The Los Angeles Rams take on the Buffalo Bills to round out Week 5 NFL action, a marquee matchup between the last two MVP winners. If the Rams want to come away with a win, they will need to follow these five keys to victory.
Pick your poison
Thanks to Josh Allen's dual-threat playstyle, the offense custom-built for his skills, and playmakers such as James Cook and Khalil Shakir, the Bills are able to beat opponents in a variety of ways. It's about picking your poison and the Rams' strategy of keeping everything in front of them won't work, as Allen will make them pay with his feet.
There's only one way to beat Allen and the Bills. That is to not let Allen get too comfortable. The Rams must engage in a shootout, drawing up blitzes to get him off his spot. Allen will
launch the ball deep, with Los Angeles relying on their defensive backs to make a play. It's a dangerous game, but he's too good to play conservatively against.
Allen will throw Buffalo out of this game. The Rams just have to give him the time.
Nacua for the win
The Rams have to use Puka Nacua in multi-layered attacks to keep the defense off-balance. The reason is that Matthew Stafford is going to overtly target him anyway, so Nacua's influence should stretch the defense enough for Kyren Williams and the tight ends to find space in between.
Commonly, the run sets up the pass. With the Rams, Nacua sets up everything. He has to get at least 15 targets in this game.
Use Stewart's speed to contain Allen
Going back to Allen and his ability to run, the Rams have to rush the passer with some common sense. If they push upfield too quickly, Allen will step up and run into the space vacated. If they collapse the pocket, Allen could escape out the back, using the sidelines to his advantage.
Aaron Donald is back, and Byron Young is firing off the edge. Due to his natural coverage skills, Los Angeles should use Stewart as a pseudo-QB spy that drops into coverage periodically. Not only should that give the defensive line time to rush intelligently, but Stewart's body positioning should pick up the running back who leaks out of the backfield as Allen's safety valve.
Blitz on third and fourth down
Ask Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson what the Kansas City Chiefs would dial up against Allen in pressure situations. They would blitz all night, and the Rams need to do the same. Watson's return, paired with McDuffie's coverage ability, gives them enough talent in the secondary to attack the quarterback.
There's no offensive line in the world that is able to block six rushers, even with six-man protection, as long as one of the rushers is Donald. Allen can not handle the blitz, especially on third and fourth down. The better part about this strategy is that the Rams should be able to mirror coverages, allowing them to dial up a look that induces an interception late in the game.
Field position is everything
If the Rams are going to punt, the one thing they should consider is the health of their defense. Throughout the game, their health and stamina will waver, and if the Bills have a long field, they'll use the space to wear down the Rams' defense, especially early.
Buffalo loves to lean on its power rushing attack to open up the pass, applying physicality to create openings. At some point, the Rams are going to have to consider going for it on fourth down, even on their side of the 50. Because if they punt, Buffalo could use game management to outlast Los Angeles.
Personally, I'd rather defend 10 yards with my four best plays than 50 yards that will burn through the playbook. Just let Stafford win the game, and if he fails, manufacture short-field situations that will tighten passing windows before blitzing Allen until he cracks. Don't allow him to dink and dunk his way to a win.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams' 5 keys to victory vs. Bills on Monday night
