Buffalo Bills vs Los Angeles Rams match player stats show how a high-scoring game can be won by a very small gap. On December 8, 2024, the Rams beat the Bills 44 to 42 at SoFi Stadium. The two teams scored 86 points together, and Buffalo almost came back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter. In this article, we go through the numbers for the main players on both sides, explain what each stat means in simple words, and pick the best performers. We also look back at three older games between these teams, so you can see how this matchup has changed over the years.
What was the final score of the Bills vs Rams game?
The Rams won 44 to 42 on Sunday, December 8, 2024, in front of 73,493 fans at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The game started at 4:25 pm local time and took 3 hours and 11 minutes. After the game, the Bills had a 10-3 record and the Rams had a 7-6 record.
Here is the score after each quarter:
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 42 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 7 | 17 | 14 | 6 | 44 |
The Bills tied the game once, at 7 to 7 in the first quarter. After that, the Rams stayed in front until the end. Buffalo never had the lead.
How did the game go, quarter by quarter?
The Rams scored first, and the Bills answered right away. Kyren Williams ran in a 3-yard touchdown for Los Angeles. Then Josh Allen scored on a 1-yard run to make it 7 to 7.
The second quarter was the Rams’ best part of the game. They scored 17 points in the quarter. Joshua Karty kicked a 22-yard field goal. Then Hunter Long ran a blocked punt back 22 yards for a touchdown, and that play gave the Rams a 17 to 7 lead. Allen threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Ty Johnson, which brought the Bills back to 14 to 17. Late in the half, Puka Nacua ran for a 4-yard touchdown, so the Rams went into the break leading 24 to 14.
In the third quarter, Williams scored again on a 7-yard run. Khalil Shakir answered with a 51-yard touchdown catch from Allen. Cooper Kupp then caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford with only 18 seconds left in the quarter. That made it 38 to 21 for the Rams.
The fourth quarter was all about Buffalo. Allen scored on a 1-yard run, and then he threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Mack Hollins. The score was 35 to 38. The Rams answered with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Nacua, but Karty missed the extra point, so the lead was nine points instead of ten. Allen scored one more 1-yard touchdown with 1:00 left, and the Bills trailed 42 to 44. The Rams held on after that and won the game.
Which Bills players had the best stats?
Josh Allen had the best stats for Buffalo, and he was part of all six Bills touchdowns. He threw for three and ran for three. Here are the main Bills numbers from the box score:
| Player | Passing | Rushing | Receiving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Allen | 22 of 37, 342 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT | 10 carries, 82 yards, 3 TD | None |
| James Cook | None | 6 carries, 20 yards | 2 catches, 9 yards |
| Curtis Samuel | None | 1 carry, 1 yard | 2 catches, 15 yards |
| Khalil Shakir | None | None | 5 catches, 106 yards, 1 TD |
| Amari Cooper | None | None | 6 catches, 95 yards |
| Mack Hollins | None | None | 4 catches, 57 yards, 1 TD |
| Ty Johnson | None | None | 2 catches, 55 yards, 1 TD |
| Dawson Knox | None | None | 1 catch, 5 yards |
Josh Allen completed 22 of his 37 passes for 342 yards. He did not throw an interception, and he was not sacked. His passer rating was 117.2, which is very good. His longest pass was the 51-yard touchdown to Shakir. On the ground, he ran 10 times for 82 yards, and his longest run was 30 yards. All three of his rushing touchdowns came from 1 yard out.
Khalil Shakir was Allen’s top receiver by yards. He caught 5 of 8 targets for 106 yards and a touchdown. A target is a pass thrown in a player’s direction, so this means Allen looked for Shakir eight times.
Amari Cooper was the most targeted Bills player, with 14 targets. He caught 6 passes for 95 yards. He did not score, but he was Allen’s most used target.
Mack Hollins and Ty Johnson did not have many catches, but they made them count. Hollins scored on a 21-yard pass, and Johnson scored on a 41-yard pass. Johnson caught only two passes, yet he gained 55 yards with them.
James Cook was not a big part of the game. He ran 6 times for 20 yards. The Bills used Allen as the main runner near the goal line, and that is why his name is on all three rushing touchdowns.
Which Rams players had the best stats?
Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua had the best day for the Rams. Stafford threw a clean game, and Nacua caught almost everything thrown to him. Here are the main Rams numbers:
| Player | Passing | Rushing | Receiving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Stafford | 23 of 30, 320 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT | None | None |
| Kyren Williams | None | 29 carries, 87 yards, 2 TD | 2 catches, 10 yards |
| Blake Corum | None | 8 carries, 34 yards | None |
| Puka Nacua | None | 5 carries, 16 yards, 1 TD | 12 catches, 162 yards, 1 TD |
| Cooper Kupp | None | None | 5 catches, 92 yards, 1 TD |
| Tutu Atwell | None | None | 3 catches, 45 yards |
| Colby Parkinson | None | None | 1 catch, 11 yards |
Matthew Stafford completed 23 of 30 passes, which is about 77 percent. He threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions and no sacks. His passer rating was 132.6, even higher than Allen’s number. His longest pass went 37 yards.
Puka Nacua had the biggest day of any receiver in this game. He was targeted 14 times and caught 12 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball five times for 16 yards and scored on a 4-yard run. If you add his running and receiving yards, he gained 178 yards and scored two touchdowns.
Cooper Kupp caught 5 of 8 targets for 92 yards. His 17-yard touchdown late in the third quarter made the lead 17 points. His longest catch was 37 yards.
Kyren Williams did the hard work on the ground. He carried the ball 29 times for 87 yards. That is only 3.0 yards per carry, so he did not break many big runs, but he scored two touchdowns. Blake Corum helped with 8 carries for 34 yards.
