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After a sloppy end to the first half, Josh Allen didn’t lose faith in the Buffalo Bills in the season opener.
After jumping out to a 10-0 lead over the Los Angeles Rams early in Thursday night’s NFL season opener, the Bills struggled with turnovers and allowed the Rams to tie the game just before halftime. But Allen and the Bills roared back in the second half, scoring three unanswered touchdowns to win 31-10.
Allen sounded off on Buffalo’s resilient performance after the win, saying he knew his team would bounce back and crediting the defense for keeping them in the game.
Allen Credits Bills Defense
Speaking after the game, Allen put the blame on himself and the offense for the failure to seize opportunities in the first half. The Bills were leading by 7 and driving deep into Rams’ territory when Allen threw his first interception, a pass that bounced off the hands of wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie. Up until that point, Allen had gone 10-for-10 with for 99 yards and a touchdown pass. The Bills had another pair of turnovers in the first half.
Allen told the NBC broadcast crew that the defense came through for the team after those early struggles.
“First off, that first half, being careless with the football a little bit, putting out defense in bad situations,” Allen said. “They bowed up for us, they gave us a chance.”
Allen added that he had faith the offense would continue to score, which they did. As ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg noted, the Bills finished 9-for-10 on third downs, tied for the second-best mark in the last 30 years by any team in a single game. The Bills also never punted or turned the ball over on downs.
“We knew that if we came out and tried to execute the way we know we can execute we were gonna move the ball and score again,” Josh Allen said on NBC’s broadcast. “Our defense played a hell of a game.”
Bills Defense Dominates Against Rams
As Allen noted, it was the defense that set the tone for the game. The team harassed Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford all night, forcing three interceptions and sacking him seven times — the most allowed during head coach Sean McVay’s tenure with the team.
In his debut for the Bills after leaving the Rams, edge rusher Von Miller had two sacks and another tackle for a loss.
“We’re going to make the plane do backflips on the way home tonight,” Miller said, via ESPN. “We’re going to celebrate this win, because you have to, but then we’re going to go back to the lab. We’re not going to let this success put our guard down.”
The Bills also outmuscled the Rams while on offense, with Allen leading the way. He had a game-high 56 rushing yards, many of them on bruising runs through the heart of the Los Angeles defense. Allen also had a highlight-reel moment during the team’s first drive of the second half, delivering a stiff arm to defender Nick Scott as he ran for a first down.
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