No Punts, No Problems: Bills Make History in Win vs. Rams
For a team that had so much drama at the punting position this preseason, it didn't play much of a role in the Buffalo Bills (1-0) season-opening win against the Los Angeles Rams (0-1).
That's because punter Sam Martin didn't punt the ball once in the team's win. Martin, 32, signed with the Bills shortly after the team released sixth-round rookie Matt Araiza following gang rape allegations during his time at San Diego State.
Martin could have made an appearance, but four of the team's 10 drives ended in a turnover Thursday night. However, by not punting against the Rams, the Bills completed a feat no team has ever accomplished in NFL history.
Dating back to last year's regular season, the Bills didn't punt in three of four contests. That's the first time this has happened since the NFL recorded punting stats in 1939.
The lack of punting has to be mainly credited towards Josh Allen and the offense. Allen completed 26 of 31 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns against the Rams. His 83.9 completion percentage led all starting quarterbacks in Week 1.
It's probably a pretty cozy job to be the punter of one of the best offensive teams in the league, but whenever Buffalo eventually punts, having Martin is a great benefit. Martin punted the ball for 46 yards on average last season with the Denver Broncos, a solid jump over last year's punter Matt Haack, who managed to average a mere 42.9 yards per punt ... good for 32nd out of 35 qualifiers in the NFL last season.
Martin and the Bills will look to extend this record Monday night against the Tennessee Titans at 7:15 p.m.
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