The Buffalo Bills are a genuine Super Bowl contender.
Buffalo flew into Los Angeles for the NFL season opener against the Rams, and utterly embarrassed the defending Super Bowl champions 31-10 with a near perfect display.
The battle of quarterbacks $234 million (AUD) Matt Stafford and Josh Allen shaped as a mouthwatering matchup going into the crunch clash, and it certainly made a difference – for better or for worse.
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The Bills’ signal caller Allen was almost perfect, completing all but five of his 31 pass attempts for 297 yards, and scoring three touchdowns.
But for one-time championship winner Stafford, the game was far from enjoyable.
Stafford struggled to get anything going after being mauled by the Bills defense for seven sacks, and he threw for three interceptions as well.
The Rams struggled without some of their Super Bowl heroes from last season, with defender Von Miller making the move to Buffalo, and sacking Stafford twice.
As veteran NFL commentator Cris Collinsworth said on the NBC coverage, it was an emphatic result that nobody saw coming.
“This is pretty stunning. Before the show I was asked and I said ‘I just feel like Buffalo has a little bit more to play for out here.’ I didn’t expect this though,” commentator Cris Collinsworth said with four minutes to play on the clock.
“I did not expect a blowout.”
The first play of the new season was a short six-yard pass from Allen to star wideout Stefon Diggs, as the Bills began a clinical opening drive.
Just five minutes into the game, the Bills had marched down the other end of the field with almost 50 yards from 10 plays.
But the only stat that really matters is the scoreboard, and the visitors got this ticking over with the next play, with a clever play action pass catching the all-star Rams defense off guard.
Allen lobbed the ball over the blitzing defense, finding Gabriel Davis in open space, as he ran in a 26-yard touchdown.
LA were made to punt on their opening drive, with two sacks setting the tone for what ended up being a tough night for the Rams.
And that’s when errors began to creep in for both teams, with Allen throwing a pick in his next drive.
There was another fumble, and two more interceptions to round out the first half, with a field goal in the dying stages tying the scores.
In many ways it was a game of two halves, with the Rams failing to register a single point in the final two quarters of the contest.
But the same could not be said about the Bills, who appeared to come out of the main break hungrier than their champion opponents.
A short pass from Allen to Isaiah McKenzie saw the visitors take a seven-point lead, before they doubled their lead about nine minutes later.
Allen, who is among the favorites for this year’s MVP award, showcased the very best of his athleticism and strength in this match.
A mean stiff arm sent commentators and fans into a frenzy during the quarter, and his scrambling run in for a touchdown was another brilliant moment from the human highlight reel.
While they were desperate to get something going, the Rams just couldn’t make it work.
But two more interceptions from Stafford all but ended the contest before the siren sounded, while the Bills scored a 53-yard Diggs touchdown.
Stafford and the Rams simply must head back to the drawing board, as they look to get their Super Bowl title back on track at home against the Atlanta Falcons in 10 days’ time.
Meanwhile, Buffalo has an extra day to prepare for their clash with Derrick Henry’s Tennessee Titans.
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