Bills vs. Rams: Buffalo pulls off an emphatic 31-10 win over the reigning champion in the NFL season opener


The Bills beat the reigning Super Bowl champions, the LA Rams, 31-10 in the season opener at their home stadium to declare their standing – Super Bowl or bust.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw for three touchdowns and ran for another as they used a big second half to run away from the stuttering Rams.

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs finished the tournament with 122 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Gabe Davis and Isaiah McKenzie also caught touchdown passes.

While the Bills offense was buzzing, it was actually the Buffalo defense that stole the show.

They intercepted Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford three times and hit him 15 times, including seven sacks.

It was a particularly significant win for Bill’s linebacker Von Miller, who signed for the Bills in the offseason after winning the Super Bowl with the Rams last year. Miller finished Thursday’s win with two sacks and three tackles for a loss.

According to the NFL, the Rams’ 21-point loss was the second-biggest loss by a reigning Super Bowl champion of all time, just one point short of the Baltimore Ravens’ 22-point loss to the Denver Broncos in 2013, which was Peyton Manning’s first game with the Broncos.

And despite the emphatic win, Diggs said the team wasn’t too far along, pointing to mistakes made – including two lost fumbles – as reasons to stay focused.

“I wouldn’t really say it was a signature win. I would say it was the first game,” Diggs said afterwards. “Because people can win their first game and then lose every last one of them.

“So try not to ride that wave. We did some good things, we had four turnovers. Four turnovers can cost you the game. Luckily our defense increased, they played a damn good game. We have to keep getting better on offense. We’ve done some good things, but we need to get back to the lab.”

Gabe Davis celebrates after a 26-yard touchdown against the Rams.

soccer is back

Seven months after the last NFL action, the league is finally back. And seven months after winning the Super Bowl in February, the Rams returned.

As is tradition for the reigning champions, players and fans alike were able to enjoy a moment to celebrate last season’s title win as their commemorative banner was hoisted from the roof beams of SoFi Stadium.

But despite the positive atmosphere in the stadium, it was the traveling team that set the tone from minute one.

An 11-play, 75-yard, and five-minute drive off Buffalo’s offense took the wind out of the stadium as Davis headed into the end zone.

Although the scores were tied at half-time – Stafford connected with his star receiver Cooper Kupp to level the game – the second half was a more one-sided affair.

Three straight touchdowns on three straight possessions for the Bills, with the Rams offensively struggling to move the ball, established a solid lead.

Bill's defensive tackle Jordan Phillips celebrates after being sacked by Stafford.

Kupp, who had a historic triple-crown season last year — leading the league in receptions, rushing yards and touchdowns — ended on an impressive stat line that ended with 13 receptions and 128 yards and the touchdown, but it wasn’t enough for the subdued Rams.

After that, Rams head coach Sean McVay, who had signed a contract extension alongside general manager Les Snead in the hours before, took responsibility for the flat performance.

“We weren’t ready to go, I’m very proud of that and that’s on me,” McVay told reporters.

“I have to do better, I made a lot of decisions that I didn’t think placed our players well enough. It was a humbling experience but we will stay connected, we’ll move forward better if we look inside , but you give credit to the Bills, and then we have to understand that we have to have that mindset and mentality to be able to move forward accordingly.”