WEEK 5 · FINAL
THE READ
68 points between Bills and Rams
Nobody wanted to play defence. Rams won the shootout 37-31. Joe Burrow did the damage for Rams — 22/29, 370 yards, 2 TD. Josh Allen was steady for Bills — 24/35, 288 yards, 1 TD — in a losing effort. Make it 4 consecutive games past 250 for Josh Allen. Total yards: Rams 502, Bills 415.
The Wire · league beat
THE WIDER PICTURE
| Team | SRS | SOS | MARGIN | TO +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | +3.5 | +2.6 | +0.9 | +5 |
| Rams | -7.2 | -0.8 | -6.4 | -16 |
SRS is how many points a side beats an
average team by once you account for who they played — beat a good
team by 3 and it counts for more than beating a bad one by 20.
SOS is how hard that schedule has been.
Full table.
Rams —
in the hunt
· 4-5
Playoff picture →
IN THE BOOTH
Ava Collins
Beat reporter
Buffalo couldn't generate enough pressure—0 sacks while Los Angeles got 4—and that's the difference in a shootout where the Bills matched the Rams' pace but lost the cleanup battle. Joe Burrow's 370 yards and Davante Adams' 142 were too much to overcome when you're not collapsing the pocket.
Caleb Brooks
Beat reporter
· replying
Allen's been elite through the air all month—288 yards is his floor now—but Buffalo's ground game (127 yards) couldn't keep pace with Los Angeles' balance, and at 2-3, the Bills are running out of margin for error in a division that isn't waiting.
They only ever read the box score and this league's own numbers —
none of them has a source, and none of them can report anything that
did not happen.
Joe Burrow
Rams
22/29, 370 yards, 2 TD
Josh Allen
Bills
24/35, 288 yards, 1 TD
Davante Adams
Rams
9 catches, 142 yards, 1 TD
THE STORY SO FAR
WHAT DECIDED IT
Total yards
Rams 502, Bills 415
Rams
Through the air
Rams 370, Bills 288
Rams
On the ground
Rams 132, Bills 127
Rams
Pressure
Rams 3.5 sacks, Bills 0
Rams
THE ROOM
Final. The recap is below.
THE MATCHUP SCOUT
every number below is counted from the export or read off the roster — nothing is inferred about playcalling
LEAGUE DATA
counted by Madden, and arithmetic on top of it
Balanced
Pass 57% · Rush 43% · 28.1 scored, 27.3 allowed
8.5 yds/att
62.3% completions
5.7 yds/carry
362.0 yds/game
1.1 giveaways/game
7.9% sack rate
last 5: 1-4
SAPPHIRE METRICS
QB efficiency 69 · Efficient
Balance 93
Ball security 68
Back usage 31%
QB runs 5.6/game
PERSONNEL
off the roster — unit averages, best starters only
QB 99
WR 83
TE 82
RB 86
OL 79
DL 86
LB 77
DB 83
Best: Josh Allen QB 99
Fastest: Mecole Hardman WR 93 SPD
6 at star dev or better
YOUR NOTEBOOK
what you wrote about them — private, and never a Sapphire statistic
Sign in as a member of this league to keep private scouting notes on your opponents.
LEAGUE DATA
counted by Madden, and arithmetic on top of it
Balanced
Pass 58% · Rush 42% · 35.4 scored, 41.8 allowed
10.0 yds/att
59.0% completions
6.5 yds/carry
448.2 yds/game
2.9 giveaways/game
9.6% sack rate
last 5: 3-2
SAPPHIRE METRICS
QB efficiency 61 · Aggressive
Balance 92
Ball security 20
Back usage 37%
QB runs 3.0/game
Most exposed: ball security -- 2.9 giveaways a game
PERSONNEL
off the roster — unit averages, best starters only
QB 99
WR 87
TE 79
RB 82
OL 79
DL 88
LB 88
DB 85
Best: Myles Garrett REDG 99
Fastest: Tutu Atwell WR 93 SPD
12 at star dev or better
YOUR NOTEBOOK
what you wrote about them — private, and never a Sapphire statistic
Sign in as a member of this league to keep private scouting notes on your opponents.
HOW THEY PLAY
the man, not the franchise — only weeks the record attributes to him, this season
lilmike438
Rams · his last 8 games
Balanced
Gives it away
Takes sacks
Pass / run58% / 42%
Points for / against35.4 — 41.8
Margin-6.4
Giveaways a game2.9
Sacks taken9.6% of dropbacks
Lead backChuba Hubbard · 12.2/g
Top targetDavante Adams · 26%
QB carries2.9 a game
𝓔𝓵𝓲
Bills · his last 7 games
Balanced
Runs the quarterback
Pass / run57% / 43%
Points for / against28.1 — 27.3
Margin+0.9
Giveaways a game1.1
Sacks taken7.9% of dropbacks
Lead backJames Cook III · 11.7/g
Top targetDJ Moore · 27%
QB carries5.3 a game
Counted from the weeks each man actually held his team — so a franchise that changed hands is not credited to whoever has it now. Nothing above is a playcall: the export does not carry those, and neither does this.
THE SERIES
𝓔𝓵𝓲 against lilmike438 — the men, not the teams
lilmike438 leads it 1-0.
lilmike438 won the last one.
