Bills Go On the Road & Blow Out Super Bowl Champs in Season Opening Showdown

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The first game of this NFL season took place last night. And while I was not shocked that the Bills won - even though I picked the Rams to win, the fact that they blew out the defending Super Bowl champs - and on the road in Los Angeles to boot - was a stunner. 

It seemed like the Rams were lethargic. The addition of Van Miller to Buffalo, at the expense of the Rams, looked like it paid huge dividends for the Bills, at least in this game. Los Angeles was nowhere near as effective as they often appeared to be last season. Meanwhile, the Bills defense, which was the top rated unit in the league last year, looked even better with Miller there. The Rams had to focus so much on him, that other Bills defenders were able to pressure Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Ultimately, the Bills earned seven sacks. And again, the Rams offense never seemed to really look in sync.

As for the Bills offense, they also responded in a big way. Josh Allen looked simply awesome, completing his first ten passes. Ultimately, he completed 26 of 33 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns. He also led his team in rushing yards, and even managed to get into the highlight reel on one run, when he stiff-armed a defender and gained precious more yards for a key first down.

What a win by Buffalo! They are my pick to win the Super Bowl. And while a Super Bowl run is not guaranteed or anything, they nevertheless looked just fantastic last night. This was probably the best possible way for them to start the new season.

Meanwhile, the Rams just looked terrible. Granted, it is just one game. And they are champions, and thus, deserving of a lot of credit. We certainly cannot simply write them off. But it sure seemed like they lost a step or two, particularly with the loss of Miller on defense and Odell Beckham on offense. They need to go back to the drawing board now, because they need to focus on winning the next game with a level of intensity that most teams usually do not need so early in the season. Winning a title is difficult enough, but they simply cannot fall to 0-2 to start the season, or a lot of that championship swagger that they earned from last season's title will disappear in a hurry. 

A big showdown, but the Rams did not seem to show up. They were not ready. As for the Bills, it's early, but if anything, I think that they exceeded expectations with this huge win to start the season off right.

My pick: Inaccurate