Bills Prepare Allen and Cook for Rams Monday Night Matchup

Buffalo will take on the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Monday Night Football in Week 5, with quarterback Josh Allen and running back James Cook central to the Bills' offensive plans. The matchup pits Buffalo against a Rams defense that entered the game ranked No. 1 in the NFL, while the Bills aim to maintain their strong scoring history against Los Angeles.

According to the source report from Sports Illustrated, Buffalo scored 35, 31, and 42 points in its previous meetings with the Rams in 2020, 2022, and 2024, respectively. Despite those offensive performances, the Bills lost the game in which they scored 42 points.

Allen has thrown for at least 204 yards in every game this season and reached 250 passing yards twice in the first four weeks, according to the report. He completed 23 of 33 passes for 253 yards in a Week 4 loss after throwing for 334 yards on 20-of-29 passing in the season opener. His Week 2 performance against the Detroit Lions included 248 passing yards.

Allen also produced substantial numbers in his two most recent road games against Los Angeles. In 2024, he threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-42 loss. In 2022, he recorded 297 passing yards and three touchdowns in Buffalo's 31-10 victory in the Rams' first game after winning Super Bowl LVI.

The report also noted speculation about an undisclosed injury involving Allen, but said the quarterback maintained that he was fully healthy during the week leading into the matchup.

Cook enters the game after a productive stretch in which he rushed for 135 yards in Week 2 and 154 yards in Week 3. He ranks second among NFL players in yards per carry at 6.0, according to the report.

His workload decreased against the New England Patriots in Week 4, when he recorded 75 rushing yards on 12 carries. That followed a combined 45 rushing attempts over the previous two games. The Rams entered the matchup allowing an average of 102.0 rushing yards per game, according to the source.

Wide receiver Keon Coleman also arrives after a strong performance against New England. He caught six of seven targets for 116 yards and one touchdown after DJ Moore was forced out of the game, according to the report.

Coleman also contributed against Detroit in Week 2, finishing with six receptions for 63 yards on six targets. He has recorded at least one reception of 20 or more yards in each of the previous three games, while Buffalo is expected to be without wide receiver Josh Palmer and could also be missing Moore.

Tight end Dalton Kincaid remains another potential contributor despite limited involvement in recent games. He leads Buffalo's receivers with 270 yards, according to the report, although he has combined for only three receptions over the previous two weeks.

First-year head coach Joe Brady acknowledged that Kincaid's limited involvement was an issue following Buffalo's 29-26 loss to New England. Brady pointed to the tight end's two targets, including one on the final drive, when discussing his own performance.

"Anytime Dalton comes away with two targets and one of them being in the last drive of the game, obviously, I didn't do a good enough job," said Joe Brady, the Bills' first-year head coach.

Kincaid scored his first and only touchdown of the season in Week 2 against Detroit. The report also noted that he scored touchdowns in five of 12 regular-season games last year and added a touchdown in each of his playoff appearances.