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          NFL Nation

          Rams fall just short of franchise-best comeback, lose to Bills late

          • Lindsey Thiry, ESPNSep 27, 2020, 04:39 PM ET
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              Lindsey Thiry is a national NFL reporter for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2018 to cover the Los Angeles Rams after two years of covering them for the Los Angeles Times, and has also covered the Chargers for ESPN. She previously covered the Atlanta Falcons. You can follow her on Twitter/X @LindseyThiry.

          The Los Angeles Rams overcame a devastatingly slow start to erase a 25-point deficit against the Buffalo Bills, but couldn't close out a come-from-behind effort in a 35-32 loss Sunday.

          The Rams and Bills both entered Sunday among 10 unbeaten teams, as the Rams fell to 2-1 and the Bills improved to 3-0.

          Through two and a half quarters, the Rams appeared outmatched by Bills quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills' defense, falling behind 28-3. But midway through the third quarter, Jared Goff scored on a 1-yard keeper and safety John Johnson III intercepted an Allen pass on the ensuing Buffalo drive, which was converted into a 25-yard touchdown reception by Robert Woods. The Rams also scored on the following two possessions on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Cooper Kupp and a 1-yard Darrell Henderson Jr. run, and Aaron Donald had two sacks in a three-play span in the fourth quarter.

          The Rams appeared to close out the comeback when a fourth-down pass from Allen fell incomplete, but Rams cornerback Darious Williams was called for pass interference at the Rams' 3-yard line. The Bills went ahead on the next play with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Allen to tight end Tyler Kroft.

          Now the Rams return to L.A., where they will play the winless New York Giants on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

          Describe the game in two words: Total turnaround. The Rams trailed by 25 points with 8:05 to play in the third quarter before mounting an incredible come-from-behind effort as they erased a 25-point deficit to take a 32-28 lead with 4:30 remaining in the game.

          Biggest hole in the game plan: The Rams' defense had few answers through two and a half quarters for Allen, who completed 24 of 33 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns, with an interception. Allen also rushed for another score. In the first half, the Rams were unable to make Allen uncomfortable, as they failed to record a sack or quarterback hit, while the secondary appeared to suffer from communication and assignment issues.

          Buy a breakout performance: Making his first career start, Henderson surpassed the 100-yard rushing yard mark for the first time in his NFL career. Henderson, a third-round pick in 2019, rushed for 114 yards on 20 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. Entering Sunday, the Bills had allowed an average of 75.5 rushing yards per game. Henderson started in place of rookie Cam Akers, who was inactive because of a rib injury suffered in Week 2.

          Troubling trend: Kicker Samuel Sloman's inconsistency. The Rams had three kickers in training camp, including Canadian Football League kicker Lirim Hajrullahu and former XFL kicker Austin MacGinnis, but opted to keep Sloman, a seventh-round pick from Miami (Ohio). Sloman missed a 53-yard field goal in the first quarter Sunday before he bounced back to convert a 30-yard attempt in the second quarter. He is 4-of-6 this season on field goal attempts and 9-of-10 kicking extra points.