Aaron Donald says Rams defense must learn from costly mistakes

Blown coverages led to two of Buffalo's first three TDs.

In the fourth quarter, the Los Angeles Rams played tough, stingy defense as they had the first two games of the year.

However, the first three quarters the Rams struggled -- something defensive tackle Aaron Donald knows has to change if the Rams want to still be playing in January.

“We made a lot of mistakes early in the game, a couple blown things here and there,” Donald said. “And you can’t do that against a good team. But I felt we rallied together and found a way to keep fighting.”

Donald and the rest of L.A.’s defensive front failed to get pressure on Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen early on and allowed the Bills to gash them in the run game.

Donald was his regular, disruptive self, finishing with six combined tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble return.

However, the Rams had held opponents to just 18 points a contest through the first two games but allowed Buffalo’s high-powered offense to almost double that amount in a 35-32 setback on the road.

Allen finished with 311 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and another run for a score, while running back Devin Singletary posted 121 total yards from scrimmage. The Rams allowed the Bills to gain 4.8 rushing yards a play.

After a punt on Buffalo’s opening drive, the Bills went up and down the field, scoring touchdowns on four straight possessions and racing out to a 28-3 lead.

“We were just missing tackles,” said Donald, who took the blame for not being in his run gap on one of Buffalo’s long runs. “In the first half we were just all over the place. It wasn’t like us, but on the road when you’re playing a good team, you can’t make mistakes like that. But we’ll do better and fix things.”

Specifically, blown coverages in the back end defensively led to two of Buffalo’s first three touchdowns in the game.

Bills tight end Lee Smith caught a 1-yard touchdown reception on a crossing route where the Rams defensive backfield failed to account for his route.

And fellow tight end Tyler Kroft also went into the end zone untouched for a score, as the L.A. defensive backfield failed to account for him.

Safety John Johnson III said rookie safety Jordan Fuller going down with a shoulder injury affected communication in the back end. Taylor Rapp subbed in for Fuller.

“We had a couple mental errors that really cost us on big plays,” Johnson said. “It’s nothing we can’t clean up. It’s literally eyes and knowing your assignments.”