After the third week of the preseason, the National Football League’s regular season will begin on September 8 with a game between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in California. This game will serve as the season opener for 2022.
As the defending Super Bowl champion Rams and the Super Bowl favorite Bills, respectively, this game is eagerly anticipated. Given that they won 11 games the previous year, the Bills are the clear favorite in the matchup on Thursday. The Bills have defeated the Denver Broncos (42-15) and the Indianapolis Colts (27-24) in their two victories during this year’s NFL preseason.
The Bills attempted to defeat the Carolina Panthers in their most recent game but were unsuccessful with a score of 0-21. Despite this, the Bills managed to finish eight in the current NFL standings with a winning percentage of 0,667.
Given their status as the defending Super Bowl champions and their 23-20 victory in Super Bowl LVI, the Rams are expected to put up a solid fight against the Bills. After two losses and one win in their last three preseason games, the Rams finished 23rd in the current NFL rankings with a 0,333 winning percentage.
The Rams won 29-22 against the Los Angeles Chargers, but then lost 20-24 to the Houston Texans and 7-16 to the Cincinnati Bengals, demonstrating a shaky preseason performance.
Odds, spread, moneyline
The following information is provided by DraftKings Sportsbook on the odds for the upcoming Bills vs. Rams game in week 1 of the NFL regular season:
Spread: Bills @ -2.5 (-110) | Rams @ +2.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Bills @ -135 (bet $135 to win $100) | Rams @ +115 (bet $100 to win $110)
Total: Bills O 53 -110 | Rams U 53 -110
Head-to-Head
The Thursday game will be their fifth head-to-head encounter in NFL games during the last 14 years. The Bills have won three of their last four games, with their most recent victory coming in September 2020 when they defeated the Rams by a score of 35–32.
The Bills and Rams rarely face off against one another because they play in different conferences, with the Bills being the favorite in the American Football Conference (AFC) and the Rams being the favorite in the National Football League (NFL). According to reports, Buffalo hasn’t attended the Super Bowl since four straight defeats in the early 1990s.
Buffalo’s offense is led by Josh Allen, one of the best young quarterbacks in the game entering his fifth season as the team’s starting quarterback. In 2020, he came second in the MVP voting for the 2020 season, trailing Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, with four first-place votes, and fourth in the voting for Offensive Player of the Year.
In addition, Allen had a strong year in 2021, finishing with 4,407 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and six rushing touchdowns. Despite only gaining 763 yards on the ground.
Given his outstanding performance, it is understandable why the Bills are the game’s betting favorite. Buffalo also added football guards Rodger Saffold and David Quessenberry in free agency, indicating the Bills’ desire to bolster their offensive line.