Buffalo Heads to Hollywood
4th & 1 at the Rams 49…
There may have been 43 seconds left in the final quarter of play in Super Bowl LVI but all it took was a mere four seconds to find out that the Rams would be crowned World Champs.
With the Rams’ defense out there, the big game ended just like any game Rams fans manifest… Aaron Donald. It was bound to happen that No. 99 was going to make a play when it mattered the most so best believe he will continue to do so on opening night.
207 days later, that tenacious defensive line will no longer have future Hall of Famer Von Miller running with them anymore. Instead, he will be on the visitors’ sidelines as the newest member of the Bills, a defensive unit that will need all the help they can get going up against Sean McVay and his offensive firepower.
Yes, I’m talking about the aerial attack that starts and ends with Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp. The two quickly became one of the NFL’s most dreaded duos in just one season as Kupp notched perhaps the greatest season any wide receiver has ever had. He notched the first triple-crown season since 2005 (Steve Smith) leading the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947), and receiving touchdowns (16). To put the cherry on top, Kupp racked up 478 receiving yards and six scores in the postseason en route to a Super Bowl MVP trophy alongside a championship ring.
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
Buffalo’s secondary is going to be tested with star CB Tre’Davious White sidelined for the opening four games as he recovers from a torn ACL, it’s going to be up to Dane Jackson and one of two rookie corners across from him in first-round pick Kaiir Elam or Christian Benford. When asked about who will start between the two, head coach Sean McDermott gave far from a definite answer…
“Yeah. Not going to do that yet,” McDermott said via video conference. “Not ready to do that yet.”
Whoever starts will not only see Kupp at times but will have to deal with his new running mate Allen Robinson. Buffalo’s secondary is going to have to pick their poison but fortunately, they’ll have Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde on the backend lowering the chances of a Stafford deep shot.
Regardless, Buffalo’s defense is in for a day as long as their offense will be against a stacked Los Angeles defense. Josh Allen should have his way more times than not when targeting anyone Jalen Ramsey isn’t covering, so expect a fair amount of targets towards Gabriel Davis, who racked up 201 receiving yards and four touchdowns the last time he took the field as well as tight end Dawson Knox. Although Stefon Diggs is the centerpiece of the Bills’ receiving core, seeing Ramsey and potentially getting double-teamed will not be favorable matchups as the game progresses.
It’s going to be interesting to see how Buffalo’s offense also fairs without offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who took the Giants’ head coaching gig this past offseason. If the Bills can find a way to get Devin Singletary and James Cook involved to create a two-dimensional offense, they will be able to keep pace and better yet take down the defending champs on opening night.
However, my gut tells me this is going to come down to another deja vu moment where Donald will make a momentum-changing play when it matters the most and tip things in favor of the Rams. The season is long though and there’s a good chance either one of these franchises reaches the promised land in Glendale, Arizona when February rolls around…
