Historic. That is the only way to accurately describe Sunday's Rams vs. Bills game that featured 86 points, 12 touchdowns, 902 total yards and zero turnovers. This game featured the highest point total in any game this season.
Matthew Stafford went toe-to-toe with MVP candidate Josh Allen at peak performance and ended the Bills' seven-game win streak. As "The Athletic Football Show" put it, there aren't very many people on planet earth who are capable of that. Stafford was in "complete command" throughout the game, said head coach Sean McVay, making all the right checks at the line and putting footballs where only his receivers could get them.
Here are five interesting stats from the Rams' thrilling 44-42 win over Buffalo, all from the offensive side of the ball:
This game was the first in NFL history to have at least 850 combined yards with zero sacks or turnovers
This game was unique. There has never been any game quite like it and it's hard to see something similar happening again any time soon: No turnovers, no sacks and over 900 combined yards is unheard of offensive production from a single game.
This was also the first game in which both teams scored 40+ points and didn't turn the ball over once. It was absurd, preposterous, ridiculous, plug in any adjective that means "crazy" and that's what this game was.
Stafford had the fourth-highest Expected Points Added (EPA) of any QB this season (+25.0), via Next Gen Stats
EPA measures the value of each play in terms of how much it contributes to the offense's likelihood of scoring, and Stafford added a lot to the Rams' scoring chances on Sunday. He threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns while completing 76.7% of his attempts with a passer rating of 132.6. It was one of the best quarterback performances of the 2024 season thus far.
He reached season-highs in passing yards, big time throws (four) and PFF passing grade (93.5), which was the fourth-highest single-game PFF passing grade of the season. When Stafford said "I was just ready to go today," after the game, that was a massive understatement.
Puka Nacua led all receivers in yards, catches and Pro Football Focus grade in Week 14 (pre-MNF)
Nacua's 162 receiving yards on 12 catches culminated in a 92.3 PFF offense grade in Week 14, his second-best of the season. He was making contested catches, rushing touchdowns and everything in between. It was a classic Nacua game that featured highlight-reel plays on nearly every drive.
He finished with 17 touches, 178 total yards, two contested catches and two total touchdowns as Stafford's number one target. That's the third-most scrimmage yards of his career and tied for the most touches.
The Rams had the fourth-highest third-down conversion rate of any team in a game this season (73.3%) after entering Sunday with the league's third-lowest third-down conversion rate
Third downs had been a problem for the Rams this year. But on Sunday, they turned a season-long issue into a resounding strength that helped them pull off a huge upset. Their previous season-high in third-down conversion rate was 50% against Green Bay in Week 5.
McVay said that the offensive line's dominance was "why we were able to be efficient on third down," because they ran the ball effectively on early downs and didn't get sacked once. Their average third down distance was 5.9 after entering the game averaging 6.8 yards to go. That made a big difference on Sunday.
The Rams ran the ball 42 times on Sunday, their most in a game since 2018
McVay gave credit to the offensive line for allowing L.A. to let Stafford work through his progressions while also running the ball effectively and continuously in order to close out the win. The rushing attack wasn't terribly efficient, but it got the job done when it mattered most.
They averaged 3.3 yards per carry and 1.84 before contact (their fourth-best mark of the season) behind stout line play. L.A. totaled three touchdowns on the ground between running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum as well as Nacua, who had five rushes for 16 yards and a score.
The Rams' 30% pressure rate allowed was tied for the sixth-least this season and the offensive line allowed zero sacks for a second-straight week. Stafford had a 144.8 passer rating and 234 passing yards when he wasn't pressured, per Next Gen Stats.
