Buffalo Bills vs Los Angeles Rams Previews and Picks 09/08/2022

 

Game Time:  10:00 PM ET, Thursday, September 8th, 2022

Venue:  Sofi Stadium, Los Angeles California

Where to Watch:  NBC

 

FanDuel: point spread: Bills -2.5, Rams +2.5; O/U 52.5

DraftKings: Bills -2.5, Rams +2.5; O/U 53; ML Bills -135, +115

BetMGM: 

Caesars: 

 

Bills: 0-0, AFC East

Rams: 0-0, NFC West

The Season opens with a Thursday Night Football Game on NBC.  It will be a heck of a time as two Super Bowl favorites face off.  The Buffalo Bills seem like the team of destiny as they got close last season and have a quarterback in Josh Allen that can seemingly make any throw.  The Bills faithful have put everything in the Josh Allen basket and Vegas loves them too.  The Bills play the role of “destined few”.  The fans believe, Vegas believes, and gosh dangit we are all going to ignore the history.  Do they really have it?... Will they finally win the big one?

The Rams are the defending Super Bowl Champions.  They got rewarded with the toughest schedule in football…. The Rams will have to open with a loaded Bills team and get a steady diet of Cardinals, Cowboys, 49ers twice… all in the first 8 games.  From there it seems to get harder as games 9-10 will be Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals (again), New Orleans Saints (might be easy) , and the Kansas City Chiefs.  That is a tough road to hoe… especially since much has been made about QB Matthew Staffgord’s tendinitis in his throwing elbow!  The Rams are loaded with talent at every position… but is it enough to overcome the hardships of injury and attrition and simply win the whole damn thing again? 

Matt went 1-2 on Sunday and is on a 7-3 NFL run and he closes Week 16 with a BIG Winner! He is on a 24-16 NFL Run and going back, he is on a 34-21 NFL RAMPAGE! Fargo is a SWEET 21-12 with his Primetime Punishers while going 677-578 +$36,583 long-term!! Get Matt Fargo’s picks!!....  They are available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.

RECENT FORM

Rams: 12-5 last season.  Winners of the NFC West, The NFC, and the Super Bowl

Bills: 11-6 last season.  Winners of AFC East… then lost in the playoffs.

 

 

The Bills finished last regular season 5th in total yards with 381.9 per game, 9th in passing yards with 252 per game, and 6th in rushing yards with 129.9 yards per game.  The Bills offense was something to scream about.  The Bills faithful did… oftentimes just before they jumped into a table.  They were 3rd in points scored with 28.4 per game.  That is the sort of statline that finds any team in contention for all the marble and the Bills were absolutely in contention.  The Offensive outlook for this coming season is all Roses.  They are the preseason favorite to make the Super Bowl out of the AFC.  They are true killers in the regular season.  The come to jesus Moment is what will this franchise do in THE BIG GAME after losing the last 4 they were ever in?... Would it be pressure?... Would it be a cakewalk?... They have to get through the Rams first.

The Los Angeles Rams finished last season as Super Bowl Champions!  That is permanently in the record books forever.  It adds legitimacy to the automatic bids for the hall of Fame for DT Aaron Donald and QB Matthew Stafford… and WR Cooper Kupp.  Dominance plus winning equals the Hall of Fame.  This coming season will make cases for S Jalen Ramsey and a couple of other guys if it also ends in a Super Bowl win.  Could it?... The Rams ended 2021 at 9th in total yards with 372 yards per game, 5th in passing yards with 273 per game, and 25th in rushing yards with 99 per game.  They had a rushing yards weakness because of the absence of RB Cam Akers… He will be back in 2022 as he was for a little bit in the postseason.  The same postseason that ended in a Super Bowl Win!  The Rams will feel early pressure trying to adjust to the retirement of offensive LT Andrew Whitworth… a literal mountain of a man that held up that entire side of the offensive line.  Have they found someone to fill the shoes?... Have they found a committee of guys to pretend to fill the shoes?

The Buffalo Bills defense spent 2021 quietly making the entire team look good.  The credit went to the Quarterback (Josh Allen), but c’mon man!  Look at these numbers!  The Bills defense spent last season as 1st in defending rushing yards with 272.8 yards per game, 1st in defending passing yards at 163 yards per game, and 1st in defending points scored at 17 points per game.  That is a defensive onslaught no matter the weather!  The success of Micah Hyde with 6 interceptions in the defensive backfield was HUGE. If the Bills defense can hold those 3 different #1 statlines… and the offense improves by just a fraction… They are a shoe-in for the Super Bowl.  The problem with this is that no team in modern NFL history has held all three statlines at #1 for 2 consecutive seasons… a drop to just top-five in a couple of those categories would mean that the offense needs a bigger jump.  If the defense holds?… the team is unstoppable.

The Los Angeles Rams defense has the best player in the modern NFL… not the best defender, but the best player.  DT Aaron Donald is historically great!  Just look at the last play of the last Super Bowl.  It featured Aaron Donald throwing Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow to the ground to finish any hope they may have had.  The Rams won 23-20… but it was really a win for Aaron Donald who single handedly stopped the entire last drive by the Bengals. The Rams defense were 17th in total yards with 344.9 yards per game allowed, 22nd in passing yards allowed with 241.7 yards allowed per game, and 6th in rushing yards defended by only allowing 103.2 yards per game.  Those numbers do not sound dominant at all… but Aaron Donald was… Aaron Donald had 16 sacks on the regular season… and when needed he would slam a running play to the ground.  Plus the Rams offense put the defense at a deficit by either scoring quickly or giving up the ball quickly.  The Rams defense was forced to hold and hold and hold as they were always on the field.

Our prediction for Thursday, September 8th is… Rams 29 - Bills 27

Yes, the first upset of the season will be in the season opener.  Everyone is high on the Bills and the Bills FEEL IT.  No team in the NFL needs a loss early more than the Bills to come back down to earth… and who better to give it to them than the actual Super Bowl Champs that still have Aaron Donald, Matt Stafford, and Cooper Kupp.  Sure they lost some key positions in the offseason, but the Rams also added some stud receivers.  They also should have a real chip on their shoulders to not start the season as the Super Bowl favorite among the talking heads.  Bet on the Rams to win… you’ll get a few points but ultimately won’t need them.

Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free NFL Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com.  Just click on Shop Picks for our Best Bets, or click on Shop Subscriptions to join for a week or a month.  And if you enjoyed this Bills/Rams preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions.

 

 

Buffalo is 6-2 ATS versus the Rams since 1992.

7 of 8 games in this series have gone OVER.

There were no matchups in this series over the last 3 seasons.

 

Bills: No major starters

Rams: No major starters, but we have to all worry about Matt Stafford’s elbow and Van Jefferson’s knee.

Bills: QB Josh Allen, RB David Singletary, WR Stefon Diggs, WR Gabe Davis, WR Isaiah McKenzie, TE Dawson Knox, LT Dion Dawkins, LG Rodger Staffold, C Mitch Morse, RG Ryan Bates, RT David Quisenberry

Rams: QB Matt Stafford, RB Cam Akers, WR Cooper Kupp, WR Allen Robinson, WR Van Jefferson, TE Tyler Higbee, LT Jake Noteboom, LG David Edwards, C Brian Allen, RG Bobby Evans, RT Rob Havenstein

 

Sunny.  95*, Humidity 41%. Wind 7 mph.  This is being billed as the most watched first game of the season of all time… whether or not that is true?... The game will be played in the most modern, wonderful stadium in the NFL…. Sofi is killing the game.  The roof will protect the fans from the extreme heat.  The fountains will help sell the beer.  Fun will be had by all.