Bills' 'one-of-a-kind' Josh Allen offers challenge for Rams' defensive progress on Monday night

LOS ANGELES (AP) — From his sideline, Matthew Stafford had a great vantage point on Josh Allen’s skills as the Los Angeles Rams held off the Buffalo Bills 44-42 on Dec. 8, 2024, when Allen became the first player in the Super Bowl era to run for three touchdowns and pass for three TDs in a game.

“He’s a one-of-a-kind type player at the quarterback position,” Stafford said. “I think size, speed, ability to throw the ball, all the things you’d want. So he’s a big-time player. It’s fun to watch.”

Allen is decidedly less enjoyable to try to defend, as the other side of the ball for the Rams (2-2) will have to do in their showdown with the Bills (3-1) on Monday night.

“He’s probably a lot more fun when you don’t got to tackle him,” Rams defensive end Braden Fiske said. “But, hey, anytime you get to compete against the best, it is fun.”

Allen accounted for 342 yards passing and 82 yards rushing without a turnover in his memorable last visit to SoFi Stadium, coming up short after trailing by 17 points twice in the third quarter. Those offensive fireworks happened in nine possessions while possessing the ball for just 21:30.

Buffalo coach Joe Brady, who was Allen’s offensive coordinator at the time, could only remember the things that went wrong.

“We dug ourselves a hole in that game, and it allowed it to get to that point,” Brady said. “You guys know how I am. I have such a high standard, so I’m always gonna reflect on the bad. But it didn’t have to get to that point that it did.”

The Rams’ defensive players are looking forward to the challenge as a chance to measure where they are at after an up-and-down first month of the season. Los Angeles ranks second in the NFL in total yards (247.5) and yards passing allowed (145.5), having smothered the New York Giants after starting quarterback Jaxson Dart was hurt and putting the clamps on the Philadelphia Eagles, while also struggling to contain the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos.

“As a football fan, man, I respect his game a lot,” Rams cornerback Jaylen McCollough said of Allen. “You know, he’s a generational talent.”

Bills (3-1) at Los Angeles Rams (2-2).

When/where to watch: Monday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN/ABC.

Latest odds: Rams by 3.

Against the spread: Bills 3-1; Rams 2-2.

Last week: Bills lost to the Patriots 29-26; Rams beat the Eagles 24-20.

Last meeting: Rams beat the Bills 44-42 on Dec. 8, 2024, in Inglewood, California.

Series record: Bills lead 9-6.

Rams’ passing game vs. Bills’ secondary. It took a while for Stafford and his receivers to lock in against the Eagles, but they were up to the task in a make-or-break fourth quarter. He was 12 of 16 passing for 133 yards on the final two drives, taking particular advantage down the stretch of Puka Nacua’s return after missing two games because of a hip and groin injury. The Bills are particularly beat up at cornerback, where Christian Benford (toe), Dee Alford (ankle), and even practice squad call-up Te’Cory Couch (hamstring) are dealing with injuries.

— The Rams are the first team since the 1949 Eagles to outgain an opponent by 200 yards in three straight games. They had a 415-172 yardage edge at Philadelphia.

— RB Kyren Williams had two touchdown runs in the last four minutes of the Rams’ comeback victory over the Eagles, including his first go-ahead, game-winning score in the fourth quarter. He also had a career-high 10 receptions, netting 67 yards.

— Stafford threw two more interceptions at Philadelphia, giving him six through four games. He had eight picks in each of the previous two seasons, accumulating those totals in 16 games in 2024 and 17 in 2025.

— The Rams are hopeful DL Aaron Donald (back soreness), CB Jaylen Watson (shoulder) and TE Colby Parkinson (knee/shoulder) will be able to play against the Bills. All three missed the game against the Eagles. Other injuries worth monitoring include OLB Josaiah Stewart (groin), LB Nate Landman (shoulder) and S Quentin Lake (hip).

— The Bills have scored touchdowns on 11 of 16 red-zone possessions on offense (68.8%) and allowed touchdowns on 11 of 16 red-zone possessions on defense.

— Buffalo has scored at least 30 points in four straight games against the Rams and eight of the past nine in the series. The Bills have generated 30, 31 and 42 points in three visits to Los Angeles since the Rams moved back in 2016.

