Buffalo Bills vs LA Rams Week 1 NFL Preview and Prediction September 8, 2022
Posted 2 years ago | Betting Previews and Predictions, NFL | 10 comments
Buffalo vs LA Rams September 8, 2022 @ Inglewood CA
Opening Betting Odds
Spread: Buffalo -1, LA Rams +1
Moneyline: Buffalo -120, LA Rams +100
Total: 52
Preview
The Rams were “All In” for the 2021 season, and everything came together resulting in a Super Bowl LVI win over the Cincinnati Bengals. They come into the 2022 season looking to avoid the well documented “Super Bowl Hangover“.
Unlike the other major professional sports, Super Bowl champions rarely win in consecutive seasons. In fact dating back to 1990 the team that wins the Super Bowl has been more likely to miss the playoffs in the following season than they are to repeat as champions.
LA will start the season at home against the Buffalo Bills, who are the odds on favorite to win the Super Bowl in 2022. The Bills come into the season off an overtime loss to Kansas City in the second round of last year’s playoffs.
Buffalo Bills
- 11-6 overall in 2021
- 5-1 in the AFC East in 2021
- 10-7-2 against the spread in 2021
The Bills finished last season ranked 1st in the NFL in scoring defense allowing just 17 points per game. The addition of Von Miller in the off-season certainly won’t hurt heading into 2022. Miller had a pair of sacks for the Rams in last year’s Super Bowl, and he had 9.5 sacks during the regular season for LA.
Josh Allen is the favorite to win MVP (+700 at BET365). He threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns on 27-of-37 passing in the Bills overtime loss to Kansas City in last year’s playoffs.
Buffalo is a -200 favorite (BET365) to repeat as AFC East champions, and their projected regular season win total of over 11.5 -140 is the highest of any team for the 2022 season.
LA Rams
- 12-5 overall in 2021
- 3-3 in the NFC West in 2021
- 10-11 against the spread in 2021
It won’t be easy for the Rams to make another Super Bowl run as they come into the 2022 season with the league’s toughest schedule based on opponent winning percentage. Making matters more challenging, they lost their leading rusher Sony Michel, star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. and veteran offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth.
The biggest loss might be linebacker Von Miller, who signed with Buffalo during the off-season. They do have the talent to be a contender if players like Cam Akers and Van Jefferson take the next step. Akers is just 23 years old, and Jefferson is 26, so it’s likely that their best years are still ahead of them.
Matthew Stafford is still one of the favorites to win MVP in 2022 (+1500 at BET365). He finished last year ranked third in the NFL in passing yards (4,886) and only Tom Brady threw more touchdown passes (43) than Stafford (41).
Relevant Trends
- The Bills are 9-4-2 ATS in their last 15 games as a road underdog.
- The Rams are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games in September.
- The Rams are 5-0 ATS in their last five games in Week 1.
- The Bills are 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings.
- The under is 20-7 in the Rams last 27 home games.
Prediction: Bills 24 – Rams 23
The Bills have won three of four meetings between these teams since 2008, and two of those wins came on the road. The total of 52 looks a little high for a season opener. Buffalo failed to reach the total in three of their first four games last year, and the Rams didn’t reach a total of 52 in either of their first two games last year.
The Rams have failed to reach the total in 19 of their last 26 as a home favorite, while Buffalo has gone under in 20 of their last 28 games on artificial turf.
Before you dive into the Week 1 betting action, you might want to consult Jesse Schule. He has a play posted for this game, and we expect big things from him early in the season. Notorious for his fast starts, in 2022 alone he kicked off the NCAA Tournament by going 8-0 in the first round. He started the MLB season on a 9-1 run, and he cashed nine of his first 10 tickets in the NBA Playoffs.
10 comments on Buffalo Bills vs LA Rams Week 1 NFL Preview and Prediction September 8, 2022
Damn I can’t wait for kick off, couldn’t have asked for a better game to start the season than Bills vs Rams on Thursday night!!! Decent preview but I think the score is off, I think we will see 60 points in this one. Over 51½ is an easy bet for me.
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Bills vs Rams is such an awesome Thursday night game to kick off the season. The Super Bowl champs vs the Super Bowl favorites for 2022! I can’t wait for Week 1 to get here! I don’t even want to make a prediction for the game, but I bet it will be close. The Rams are going to be good again, Stafford still has plenty of gas in the tank. The Bills are good, but not sure they can live up to all the hype. I might be more interested in betting the total here. The under is 20-7 in the Rams last 27 home games … I would lean toward betting under this big number.
This is a pretty solid Week 1 Preview for Bills vs Rams, but why don’t you guys do previews and predictions for pre-season games. The Rams are playing the Texans tonight, and it’s hard to find any preview or prediction for the game. I know Week 1 might be a bigger draw than pre-season, but there is still a lot of interest. Maybe next year you guys can get on the pre-season previews. That would be great!
The Rams definitely should be in a let down spot hosting Buffalo in Week 1. This preview and prediction favors the Buffalo Bills and I am not surprised that professional handicappers are calling for a Buffalo win. Super Bowl hangovers are well documented. I feel like the Rams are going to be a .500 team this year, maybe even miss the playoffs. Josh Allen looks like a solid bet for MVP. I can’t wait for Week 1 games to get underway. 2022 should be a big year for the sports betting industry with all the legalization!
Buffalo Bills Super Bowl favorites? You kids need a history lesson. The Bills are the biggest choke show the NFL has ever seen. Last year against the Chiefs, scored in the final minute and somehow choked again. Ever heard of “Wide Right”. Wide Right, a.k.a. 47 Wide Right, was Scott Norwood’s missed 47-yard field goal attempt for the Buffalo Bills at the end of Super Bowl XXV on January 27, 1991, as described by sportscaster Al Michaels. The missed field goal resulted in the game being won by the New York Giants. The phrase “wide right” has since become synonymous with the game itself, and has since been used in other sports. This game is also called The Miss by some Bills fans.
Isn’t a little early for a Week 1 preview for Biills vs Rams? The NFL pre-season just started. Before you make a prediction on the game, shouldn’t you wait and see if anyone gets injured. If I was writing a preview for Week 1 games, I would wait until the pre-season games came to an end. Buffalo would be screwed if anything were to happen to Josh Allen, and the same can be said for LA if anything happened to Matthew Stafford. This prediction seems pretty solid if there are no injuries, I just want to wait and see first. I really do like the Buffalo Bills this year, and just really want to see Josh Allen stay healthy. Also the let down spot for the LA Rams is real!
Fairly solid assessment and prediction., could go either way so don’t bet the farm. I am looking forward to NFL week 1 it should be a good one.
Buffalo is the team to beat no doubt about it. James Cook out of UGA gives them another weapon in the backfield. Von Miller added to already the best defense in NFL. Josh Allen is a baller!
The Bills are the most overhyped team in the NFL this season. Yeah Josh Allen had a big game against Kansas City, but that ain’t enough to bank on a Super Bowl parade in Buffalo. I personally like the Rams in Week 1, they have looked pretty solid in camp, and all indication are that they are hungry for another SB!