Bills blow out Champion Rams in season opener – TSN.ca

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills haven’t played enough playoff games in recent years to know the season is long and the January opener doesn’t mean much.

They still felt justified in their championship aspirations after walking into the Super Bowl winners’ home stadium on NFL opening night and completely wrecking their banner-rising party.

“We’re going to backflip the plane on the way home tonight.” By Miller said. “We’re going to celebrate this win because you have to, but then let’s go back to the lab.”

Josh Allen for 297 yards and four touchdowns, Miller had two of Buffalo’s seven sacks, and the Bills stamped themselves as clear contenders for the Rams’ crown with a 31-10 win over Los Angeles Thursday night.

Gabe Davis, Isaiah McKenzie and Stefan Diggs Caught TD passes as the two-time AFC East champion kicked off the NFL’s 103rd season by overcoming four turnovers and walking away with a smashing win, in the same arena where the Rams won it all nearly seven months ago.

Allen went 26 for 31 despite two interceptions. He also ran for 56 yards and struggled for a 4-yard TD as he stretched the ball over the line at 13:27 to play.

The star quarterback took his share of hits, but he also dished them out and showed a nasty stiff arm while Buffalo’s offense under new coordinator Ken Dorsey largely dominated the champions. The Bills went 9 for 10 on third downs and gained 413 total yards before finally retiring after three turnovers in the first half kept it closed early.

“There’s a lot to learn, but in the second half that’s what we want to be, go out there and act like that,” Allen said. “We were 90% in third place. That is a recipe for success.”

Matthew Stafford Passed for 240 yards with a TD and three interceptions on a blue night for the Rams, who lost a season opener and fell below .500 for the first time in coach Sean McVay’s six seasons in charge.

“A very humbling night, but one where you look at yourself in the mirror and say you have to get better,” McVay said. “We weren’t ready to go. It’s up to me … I made a lot of decisions that didn’t put us in the best position to succeed. It was a very humbling night.”

The Bills’ seven sacks were the most allowed during McVay’s tenure with the Rams, who lost two starters from last year’s offensive line and are looking to replace them internally. Miller came through, but he was just a contributor on a night Buffalo didn’t even have to blitz to keep Stafford at bay.

Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp had 13 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown, but the Rams’ night quickly went downhill. Los Angeles couldn’t match Allen’s creative playmaking or the Bills’ passing rush, and his only major offseason offense offense receiver Allen Robinson had a catch on two goals.

Los Angeles was trailing 17-10 after three quarters, but Buffalo ran away with two long TD drives early in the fourth quarter. The Rams were even shut out in the second half, ending a streak of 89 straight halves with a point since November 2019.

“We could undoubtedly play a lot better,” said Stafford. “The only thing that makes me feel good is knowing the guys in that dressing room and knowing we’re going to team up.”

Miller made an immediate impression on his debut for the Bills, who signed him from the Rams after winning a ring during his half-season in LA. But he was only part of a defense that gave way just 177 yards from Los Angeles’ final, meaningless drive.

Aaron Donald made his 99th career sack in the first half, but the seven-time All-Pro had just two tackles as the Rams became only the second defending champion in the last 10 years to lose the following season opener. They also lost by the second-largest margin in league history for a Super Bowl winner starting their next season. Baltimore lost to Denver in 2013 by 22 points.

After falling 10-0 despite two Bills turnovers, Los Angeles finally scored on their fourth drive when Kupp toeded an exceptional TD catch three minutes before halftime. After Allen throws his second interception, MattGay hit a 57-yard field goal to pull the Rams even at halftime.

And Los Angeles never scored again.

PUNCTUATION

Diggs capped the supremacy with a 53-yard TD catch with 9:25 to play and talked to Rams all-pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey later.

“This is where the top two guys in the NFL go head-to-head,” Davis said of Diggs and Ramsey. “They’re both going to talk back and forth and we’ll see who comes out on top, you know. And 14 came through today and I expect that from him.”

50K

With a long third-down pass to Kupp on his opening drive, Stafford became the 12th quarterback in NFL history to pass 50,000 career yards. He tied Drew Brees finished fastest in 183 games.

TO THE RAFTER

Along with the banner celebrating the title last February, the Rams also hung a banner on the south rafters of SoFi Stadium honoring the 1999-2000 St. Louis-era Super Bowl champions. The brief pregame ceremony included owner Stan Kroenke, retired left tackle Andrew Whitworth — and free agent Odell Beckham Jr., who kept the Lombardi Trophy in the air.

INJURIES

Bills DL EdOliver injured his ankle in the first half and tried to play it through but couldn’t do much. … Rams rookie RB Kyren Williams injured his ankle in the early minutes. … The Rams played without WR Van Jeffersonwho underwent knee surgery early in training camp after starting 21 games last season.

NEXT

Bills: host Tennessee on Monday, September 19.

Rams: host Atlanta on Sunday, September 18th.

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