Josh Allen Calls Matthew Stafford ‘Greatest Thrower’ After Bills Survive Rams’ Aerial Assault in OT

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen walked off the field at SoFi Stadium with his first career overtime victory after nine NFL seasons, and the first thing he did was salute the quarterback he had just outdueled in the most lopsided passing-volume mismatch of the season.

“I think if he’s not the greatest thrower of the football of all time, I don’t know who is,” Allen said of Matthew Stafford, whose 54 pass attempts nearly tripled Allen’s 19. “He spins it. He’s a competitor. He’s a guy that every quarterback should try to be like.”

The praise carried weight precisely because Stafford had spent Monday night peppering the Bills’ secondary — 40 completions, 383 yards, three touchdowns — and nearly forced a second overtime period before Buffalo’s Greg Rousseau blocked Harrison Mevis’ 48-yard field goal attempt. Tyler Bass converted the winner on the ensuing possession, lifting the Bills to 4-1 and dropping the Rams to 2-3 in a game that featured six lead changes and four ties.

Allen’s own stat line read like a different sport: 12-of-19 for 210 yards with a touchdown and interception through the air, but 10 carries for 121 yards and a score on the ground. Two of those runs on Buffalo’s final possession — including a 32-yard sprint — carried the Bills from their own 35 to the Rams’ 27, setting up Bass’ 45-yard game-winner.

“Guys kept chipping away,” Allen said of his own performance. “I don’t think we threw it very well in the first half, but guys kept fighting.”

The victory snapped Allen’s 0-7 career mark in overtime games, a drought that had become a quiet talking point around the league. His first OT win came against a 37-year-old Stafford who authored a game-tying drive with five seconds remaining in regulation, hitting Puka Nacua — who set a career high with 17 receptions for 138 yards — on a 19-yard strike to force the extra period.

Nacua’s workload underscored the Rams’ offensive identity under Sean McVay. Los Angeles has now thrown 40-plus passes in three of five games this season, leaning on a quick-rhythm passing game that treats Nacua and Cooper Kupp as de facto running backs in space. Stafford’s 54 attempts marked his highest single-game total since a 55-throw effort against the Buccaneers in 2021.

Buffalo’s defense bent but didn’t break. The Bills surrendered 455 total yards but forced the critical play when Rousseau, the 2021 first-round pick, penetrated the A-gap untouched to swat Mevis’ kick. It was Buffalo’s first blocked field goal since 2022.

The matchup also marked a passing of the MVP torch. Allen captured the award last season after throwing for 4,306 yards and 29 touchdowns while adding 12 rushing scores. Stafford, who won Super Bowl LVI with the Rams, earned his first MVP in 2025 — a projection that reflects his age-defying 2024 campaign (4,210 yards, 34 TDs, 8 INTs).

For the Rams, the loss continues a troubling pattern in close games. Los Angeles has now dropped three games by a combined 11 points, with Stafford posting a 118.7 passer rating in defeat. The schedule doesn’t soften: a short-week trip to face the 49ers awaits Thursday night.

Buffalo returns home to host the Jets on Monday Night Football, where Allen will face a defense that has held opponents to 16.8 points per game. The Bills’ offense, now 3-0 when Allen rushes for 100-plus yards, may need that dimensionality again against a New York front seven that ranks third in pressure rate.

Rousseau’s block preserved a win that felt improbable for long stretches. The Bills trailed 24-14 at halftime and 34-27 with 2:14 remaining before Allen engineered a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by his own 12-yard scramble. The two-point conversion — a shovel pass to James Cook — tied it.

Stafford, for his part, offered no excuses. “We had our chances,” he said. “Credit to them. They made one more play.”

That play came from a defensive end who had spent the previous three hours watching Stafford dissect his secondary. Rousseau’s block — and Allen’s subsequent praise — framed a night where the better passer lost, and the better all-around quarterback found a way to win.