What a curtain raiser of a match we have in prospect to kick off the NFL season 2022/2023. As is tradition reigning Super Bowl holders, the Los Angeles Rams start the new season and host the favorites for Super Bowl LVII, the Buffalo Bills.
The love for the Bills at the best sportsbooks is so strong they are the 2.5-point favorite on the road to the reigning champions, and at OddsTrader we are about to have a look at how the teams match up.
Buffalo Bills vs. Los Angeles Rams
Thursday, September 8, 2022 – 08:20 PM EDT at SoFi Stadium
Eyes on Von Miller
Von Miller could be the signing that finally breaks the Super Bowl drought for Buffalo
No doubt, Von Miller is a seriously exciting addition to the Bills’ defense. The fact he’s moved from the Rams adds additional spice to a potential blockbusting opener.
No one is better equipped to sack quarterbacks than Miller and it will be interesting to see how he fares this Thursday but no doubt, a fit Von Miller is a great acquisition for the coming season.
Will the Rams Cope Without Miller?
Yes, I think the Rams will cope without Von Miller. The question is, will they reach the heights of last year given his mid-season acquisition by the Rams was hugely beneficial to their Super Bowl chances and many believe, made the difference?
We know Aaron Donald is better than proficient in the defensive stakes, but it’s certainly moved the Rams down the pecking order in the Super Bowl LVII betting.
The Rams themselves have signed wide-receiver Allen Robinson from the Chicago Bears in the off-season and his understanding with star quarterback Matthew Stafford will be crucial.
History Weighs Heavy in Buffalo
There’s no doubt that history weighs heavy in Buffalo and those four AFC Championship wins in the early 90s without landing the Super Bowl need exorcising sooner rather than later.
In Josh Allen, they have an elite quarterback who can take them to the Super Bowl and if he doesn’t do it, perhaps it will never happen! As head coach, Sean McDermott has unbelievable pressure, but he is up to it if history allows!
There are no such concerns for the LA Rams who have found their mojo in recent years under the tutelage of Sean McVay, one of the brightest young coaches in recent seasons in the NFL. Last year’s Super Bowl came as no shock given, that he led them to the Conference Championship in 2018.
How Was Preseason?
It’s always difficult to read preseason and as a tipster, I need to be cautious as to how much I read into results and performances.
Los Angeles Rams
The one noticeable thing about the Rams was a bad-tempered match with the Cincinnati Bengals when Aaron Donald’s helmet-swinging antics inflamed the opposition while his teammates didn’t seem best pleased.
That wasn’t the only skirmish as Rams linebacker, Leonard Floyd was involved in a dust-up with a Bengals offensive lineman.
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills’ preseason was going swimmingly with two wins until their final game when they had to rest punter, Matt Araiza who was found out on Thursday is involved in a lawsuit from his days at San Diego State.
The Bills had committed to Araiza only the Monday before when letting go of the services of their other punter, Matt Haack.
A Difficult Matchup to Predict
Coming from different Conferences we have to go back to 2020 for the last time these two heavyweights matched up, as they’ve only ever crossed swords on thirteen occasions.
We have a really interesting dynamic as the Rams’ star quarterback, Matthew Stafford faces Von Miller instead of having him on the same team. After all the years of struggle at the Detroit Lions, Stafford is making hay while the sun shines, signing a multimillion-dollar extension to his Rams contract in the summer.
Then we have another star quarterback for the Bills, Josh Allen who was gutted to lose in their box-office encounter with the Kansas City Chiefs back in January. In between, Allen has been busy honing his golf game and taking active participation in televised pro-celebrity golf with his Chiefs rival, Patrick Mahomes.
Bills vs. Rams: Pick and Prediction
Last year, the Buffalo Bills started their Super Bowl campaign slowly and it wasn’t until the second half of the regular season that they hit their straps. In contrast, the Los Angeles Rams started last season brightly, which they’ve shown a tendency to do under McVay.
My gut feeling is that Sean McVay will use the defection of Von Miller to rally his troops. They have home advantage, which is something to be considered always vs. the Bills who have possibly the strongest home advantage in the NFL but of course, that can become a slight weakness on the road.
He has the potential of the new signing Allen Robinson benefiting from better service than he’s been used to in recent years from Stafford.
Looking at the totals and spread at the NFL odds, I lean towards the Under given the presence of Miller. The spread is set at an awkward +2.5 for the Rams. A spread of +3 would have interested me so I am going to tip the Los Angeles Rams to beat the Buffalo Bills on the moneyline with DraftKings at the standout price of +119.
NFL Pick: Los Angeles Rams (+116) at FanDuel
