They still felt vindicated about their championship aspirations after walking onto the field of Super Bowl winners and completely ruining the NFL’s banner-raising party on opening night. “We’re going to have the plane backtrack on the way home tonight,” Von Miller said. “We’re going to celebrate this win, because we have to, but then we’re going back to the lab.” Josh Allen passed for 297 yards and four touchdowns, Miller had two of Buffalo’s seven sacks, and the Bills made themselves clear contenders for the Rams’ crown with a 31-10 win over Los Angeles on Thursday night. Gabe Davis, Isaiah McKenzie and Stefon Diggs caught TD passes as the two-time defending AFC East champions began their 103rd NFL season by overcoming four turnovers and walking away with a blowout victory in the same arena where the Rams won it all nearly seven years ago months . Allen went 26 for 31 despite the two interceptions. He also ran for 56 yards, racing for a 4-yard TD when he stretched the ball over the line with 13:27 to play. The star quarterback took his share of hits, but he also gave them up and showed a wicked stiff hand as Buffalo’s offense under new coordinator Ken Dorsey largely dominated the champions. The Bills went 9 for 10 on third downs and gained 413 total yards, eventually pulling away after three first-half turnovers that kept them close early. “There’s a lot to learn, but this second half, that’s who we want to be, to go out there and execute that way,” Allen said. “We were 90% on third down. This is a recipe for success.” Matthew Stafford passed for 240 yards with a TD and three interceptions in a bruising night for the Rams, who lost a season opener and fell below .500 for the first time in coach Sean McVay’s six seasons. “Very humbling night, but a night where you look in the mirror and say you’ve got to get better,” McVay said. “We weren’t ready to go. That’s for me. … There were a lot of decisions I made that didn’t put us in the best position to be successful. It was a very humbling night.” The Bills’ seven sacks were the most allowed in McVay’s tenure with the Rams, who lost two starters from last year’s offensive line and struggled to replace them internally. Miller came through, but he was just one contributor on a night when Buffalo didn’t even have to blitz to keep Stafford in check. Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp had 13 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown, but the Rams’ night quickly went downhill. Los Angeles couldn’t keep up with Allen’s creative play or Beal’s pass rush, and the only major offseason addition to the offense — wide receiver Allen Robinson — had one catch on two targets. Los Angeles trailed 17-10 after three quarters, but Buffalo went on a run with two long TD drives early in the fourth. The Rams were even shut out in the second half, ending a streak of 89 straight halves with a point since November 2019. “We could have played a lot better than that, no question,” Stafford said. “The only thing that gives me a good feeling is knowing the guys in that locker room and knowing that we’re going to come together.” Miller made an immediate impact in his debut for the Bills, who signed him away from the Rams after he won a ring halfway through his season in LA. But it was just one part of a defense that yielded just 177 yards before Los Angeles’ final, meaningless drive. Aaron Donald had his 99th career sack in the first half, but the seven-time All-Pro had just two tackles as the Rams became just the second defending champs in the last 10 years to lose the opener of the postseason. They also lost by the second-largest margin in league history to a Super Bowl winner starting the following season. Baltimore lost by 22 to Denver in 2013. After falling behind 10-0 despite two Bills turnovers, Los Angeles finally scored on its fourth drive when Kupp made an outstanding toehold TD catch three minutes before halftime. After Allen threw his second interception, Matt Gay hit a 57-yard field goal to pull the Rams even at halftime. And Los Angeles never scored again. PUNCTUATION Diggs capped the dominance with a 53-yard TD catch with 9:25 to play, trash-talking Rams All-Pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey afterward. “You’ve got the top two guys in the NFL competing against each other,” Davis said of Diggs and Ramsey. “Both of them will talk back and forth, and we’ll see who comes out on top, you know. And 14 came out on top today, and that’s what I expect from him.” 50 thousand With a long third-down pass to Kupp on his first drive, Stafford became the 12th quarterback in NFL history to pass for 50,000 career yards. He tied Drew Brees for the leading scorer, doing so in 183 games. TO THE TUFERES Along with the banner celebrating last February’s title, the Rams also hung a banner in the south rafters at SoFi Stadium honoring the 1999-2000 Super Bowl champions from the St. Louis. The brief pregame ceremony included owner Stan Kroenke, retired left tackle Andrew Whitworth — and free agent Odell Beckham Jr., who held up the Lombardi Trophy. INJURIES Bills DL Ed Oliver injured his ankle in the first half and tried to play through it, but couldn’t do much. … Rams rookie RB Kyren Williams injured ankle in first minutes. … The Rams played without WR Van Jefferson, who had knee surgery early in training camp after starting 21 games last season. NEXT Bills: Hosts Tennessee on Monday, September 19. Rams: Host Atlanta on Sunday, September 18.
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