Bills exposed the Rams' Achilles heel, and other teams will take note

The Los Angeles Rams' defense failed to show up in a Week 5 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills. Well, partially failed. LA held Bills quarterback Josh Allen to a 12-of-19 passing performance that resulted in 219 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. That's impressive for an overtime game.

The run defense did not show the same resolve. The Bills ran 37 times for 234 yards and three touchdowns.

The Rams knew they had to stop Bills running back James Cook. They failed. The that wasn't the worst of it. The true weakness was defensive coordinator Chris Shula's failure to keep a spy on Allen.

While the secondary did its job in coverage, Allen scrambled through huge holes. Despite his success, LA never tasked a single defender with spying on Allen, and it cost them the game.

Allen did not win Week 5 with his arm. But he did combine 210 passing yards and a touchdown with 121 rushing yards and another score, on 12.1 yards per carry. Teams have witnessed this vulnerability in the Rams' defense over and over. Shula's crew had no answer for Allen because it had no plan in place to stop him.

Chris Shula's statistically sound Rams defense still can't stop the run

Shula's defense has been riddled with injuries through the first five games. But it has weathered the storm well. Despite allowing the third-most yards, the Rams have surrendered only the 20th-most points.

By yards allowed, LA boasts the second-ranked pass defense but is 26th in rushing. That inconsistency helped get kicker Harrison Mevis fired.

The Rams' defensive pendulum sways back and forth. Like a game of Whac-A-Mole, Shula's cast of characters seems to focus on either pass defense or run defense, but never both in the same season. If that approach resulted in wins, it would be one thing.

Instead, the Horns have failed to rise above .500 after five games. With the undefeated San Francisco 49ers leading the division, it's time to be concerned.

Los Angeles has faced teams with a cumulative record of 17-7-1 in its first five games. Over the next five games, they will face teams with a combined record of 6-18-1. So if LA is to get hot, now is when.

Still, their failure to stop a mobile quarterback is now out there for every team to see. The Rams cannot hope to win consistently until they learn how to stuff the run. The Philadelphia Eagles gashed the run defense in 2024 in humiliating fashion. It's not a matter of if, but when, LA faces a similar test in 2026.

As always, thanks for reading.

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