a lot of third downs. I think they had 15 or so third downs, and maybe 11 out of 15 converted? I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I feel like that's about right, and we've got to get off the field and get the ball back to Josh [Allen]. I mean you saw what he can do, so we've got to do a better job. I thought we lost two of the three phases today," McDermott said after the game. 

His point about Allen is absolutely correct. In this game, Allen set a record, becoming the only player in NFL history to pass for three and run for three touchdowns in the same game. He played out of his mind, accounting for six touchdowns, over 400 yards from scrimmage, and no turnovers, but the defense's inability to get off the field and get the ball back to their offense was a huge factor in this game not going Buffalo's way.

Third down has been a problem spot for the Bills all season, with the team allowing the highest third down conversion percentage of their opponents in the league over their last three games. For a team with championship aspirations, that's a weakness that has to get addressed. 

Follow along all year for more Buffalo Bills coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on Bluesky @jonhelmkamp.bsky.social, and make sure to follow our main page @AtoZSports.bsky.social for all the latest news.