Football is back! Defending champions Los Angeles Rams face off against the Super Bowl favorites Buffalo Bills, here are some storylines to keep your eye on in game 1 of the season.
Rams Hangover Post- Championship?
In the last 25 years, there have only been 5 times that a team has gone to the Super Bowl and then returned the following season. The exclusive cohort includes the Patriots, who have done it three times and are the last to win back to back in 03 and 04. Seattle (13 & 14) and Kansas City (19 & 20) are the other two. In the 2018 season, the Rams went to Super Bowl and the following year went 9-7, enough to a third place finish and missed playoffs.
Looking at this Rams team, you can easily argue they actually over-performed last year. They almost blew a 27-3 halftime lead to Tom Brady and the Bucs in the divisional round, they probably lose if Jaquiski Tartt catches that dreadful dropped interception, and they needed a final drive touchdown in the Super Bowl to beat the surprise Bengals thanks to a pair of Bengals' penalties and an out-of-this-world Cooper Kupp.
Can we truly expect Kupp to repeat maybe the best WR season of all time? It won't be easy as the Offensive Line is worst after losing the veteran presence of Andrew Whitworth to retirement. In addition, Matthew Stafford is already banged up, with problems to both the shoulder and elbow of his $183 million arm.
Fresh Faces to Both High-Flying Offenses
Further validation of the historically potent offensive attacks of these two teams was that both their offensive coordinators departed for head coaching positions, ex-Bills OC Brian Daboll to the New York Giants and ex-Rams OC Kevin O’Connell to the Minnesota Vikings. As such there are two new minds at the helm, Ken Dorsey for the Bills and Liam Coen for the Rams (though let's be honest, we all know Rams' head coach Sean McVay is actually their OC). Starting with this first game, we will be anxiously watching to see if they pick up where their predecessors left off or make adjustments that derail these high speed offensive trains.
If the Rams are going to keep up with the league's top offenses including these Bills, they will need their newest addition, Allen Robinson, to bounce back to his 1,200 yard form. He is coming off a paltry performance last season on the Bears averaging only 35 yard per game. The Rams need to replace almost 100 yards per game lost from the departures of Robert Woods and Odell Beckham Jr. Let's see if last year was just a blip or instead a new evolution.
High Powered Matchups
Jalen Ramsey vs Stefon Diggs - The league's top Cornerback vs a bonafide top five Wide Receiver, who will reign supreme?
Josh Allen vs Aaron Donald & Bobby Wagner - The MVP favorite vs the league's best defensive player and his newest teammate another top-10 defensive player, can the favorite be tamed?
Von Miller vs his former team - After winning the Super Bowl with the Rams last season, Miller jumped to another contender, will that prove the right move?
Potential Super Bowl Preview
Could this first game of the season also be the matchup of the last one?
It's not too far fetched as the Bills are currently the favorites to win the Super Bowl while the Rams are one of the top favorites to win the NFC and go to the Super bowl.
Or could there be a passing of the torch from the defending champs to the future ones?
This game will definitely set the tone. If the Bills come out with a vengeance after last year's tragic playoff loss while the Rams look hungover, we may be looking at exactly that.
Stay tuned for a follow up post with a Props competition to be played with friends to add some additional fun to watching the game.
Matthew D. Britt: original photo and license