Thursday’s NFL Matchup
BUFFALO (12-7) AT LOS ANGELES RAMS (16-5)
KICKOFF: 8:20 p.m.NBC
OPENING LINE: Bills by 2½, according to FanDuel SportsBook.
SERIES RECORD: Bills lead 8-5.
LAST MEETING: Bills beat Rams 35-32 on Sept. 27, 2020, in Orchard Park, N.Y.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Bills QB Josh Allen. After coming up on the wrong side of an epic 42-36 overtime playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs despite throwing for 329 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, Allen is among the favorites to win Most Valuable Player this season . ... Rams WR Cooper Kupp won the receiving triple crown last season by catching 145 passes for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, all tops in the league.
KEY MATCHUP: Bills DE Von Miller vs. Rams LT Joe Noteboom. Miller makes his Buffalo debut against his former team after closing last season with four sacks, six tackles for loss and one fumble recovery in the postseason to help Los Angeles win the Super Bowl. Buffalo signed Miller, the NFL’s active leader in sacks with 115½, to upgrade what had been a middling pass rush. Noteboom, who steps into the starting lineup following the retirement of Andrew Whitworth, must keep his former teammate at bay to allow the Rams’ powerful passing game to function.
KEY INJURIES: Bills starting S Jordan Poyer is expected to play after missing the past month with a hyperextended left elbow. Backup OL Tommy Doyle (foot) and backup TE Quintin Morris (hamstring) are unlikely to play. … Rams QB Matthew Stafford is not expected to be limited by pain in his right elbow. Stafford had an injection in his throwing arm that kept him out of spring practices, and his workload in training camp was carefully managed. … WR Van Jefferson is unlikely to play after knee surgery early in training camp. He started all 21 games for Los Angeles last season.
STATS AND STUFF: The Bills are making their first appearance in the NFL’s season-opening game. They are 3-2 to start the season under coach Sean McDermott. … Buffalo has made three straight playoff appearances and four in five years under McDermott, who took over in 2017 when the Bills ended a 17-season playoff drought, which stood as the longest active drought in North America’s four major pro sports. … Ken Dorsey makes his debut as an NFL offensive coordinator after being promoted from Bills quarterbacks coach. … The Bills were 0-5 in games decided by seven or fewer points last year, and 2-6 when trailing at any point of a game. In 2020, they were 4-1 in games decided by seven or fewer points and 7-3 when trailing at any point. … WR Stefon Diggs has combined for 230 catches for 2,760 yards and 18 touchdowns in two seasons in Buffalo since being acquired in a trade with Minnesota. … The Bills’ 42 sacks were tied for 11th in the NFL last year, but 14 of them came in closing their season against Atlanta and the New York Jets. .Buffalo’s defense finished first in the NFL in numerous statistical categories, including fewest yards allowed, but padded its numbers by going 7-2 against quarterbacks with 16 or fewer starts.