The NFL puts a bow on Week 5 with a doozy of a "Monday Night Football" showdown between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.
This could very well be the matchup that determines the winner of Super Bowl LXI this coming February, but for now, both clubs are merely looking to stabilize after a so-so opening month (by their standards). With the Rams, they enter this contest 2-2 on the year, but did have a strong come-from-behind win last week over the Philadelphia Eagles that included a 14-0 fourth-quarter run. As for the Bills, they're 3-1 on the year, but are coming off their first loss of the season, losing to the Patriots at home.
Of course, this is quite the quarterback duel, with Matthew Stafford and Josh Allen representing the last two NFL MVPs. Moreover, the last time these two squared off, it was a scoring bonanza as the Rams won the 2024 Week 14 matchup, 44-42. We'll see if those fireworks pop off in this matchup yet again.
On top of that, L.A. is looking to get over .500 for the first time this season, while Buffalo tries to rebound from last week's loss. Who'll come out on top? We'll soon find out. As this game unfolds, be sure to check out our live blog. Below, you'll find real-time highlights of all the top plays and expert analysis.
"This is one of the best games of the week. The Bills are coming off a tough loss to the Patriots, while the Rams rallied to beat the Eagles. Look for a lot of points in this one as Josh Allen and Matt Stafford have big games. In the end, the Rams will make the plays late to win it." -- Pete Prisco, who has the Rams pulling out the 34-33 win.
The last time these two teams squared off, points came in bunches. The Rams won a 44-42 shootout, and Buffalo became the first team in NFL history to lose a game despite scoring six or more touchdowns and recording zero turnovers. Josh Allen was the first player with three-plus passing touchdowns and three-plus rushing touchdowns in a regular-season game. Meanwhile, Puka Nacua recorded 162 receiving yards and two touchdowns (one rushing and one receiving.
Lost in the shadows of Matthew Stafford vs. Josh Allen is a heck of a running back matchup. James Cook entered the week with the third-most rushing yards (421) in the league. Meanwhile, Williams is coming off a clutch showing in the comeback win over Philly last week, rushing for 80 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 10 catches and 67 yards receiving.
Allen is coming into this game playing some of the best football of his career. He's averaging 289.3 total yards per game and has 13 total touchdowns through four games. Allen's tied for the most rushing touchdowns (7) in the NFL entering Week 5 and is tied for the most 30-yard touchdown passes in the first four games of the season in franchise history.
This is just the third matchup in the history of "Monday Night Football" between the previous two NFL MVPs.
As Buffalo is dealing with some tough injury news with DJ Moore, the Rams got some good news with Quentin Lake. The safety is active despite dealing with a hip injury. Lake had the highest PFF coverage grade coming into Week 5 and was tied for the most passes defended (7).
The Rams quarterback hasn't looked quite like his MVP self from last year through the first month of 2026. He's averaging 297.3 passing yards per game and has six passing touchdowns to go along with six interceptions. He's thrown at least one pick in each game this season. Specifically, Stafford has seemed to struggle with the deep ball, as five of his six interceptions have come on throws at least 10 yards downfield. Stafford's also has an off-target rate of 28.3% on such throws this season, after it was just 15.5% during his MVP campaign in 2025.
Over the last two games, the Bills have given the ball away seven times. They had no giveaways in the first two games of the season. Despite over a half-dozen turnovers in this recent stretch, the Bills have only allowed 10 points off of them, so the defense has helped stop the bleeding. However, they may not be as fortunate if they cough the ball up against this potent Rams offense.
