The 103rd NFL season has begun – and the defending champion has to address a few construction sites following the first game: The Los Angeles Rams clearly lose the opening game once morest the Buffalo Bills with 10:31. The Bills impressively underpin their title ambitions with their first appearance.
Rams vs. Bills: At a Glance
- The story of this game was the Bills’ Quick Passing Game. Josh Allen not only distributed the ball disciplined in his reads from the start, but also quickly in the release and extremely consistently. If Buffalo can add this element to their offense on a regular basis, it will be a long season for opposing defenses.
- On the Rams’ side, the offensive line was the biggest problem. Los Angeles conceded seven sacks overall, while new left tackle Joe Noteboom had his share of problems with Von Miller.
- Perhaps the most socially shared play of the game wasn’t an exceptional catch or defensive big play – it was a sensational stiff arm by Josh Allen at the end of a run!
Los Angeles Rams – Buffalo Bills: Die Analyse
The Bills started the new season hot. Buffalo’s first drive was perfectly orchestrated, with a touchdown from Josh Allen (26/31, 297 YDS, 3 TD, 2 INT) to Gabriel Davis via play action on 3rd&1. Buffalo moved the ball well and might have taken a bigger lead sooner. But individual mistakes – Isiah McKenzie had the ball stolen for an interception, rookie James Cook fumbled his first run – prevented a clearer gap.
Because: The offense of the defending champion needed some time to find its way into the game. The newly formed offensive line wobbled several times and allowed ex-Ram Von Miller to sack a sack on the first drive, Matt Stafford (29/41, 240 YDS, TD, 3 INT) missed a few passes, including a costly second-quarter interception, as he threw the ball into the back of his receiver on the flat.
So Buffalo took a 10-0 lead, but then the Rams had their first answer ready: The first really good drive on offense ended with Kupp once morest Safety Poyer in the red zone and a touchdown catch from the previous year’s receiving leader that was well worth seeing . Allen followed up with a second interception, which he earned with a late and inaccurate throw down the middle, allowing the Rams to equalize with a long field goal late in the first half.
But anyone who expected this to be a turning point in this game was quickly disappointed: The Rams’ first drive following the break ended soberingly quickly, while Buffalo marched across the field with sovereignty for the second touchdown, which not only worried the Rams defense face.
And that remained the theme in this game. When the Rams defense didn’t get a turnover, Los Angeles’ defense had massive problems getting access. Allen got rid of the ball too quickly, Buffalo’s quick game was too good overall and Allen’s rushing qualities remained an X-factor – even on the touchdown to 24:10.
On Stafford’s second interception, Buffalo responded with a 47-yard touchdown to Stefon Diggs, who hit Jalen Ramsey and caught Allen’s second deep pass for a touchdown. It was the decision midway through the fourth quarter and the exclamation point behind a statement performance by the Bills at the start.
Los Angeles Rams (0-1) – Buffalo Bills (1-0)
Result: 10:31 (0:7, 10:3, 0:7, 0:14) BOXSCORE
Rams vs. Bills – the most important statistics
- Defending champions before this game had a 38-16-1 record in the following opener. For Sean McVay, it’s the first time he’s had a negative record as head coach during a season.
- Cooper Kupp caught 13 balls for 128 yards and a touchdown in his first regular season game since the triple crown last year. Kupp has lapped at least 5 catches and 50 yards in 19 straight regular-season games, tied for second in the all-time streak.
- Rams fans had hoped that with more time back from injury, Cam Akers would look more explosive and take over the backfield. Instead, Darrell Henderson was on the field much more often, Akers finished the game with 3 runs for 0 yards. It was also a disappointing start for newcomer Allen Robinson, who was barely involved in the game and only caught a ball for twelve yards.
- For Von Miller, it was a wildly successful debut for his new team once morest his ex-team: Buffalo’s new elite pass rusher opened with two sacks.
- Jalen Ramsey has now allowed deep touchdown catches in four of his last six games. In his 65 games before that, he got loud Next Gen Stats not once hit deep for a touchdown.
The Star of the Game: Josh Allen, QB, Bills
The Bills are bookies’ favorites for the title this year, and Josh Allen is the MVP favorite. The opening game underlined this impressively: Allen had his big plays with difficult passes down the middle, where his arm strength was impressively visible, as well as with some critical runs. Above all, the quality of distributing the ball consistently and with a quick release in the quick game was absolutely impressive. Allen didn’t play a completely flawless game, but one that impressively displayed the full range of possibilities of this offense.
The flop of the match: Matt Stafford, QB, Rams
Putting up a consistent offense behind an inconsistent line was definitely not the easiest task. But while Allen distributed the ball consistently quickly on the other side, Stafford made far too many mistakes in his game. The first two interceptions were at least largely his fault, his coordination with the receivers did not fit several times and over the course of the game it seemed as if he became more restless. Even the backside dig, which was so feared last year, no longer worked. There will be a lot more on Stafford if the line continues to wobble, and the Rams offense was too reminiscent of the Super Bowl appearance following Odell Beckham’s injury. On the defensive side you have to name Jalen Ramsey today, who apparently speculated too much and allowed big plays.
Analysis: Rams vs. Bills – the tactics board
- Those who were worried regarding the Bills offense as a result of the departure of offensive coordinator Brian Daboll should have been reassured early on. The Bills started flexibly and varied in their approach, distributed the ball very well and had answers ready in the quick game.
- Cue Quick Game: Josh Allen’s progress here was visible. Allen was very disciplined in his reads and his decisions from the start, taking the checkdowns and underneath options. Allen opened the game with ten consecutive completions, a personal best to start a game. Allen’s release seemed faster here, the discipline with his reads was all the more impressive. For a team that is likely to continue to see a lot of 2-high shells, this part of Allen’s game will be absolutely critical. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter before Allen put in a deep pass – the 47-yarder to Gabe Davis on 3rd down was all the more critical.
- On the Rams side, Sean McVay should take a very detailed look at his offensive line following this game. The Rams line, in which two starters Andrew Whitworth and Austin Corbett had to be replaced, had a very shaky start to the season, not least the Bills’ stunts were always successful.
- Should that continue once morest weaker defensive fronts as well, it will be a theme that might define this Rams season. McVay has had an excellent line nearly every year during his Los Angeles stint to move the ball more consistently – and McVay wants to run the ball too – and not just relying on Empty and Stafford, they’re going to need more of their line.
- A reaction from the Rams: Without the injured Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek saw a lot of snaps, the Rams played with heavy (receiver) personnel and with tight formations from them. But the run game remained inefficient, and even with chip-block help, the O-Line struggled.
- Less a tactical, more a personal element, but one that might still become very important for Buffalo: In the absence of the injured Tre’Davious White, sixth-round pick Christian Benford, not first-round pick Kaiir Elam, started at cornerback. And Benford confirmed his reportedly excellent training camp, he should have the starting spot secured before then.