The Los Angeles Rams took part in one of the most thrilling games from early in the 2026 campaign when they squared off against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, but they ended up coming out on the wrong side of the game, with the final outcome seeing them suffer a 37-34 defeat.
Just like everyone expected, Matthew Stafford went toe-to-toe with Josh Allen, and after a slow start, the two teams began fervently trading touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Stafford may not have been able to lead Los Angeles to victory, but he still managed to earn some strong praise from Allen in the wake of this battle.
Josh Allen Gushes Over Matthew Stafford
Despite being surrounded by top-tier weapons and coming off an MVP campaign, Stafford had struggled to consistently get things going on offense to begin the year. Against the Bills, though, that all changed, as Stafford completed 40 of his 54 pass attempts for 383 yards and three touchdowns.
The problem is that the Rams’ defense had no answers for Allen. He wasn’t necessarily spectacular in the air (12/19, 210 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT), but he more than made up for it with one of the best rushing performances of his career (10 CAR, 121 YDS, 1 TD). After Harrison Mevis had a game-winning field goal get blocked midway through overtime, Allen quickly led Buffalo down the field and set up Tyler Bass for his own game-winning kick, which he managed to convert.
Everyone was expecting a quarterback duel between Stafford and Allen, and while it wasn’t the most conventional battle between these two guys, it still delivered when all was said and done. After the game, Allen made sure to give praise to Stafford, labeling him “the greatest thrower of the football of all time.”
“I’ve got an unbelievable amount of respect for Matthew,” Allen said in a postgame interview with Laura Rutledge. “The way he’s played the game, the way he’s always played it, he’s as tough as they come. If he’s not the greatest thrower of the football of all time, I don’t know who is. He spins it. He’s a competitor. He’s a guy that every quarterback should strive to be like.”
Matthew Stafford, Rams Must Find Ways to Start Winning Games
Stafford has held his own to begin the year, but with a 2-3 record, the Rams have fallen well short of expectations to begin the year. The team has struggled to put all the pieces of the puzzle together to this point, and they have quickly fallen into a three-game hole in the NFC West division to begin the year.
There is simply too much talent on L.A.’s roster for this group not to figure things out, but the urgency this team operates with needs to increase significantly moving forward. The Rams will have to quickly turn around and get ready for their next game on a short week, as they will square off against the 1-4 Arizona Cardinals in Week 6.
Matthew Stafford Receives Strong Message From Josh Allen After Rams Loss