A lot of NFL matchups can be overblown in hype. There’s a reunion of a division rivalry that doesn’t quite have as much steam as it used to. Perhaps it’s a battle of preseason paper tigers who’ve had every misfortune befall them and aren’t worth watching in primetime anymore.
None of this disappointment applies to the Bills (-2.5) and Rams, who kick off the 2022 NFL season on Thursday night in Los Angeles. In terms of the history of NFL Kickoff Games dating back to 2002, it doesn’t get much better than a struggle between the defending champion and what is perhaps the top contender for their title belt. Bills-Rams is a heavyweight battle through and through.
And tonight, as well as for the entire season, the rest of the NFL would do itself a favor to pay attention to these two titans of pro football. Not in how they play — though, you won’t find much better football-playing in the entire sport — but in how Buffalo and L.A. gained their favor. I’m talking about how they not only stand on top of their own respective pedestals but seemingly crafted one for themselves in two different ways.
In Buffalo, the Bills might have the best team they’ve ever had. Yes, I’m aware of the infamous early 90s squads who won multiple consecutive conference titles but could seemingly never quite get over the hump. I know they had numerous Hall of Famers like Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith. But roughly three decades later, this Buffalo team might be even better.
It starts and ends with Josh Allen — the ultimate (and completely un-replicable) successful homegrown quarterback development story. The 26-year-old is now the arguably best player in the sport. Watch him attempt to play quarterback for even a few minutes just two seasons ago, and you’d wonder why the Bills ever felt the need to stake their future on a 6-foot-5 anthropomorphous ball of clay from Wyoming. Watch Allen play quarterback now, as he pivots from rifling effortless lasers to playmakers downfield while running over helpless linebackers in the open field multiple times a game, and Buffalo’s selection of the superstar at No. 7 overall in the 2018 NFL draft looks like one of the great strokes of genius in draft history.
The Bills hit a home run with Allen when not many people paid handsome amounts of money thought they should even swing. Everything they do, from a dynamite receiving corps led by Stefon Diggs, to what is shaping up to be the league’s top lockdown secondary with the return of Tre’Davious White, centers around their quarterback. Make no mistake: that bad boy of an Allen homer is still towering in the park.
The cherry on top in Buffalo is probably Super Bowl mercenary and future Hall of Famer himself, Von Miller. If you don’t believe me about the Bills’ homegrown model around Allen, maybe Miller will convince you:
On the other side of the proceedings, the Rams are about to embark on a journey only a select few teams have ever experienced. Now, I know what you’re thinking. The “target on their back” cliche is trite and eye-roll-inducing. I get it. But the thing about cliches being overused is they have a degree of truth. In the Rams’ case — everyone will be trying to hunt down the champs.
You thought squads would chase the Rams after they traded for Matthew Stafford and added Miller last year? It’s an entirely different animal when they more or less bring back the same roster, with the same mission, with every opponent wanting to prove themselves, to show they have “Super Bowl mettle.”
At least L.A. apparently has the right mindset for that championship defense, per Jalen Ramsey:
While they had great players like Aaron Donald before their recent success, the Rams are only here, with that target on their back, because they nabbed Stafford. And Ramsey. And Von Miller (for a short time). And Bobby Wagner. And Allen Robinson. And … you get the point. L.A’s a top-heavy squad but boy, do they have a bunch of uncommon gems. GM Les Snead hasn’t been shy about trading away draft capital for proven players, regardless of the future. It’s a significant shift from how many executives often operate with their draft selections. Such a unique mindset is paying off with tremendous dividends.
When the Bills and Rams kick off all the festivities of the 2022 season on Thursday night, take note of their contrasting approaches to reaching the pinnacle, or near-pinnacle, of the sport. The Bills largely went with the homegrown approach. The Rams, more or less, sent giant checks to elite players, hoping they would join their successful operation. And they did! While both plans have a stark contrast, in theory, Buffalo and L.A. have one crucial, evergreen commonality. When they saw their path to glory — a raw Allen for the Bills and deliberately undervaluing unproven draft picks for the Rams — they wasted no time to pounce.
It’s a lesson more teams could and should heed more often: Don’t be afraid to take a calculated risk. Don’t be scared to go against conventions if you have a solid rationale behind it. These steps pay off more than one thinks.
The pick: Bills 34, Rams 20
I think the Bills have a chip on their shoulder and are ready to unleash a rampage on the rest of the NFL. Allen’s a special quarterback with terrific weapons and a playmaking defense that only a few teams will be capable of victimizing. The Rams will likely be in the mix to defend their crown throughout the year. But the Bills are a vicious buzzsaw. Nothing is safe from their path. This game, this season, might be their moment. The NFL did no favors to the Rams, giving them the arguably hungriest team after their title. Look for Buffalo to use this battle as an early dress rehearsal for February.
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