— Bills WR Keon Coleman’s 116 yards receiving against New England were the second-most in his three NFL seasons, behind a 125-yard game during his rookie season against Tennessee on Oct. 20, 2024. It was his third career 100-yard game.

— Buffalo DT Ed Oliver (knee) avoided a long-term injury when he was hurt against New England, Brady said, but his status to play against Los Angeles is uncertain.

AP Sports Writer John Wawrow in Orchard Park, New York, contributed to this report.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford runs with the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) looks to pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) passes against New England Patriots center Jared Wilson (55) and defensive end Dre'mont Jones (5) during an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) speaks with teammates in a huddle during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots in the first half during an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona congressional candidate says she was knocked unconscious and sexually assaulted this summer while she was repairing campaign signs overnight.

Bernadette Greene-Placentia told investigators that two men raped her, and she kicked her feet up at one point to try to fight back. She said she felt the weight of one of her attackers on her body and had bruises on her arms from being held down, a bump on her head and other injuries, according to police reports.

“I knew that I had been knocked out,” Greene-Placentia told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Greene-Placentia, 52, is a Democrat who is challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh for the 8th Congressional District seat representing parts of metro Phoenix that are reliably red. She said she told her husband and campaign staff about the mid-August attack in Sun City days after it happened. The Phoenix New Times first reported on it.

Greene-Placentia told the AP she was disgusted that two men took control of her body and she had no say in it. She said she decided to speak out publicly when she realized she was telling voters she would advocate for them when she was not advocating for herself.

“My takeaway is that I have a lot more empathy and understanding of why so many women don’t come forward,” she said. “And, and I’m hoping that I can encourage them.”

Greene-Placentia said she could not recall many details of the Aug. 14 assault, including the exact location or a description of the men, though she said one wore black boots and had small feet. She told investigators one of the men used an expletive to describe her, and she believes he referenced her political party.

She said she does not know whether the attack was politically motivated, whether she was followed there or whether it was a crime of opportunity by attackers who saw a woman in a parking lot: “I wish I knew.”

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on its investigation.

Hamadeh said in a statement: “I have read the disturbing story and call upon authorities to investigate these serious allegations thoroughly, including finding all possible camera footage of the time and place in order to prosecute the crime to the fullest extent of the law.”

“No American should become a victim of a crime in their own community,” he added.

Greene-Placentia is a former long-haul trucker who later ran a small transportation company, according to her campaign.

In a social media post supporting Democrat Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 run for the presidency, Greene-Placentia called herself a former Republican and a “never Trumper” and said she voted Libertarian in 2016. Greene-Placentia later became more engaged in Arizona Democratic politics.

She said she often put up and repaired campaign signs overnight because it was cooler than the blistering summer days and there was less traffic.

Arizona Democratic Party treasurer Greg Freeman said he got a call from Greene-Placentia, a friend who ran his 2024 campaign for a county assessor, the morning of Aug. 17. She told him she had been sexually assaulted by two men, Freeman said, and he could tell she was not ready to go to the police or share it publicly.

“Obviously she was processing it on the phone,” Freeman said. “She was just in shock. She was just horrified by what happened.”

Greene-Placentia said she wishes she had called police immediately and gone to the hospital. After the attack she took multiple showers and washed the clothes she was wearing, police reports state.

The embarrassment and anger made it hard for her to come forward, she said. She reported the attack to police in late August.

In an AP interview, Greene-Placentia choked up while explaining that she has had to accept the vulnerable position the attack put her in. “I’ve always considered myself a very strong person, and I hate that somebody used their physical strength to take that,” she said.

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Greene-Placentia has done.

This photo made with a smartphone shows Bernadette Greene-Placentia, who is running for congress in Arizona's 8th Congressional District speaking during an interview with The Associated Press in Phoenix, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Wufei Yu)

This photo made with a smartphone shows Bernadette Greene-Placentia, who is running for congress in Arizona's 8th Congressional District speaking during an interview with The Associated Press in Phoenix, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Wufei Yu)

In this photo taken with a smartphone, a signboard of Democratic congressional candidate Bernadette Greene-Placentia is seen Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, at an intersection in Sun City, Ariz. (AP Photo/Mikella Schuettler)