1 meeting
avg 31.0 — 37.0
biggest: 6 pts to lilmike438
S1 · week 5
𝓔𝓵𝓲 31 — 37 lilmike438
LILMIKE438
Only meetings Sapphire can attribute to both men are counted — a Madden export never says who owned a team last season, so the series starts where the record does.
MATCHUP ADVANTAGES
unit averages against each other — inside three points is a push
Bills receivers vs Rams secondary
83 v 85
EVEN
Rams receivers vs Bills secondary
87 v 83
RAMS
Bills line vs Rams front
79 v 88
RAMS
Rams line vs Bills front
79 v 86
BILLS
Bills backs vs Rams run defence
86 v 88
EVEN
Rams backs vs Bills run defence
82 v 82
EVEN
Bills passer vs Rams secondary
99 v 85
BILLS
Rams passer vs Bills secondary
99 v 83
RAMS
TOP PERFORMERS
🎬
The Game Recapthis game as an episode -- the score, the stars, the numbers that decided it -- and a video you can post ›
BOX SCORE
BILLS
RAMS
BILLS
RAMS
BILLS
RAMS
BILLS
RAMS
BILLS
RAMS
BILLS
| PLAYER | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SCK | LNG | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Allen QB | 24/35 | 288 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 25 | 103 |
RAMS
| PLAYER | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SCK | LNG | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Burrow QB | 22/29 | 370 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 140.3 |
BILLS
| PLAYER | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | BTK | YAC | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Allen QB | 8 | 56 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 37 | 0 |
| James Cook III HB | 10 | 47 | 4.7 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 0 |
| Ray Davis HB | 7 | 23 | 3.3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 10 | 0 |
| DJ Moore WR | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Keon Coleman WR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
RAMS
| PLAYER | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | BTK | YAC | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuba Hubbard HB | 15 | 76 | 5.1 | 1 | 5 | 45 | 27 | 0 |
| Dean Connors HB | 8 | 36 | 4.5 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
| Joe Burrow QB | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Adam Randall HB | 3 | 4 | 1.3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Davante Adams WR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Higbee TE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ladd McConkey WR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terrance Ferguson TE | 1 | -3 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
BILLS
| PLAYER | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | YAC | DRP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khalil Shakir WR | 8 | 95 | 11.9 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 25 |
| Keon Coleman WR | 5 | 68 | 13.6 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 24 |
| DJ Moore WR | 3 | 41 | 13.7 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 19 |
| Dalton Kincaid TE | 3 | 26 | 8.7 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 14 |
| Dawson Knox TE | 2 | 21 | 10.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Ray Davis HB | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 10 |
| James Cook III HB | 1 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 18 |
| Ben VanSumeren FB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
RAMS
| PLAYER | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | YAC | DRP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davante Adams WR | 9 | 142 | 15.8 | 1 | 50 | 0 | 41 |
| Ladd McConkey WR | 2 | 120 | 60 | 1 | 89 | 0 | 90 |
| Tyler Higbee TE | 7 | 65 | 9.3 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 14 |
| Adam Randall HB | 2 | 30 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 19 |
| Jaylin Noel WR | 1 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| Dean Connors HB | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 21 |
| Terrance Ferguson TE | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
BILLS
| PLAYER | TKL | SCK | INT | PD | FF | CMP ALW | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Bishop FS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Maxwell Hairston CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Jordan Hancock SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Landon Jackson DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaleb Elarms-Orr WILL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Davison Igbinosun CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Bradley Chubb REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalon Kilgore SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Greg Rousseau DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dorian Williams WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Toriano Pride Jr. CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Jimmy Ciarlo MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Sanders DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terrel Bernard MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maxx Crosby LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
RAMS
| PLAYER | TKL | SCK | INT | PD | FF | CMP ALW | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jessie Bates III FS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Steven Gilmore CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Foyesade Oluokun MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jadon Canady SS | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Aaron Donald DT | 4 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shaun Dolac MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josaiah Stewart LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grant Stuard WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Quentin Lake SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Wagner MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Al'Zillion Hamilton CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wesley Bailey LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Myles Garrett REDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ty Hamilton DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylen Watson CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
BILLS
| PLAYER | FG | XP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Bass K | 1/2 | 4/4 | 47 |
RAMS
| PLAYER | FG | XP | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Mevis K | 3/3 | 4/4 | 41 |
RECENT FORM
Bills
L
23–31 vs Patriots
WK 4
W
54–37 vs Chargers
WK 3
W
42–13 vs Lions
WK 2
Rams
W
56–24 vs Eagles
WK 4
L
13–55 vs Broncos
WK 3
W
24–20 vs Giants
WK 2
TEAM STATS
| Bills | Rams | |
|---|---|---|
| 415 | TOTAL YARDS | 502 |
| 288 | PASSING YARDS | 370 |
| 127 | RUSHING YARDS | 132 |
| 4 | SACKS ALLOWED | 0 |
| 0 | SACKS MADE | 3.5 |
| 0 | GIVEAWAYS | 1 |
| 1 | TAKEAWAYS | 0 |
Bold is the side that won that line. Giveaways come off a team's own offensive rows and takeaways off its own defensive rows — two separate payloads, so they need not tie out against each other.
ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD
0
BILLS
—
1
RAMS