The Los Angeles Rams will fly across the country for a Sunday afternoon matchup against the unbeaten Buffalo Bills. The Rams are also undefeated after a dominating win over Philadelphia in Week 2, improving to 2-0 on the season.
Jared Goff’s Rams and Josh Allen’s Bills have both looked strong this season, so who will be leaving Bills stadium on Sunday without a blemish on their record?
The Bills are coming in as two-point favorites with Buffalo’s moneyline set at -125 and Los Angeles at +105. The over/under has been set at 46.5.
Does Buffalo Finally have their Franchise Quarterback?
Josh Allen has been lights-out this season and is showing that the Bills were correct in trading up for him in 2018. Allen has not thrown an interception and has completed just over 70 percent of his passes in the opening two games.
Despite this, the Rams defense will be Allen’s first real test of the year. Buffalo’s offensive line did a fantastic job last week in keeping Allen upright. If they can keep that going, Buffalo will be a realistic AFC threat.
Buffalo’s offense stole the show last week against Miami, but winning teams consistently play complementary football. The offense made up for a struggling defense last week, but for the Bills to be successful moving forward, the defense needs to get off the field on third down.
Miami’s third-down success rate was around 50 percent. That will need to be lower against the Rams this week if Buffalo wants to protect their home turf.
Is Jared Goff Back?
It’s no secret that Jared Goff struggled last season. He averaged an interception per game while fumbling an additional seven times.
However, Goff has looked more like a starter rather than a game manager so far this season. He lit up the scoreboard and stat sheet last week against Philadelphia and found a way to win against Dallas in week 1.
The Rams have a ton of potential, but they need to start playing as a team. The offense has come out strong in the first half the past two weeks and gone cold in the second half. On the other hand, the defense has started slow but excelled in the third and fourth quarters.
Their success will be determined by their ability to play as a team, because you can’t win long term without each unit playing together.
The Picks Are In
Traditionally, Buffalo is one of the most challenging places to play in the NFL because of the Bills’ Mafia. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, fans will not be allowed inside Bills Stadium, so other than the cross country flight, Buffalo’s home-field advantage is somewhat mitigated this Sunday.
I think the team that can put all three phases together for the most time on Sunday will win this football game. Goff and Allen have been solid this year for their respective teams, so each defense needs to wreak havoc in the backfield to give their team an edge. Even though Goff has been good, Josh Allen looks like he has figured it out, and his offensive line seems ready to handle Aaron Donald and the Rams front seven.
I’m taking Buffalo -125 and over 46.5.
