Rams-Bills Week 1 predictions

The Los Angeles Rams will host the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, September 8, 2022 on NBC for 2022’s opening night. We’ve known this for a little while now and it’s not too soon to get your predictions for what will happen in the showdown between Aaron Donald and Josh Allen/Von Miller and Matthew Stafford.

In the most recent Turf Show Times fan poll, asking “Which bad team is most likely to pull off an upset against the Rams?” you voted that the Seattle Seahawks were more likely than the Falcons and Panthers to do that. This is probably due to the fact that the Seahawks get twice as many opportunities and are a division opponent.

Now we look to a team that is far from bad these days.

The Bills failed to reach the postseason from 2000 to 2016, but head coach Sean McDermott has led Buffalo to the playoffs in four of his five seasons at the helm. The last four of those years have featured Allen at quarterback and the team is now 34-15 over the past three seasons.

Buffalo went 13-3 in 2020 and 11-6 in 2021, barely losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in a division round thriller that is often cited as the best game of last season.

But despite Allen’s presence as the team’s most exciting player, if not the most intriguing player in all of football today, Buffalo’s DEFENSE ranked first in points and yards allowed in 2021. the Bills drafted edge rusher Gregory Rosseau in the first round last year, cornerback Kaiir Elam in the first round this year, and signed Von Miller to a six-year, $120 million contract after a short stint with the Rams in 2021. So we could expect the Bills to get even better on that side of the ball next season.

Add in Ed Oliver, Tremaine Edmunds, Tre’Davious White, Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, Matt Milano, Daquan Jones, Boogie Basham, A.J. Epenesa, Jordan Phillips, this is an underrated defense.

Offensively, Buffalo is looking for a breakout season by wide receiver Gabe Davis, who scored four touchdowns against the Chiefs, another year alongside Stefon Diggs, the addition of Jamison Crowder, the growth of tight end Dawson Knox, the signing of O.J. Howard, and perhaps a draft steal in fifth rounder Khalil Shakir, and Allen’s weapons could be improved as well.

The team also drafted running back James Cook in the second round this year, a player compared to New England’s James White for his ability to catch passes out of the backfield.

On top of all of that, the Bills also added former Rams guard Rodger Saffold to fortify the offensive line.

Are the Bills the best team in the AFC and LA’s toughest opponent next season? We haven’t even factored in that the Rams must also face the entire AFC West in 2022.