Tutu Atwell caught all three passes thrown to him for 45 yards. This is a small number, but a perfect catch rate is worth noting.
Also remember the special teams. Hunter Long’s 22-yard blocked punt return was a touchdown, and it gave the Rams a 10-point lead in the second quarter. Joshua Karty kicked one field goal and made five of his six extra points, based on the scoring summary.
Who played best overall in the Bills vs Rams game?
Josh Allen had the best overall numbers, and Puka Nacua had the best day for a single receiver. Allen produced 424 yards by himself, with 342 in the air and 82 on the ground. He also accounted for all six Bills touchdowns. Nobody else in the game came close to that.
Nacua gets the second spot. His 178 total yards and two touchdowns helped the Rams stay ahead all game. Stafford gets a very close third, because his 132.6 passer rating was the best of any quarterback on the field, and he did not make a mistake.
Here are the top performers in a short list:
- Josh Allen: 424 total yards and 6 touchdowns.
- Puka Nacua: 12 catches, 178 total yards, 2 touchdowns.
- Matthew Stafford: 77 percent of passes completed, 320 yards, no turnovers.
- Khalil Shakir: 106 receiving yards and a 51-yard touchdown.
- Kyren Williams: 29 carries and 2 touchdowns.
This list is our own opinion based on the numbers. Some fans may choose different players, and that is fine.
What made the difference in the game?
The Rams won because of a strong second quarter and a touchdown on special teams. Los Angeles scored 17 points in the second quarter, while Buffalo scored 7. Long’s blocked punt return was a touchdown that the Bills’ offense could not stop, because it happened on a punt.
Turnovers also did not decide this game. Neither quarterback threw an interception, and neither was sacked, based on the passing table. So the result came down to touchdowns, big plays, and one missed extra point.
The extra point matters more than it looks. After Nacua’s late touchdown, Karty missed the kick. The Rams led by nine instead of ten. Allen then scored again, Tyler Bass kicked the extra point, and the Bills were only two points behind.
Buffalo’s problem was the slow start. The Bills were behind 24 to 14 at halftime and 38 to 21 after three quarters. They scored 21 points in the final quarter, but there was not enough time left.
How did earlier Bills vs Rams games compare?
Earlier games between these teams had very different stories, and Josh Allen played in the last three of them. Here is a short look at three older games.
October 9, 2016: Bills 30, Rams 19. In Los Angeles, Greg Zuerlein kicked four field goals for the Rams, and Todd Gurley scored on a 1-yard run. The Bills won with touchdown passes from Tyrod Taylor to Justin Hunter and Marquise Goodwin, a 5-yard run by Mike Gillislee, and a 41-yard interception return for a touchdown by Nickell Robey-Coleman.
September 27, 2020: Bills 35, Rams 32. This game was in Buffalo, and Allen threw four touchdown passes and ran for one more. Stefon Diggs, Tyler Kroft (twice) and Lee Smith caught the touchdown passes. The Rams were down 28 to 3 in the third quarter and came back to lead 32 to 28 with Jared Goff throwing to Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. Kroft then caught a 3-yard touchdown with 15 seconds left to win it for Buffalo.
September 8, 2022: Bills 31, Rams 10. Buffalo won comfortably in Los Angeles. Allen completed 26 of 31 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns, though he threw two interceptions. Stafford had a hard night, going 29 of 41 for 240 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. He was also sacked seven times.
If you compare these games with the 2024 result, you can see how different each meeting was. In 2020 and 2024, the Bills and Rams combined for 67 and 86 points. In 2022, the final score was 41 points total, and the defenses took control.
How do you read a player stats table?
You can read most NFL stat tables if you know a few short terms. Here are the ones used in this article:
- Cmp / Att: passes completed and passes tried.
- Yds: yards gained.
- TD: touchdowns.
- Int: interceptions, which are passes caught by the other team.
- Sk: sacks, which are times the quarterback is tackled behind the line.
- Rate: passer rating, a number that shows how well a quarterback played. A rating above 100 is very good.
- Tgt: targets, or passes thrown to a player.
- Rec: receptions, or catches.
- Lng: the longest play for that player.
For example, Nacua’s line of 14 Tgt, 12 Rec and 162 Yds tells you that he was thrown the ball 14 times, caught 12, and gained 162 yards.
Conclusion
The Buffalo Bills vs Los Angeles Rams match player stats from December 8, 2024, show a close game with big numbers on both sides. Josh Allen played the best overall game with 424 yards and six touchdowns, but Puka Nacua, Matthew Stafford and Kyren Williams helped the Rams get a 44 to 42 win. The final score came down to a blocked punt return, a strong second quarter, and one missed extra point. If you want to check the full numbers, including defense and kicking, the box score pages listed below are a good place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who had the most yards in the Bills vs Rams game?
Josh Allen had the most yards of any player. He threw for 342 yards and ran for 82 yards, which is 424 total yards. Puka Nacua had the most receiving yards in the game with 162, and Matthew Stafford passed for 320 yards for the Rams.
How many touchdowns did Josh Allen score against the Rams?
Josh Allen was part of all six Buffalo touchdowns on December 8, 2024. He ran for three touchdowns, each from 1 yard out, and threw three touchdown passes to Ty Johnson, Khalil Shakir and Mack Hollins. He threw no interceptions in the game.
Who won the Bills vs Rams game and what was the score?
The Los Angeles Rams won 44 to 42 at SoFi Stadium on December 8, 2024. The Rams led 38 to 21 after three quarters. The Bills scored 21 points in the fourth quarter and got close, but they never took the lead in the game.
