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The Buffalo Bills proved exactly why they are the favorites to win the Super Bowl in February.
Not only did they travel to Los Angeles and take down the defending Super Bowl champions - they utterly destroyed them, 31-10.
Entering Thursday night, Super Bowl champions were 19-3 since 2000 in Week 1, but the Bills clearly don't believe in trends - they do believe in covering the spread by a lot as they were 2.5-point favorites entering the matchup.
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Quarterback Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills throws a pass during the first quarter of the NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on September 08, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
The Bills didn't trail for the entire game as Josh Allen - the favorite to win the MVP - connected with Gabriel Davis for a 26-yard touchdown early on.
Buffalo got up to a 10-0 lead in the second quarter, but Buffalo turned the ball over three times in the first half (two picks by Allen and a fumble by James Cook on his first NFL carry). With that, the Rams knotted things up with a Cooper Kupp touchdown that resembled the game-winner from Super Bowl LVI, and then Matt Gay blasted a 57-yard field goal at the end of the half.
"First off, that first half, being careless with the football a little bit, putting our defense in bad situations," Allen said postgame. "But they bowed up for us, they gave us a chance. Going in with three turnovers at halftime and it being even, that was a huge boost for us. We knew that if we came out and tried to execute the way we know we can execute, we were gonna move the ball and score, and again, our defense played a hell of a game."
And that's exactly what happened.
Quarterback Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills looks to pass during the first quarter of the NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on September 08, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Harry How/Getty Images)
JOSH ALLEN DAZZLES IN SEASON OPENER AGAINST DEFENDING SUPER BOWL CHAMPS
After they forced a Rams three-and-out, the Bills scored on an eight-play, 58-yard drive that ended with a seven-yard touchdown to Isaiah McKenzie. The Bills then forced another punt that they received at their own 11-yard line. A false start pushed them back to the six.
But for Allen, there were no worries.
Zack Moss had a 22-yard carry to get the drive kickstarted, and they continued to dink-and-dunk their way toward midfield. Their first play at the start of the fourth quarter, though, was a 47-yard pass to Davis. Two plays later, Allen punched it in for a four-yard touchdown to give Buffalo a 24-10 lead. Allen also had this stiff-arm on that drive.
Not only was the Bills offense firing on all cylinders, but as the Bills QB noted, their defense was spot on, as well. After Allen's touchdown, they picked off Stafford for a second time, and wasted no time getting back into the endzone.
On 3rd-and-2, Allen rolled out right and found a wide open Stefon Diggs on the run 53 yards down the field, who caught it at the goal line for the 31-10 Bills lead.
Wide receiver Stefon Diggs #14 of the Buffalo Bills catches a 53-yard touchdown reception against the Los Angeles Rams during the fourth quarter of the NFL game at SoFi Stadium on September 08, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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"There’s a lot to learn, but that second half, that’s who we want to be, going out there and executing that way," Allen said. "We were 90% on third down. That’s a recipe for success."
Former Rams linebacker Von Miller proved why he was such a valuable pickup for the Bills in the offseason (and even the Rams during last year). He had four tackles, three of them for loss, and two sacks on the night. Stafford was sacked seven times on the evening.
"We got a bunch of dogs up front, and he's the leader of that D-line," Allen said.
Allen finished 26-for-31 for 297 yards and four total touchdowns, one of them rushing, and two picks. He also was their lead rusher with 10 carries for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Diggs was, well, Diggs. He had eight catches, one of them for a score, and 122 yards, while Davis finished with four catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.
As for L.A., Kupp picked up right where he left off, catching 13 balls for 128 yards and a touchdown. But Stafford, who underwent an elbow procedure, was not great. He was picked off three times, going 29-for-41 with a touchdown and 240 yards.
"Very humbling night, but one where you look yourself in the mirror and say you have to be better," Rams head coach Sean McVay said. "We weren’t ready to go. That’s on me. ... There were a lot of decisions I made that didn’t put us in the best position to succeed. It was a very humbling night."
Wide receiver Gabe Davis #13 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates after scoring on a 26-yard touchdown reception against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter of the NFL game at SoFi Stadium on September 08, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Harry How/Getty Images)
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New Rams wide receiver Allen Robinson was only targeted twice on the night after a disappointing final season with the Chicago Bears last year. Cam Akers also only had three carries for a grand total of zero yards.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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