Buffalo Bills vs Los Angeles Rams Predictions & Picks

• The oddsmakers favor the Bills (-2.5) in this one over the Rams and the O/U is 52.5
• Both teams favor a passing attack but can run the ball equally well out of the backfield
• Watch Bills vs Rams live on Thursday, September 8, 2022 at 8:20 PM ET on NBC

Bills vs Rams Odds

Odds taken from BetMGM. Click on the links below to head to the sportsbook and place your bet.

Bills vs Rams Pick

Whenever the oddsmakers give the home team almost a field goal, it’s a good idea to take them and expect the Rams to cover over a tough Bills team.

Rams (+2.5) at BetMGM sportsbook

Pick made on 09/05/2022 at 05:27 PM EST

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The NFL schedulers picked a great game to kick off the 2022 season with this Thursday Night Football cross-conference matchup between QB Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills and QB Matthew Stafford’s Champion Los Angeles Rams, two pass heavy teams who can also run the ball.

The Bills will be doing the traveling for this game, but HC Sean McDermott’s team leads the lifetime series against the Rams, 8-5, facing a Los Angeles franchise coming off a Super Bowl win now with veteran deep threat Allen Robinson added to the receivers room for QB Stafford.

The oddsmakers favor the Bills (-2.5) in this one and the O/U is 52.5 so they expect both offenses to be firing on all cylinders despite this only being Week 1, a perfect reason to bust open that betting kitty and get in on the fun, an exciting way to start this regular NFL season.

Take a look at the NFL Week 1 Parlay Top Picks, here!

Buffalo Bills vs Los Angeles Rams Predictions

Can Bills’ #1 Defense Keep the Rams Off the Field?

Last season, the Buffalo Bills had the #1 defensive squad that was led by DC Leslie Frazier, a tough game planner who now has DE Von Miller on his roster, an 11-year NFL vet who played for the Rams last season for eight games so he should have insights on how to beat them.

The Bills defensive line houses DT Ed Oliver, the former first round draft pick who has posted 12 career sacks in three seasons as well as 117 tackles and 14 QB hits, a lineman who is fast enough to cover passes (8 career PDs) as well as take the ball away from opponents (3 FFs).

As critical as that Bills pass rush will be in keeping Rams QB Stafford on the run and at a loss, just as important will be the coverage downfield, and Buffalo will start rookie CB Kaiir Elam, a former Florida sensation selected in the first round who is expected to contribute right away.

See the Bills vs Rams player prop bets, here!

Can Rams D-Line Make it Tough for Bills QB Josh Allen to Work?

Anyone who watched the Rams win the Super Bowl in February against the talented Cincinnati Bengals by a field goal no doubt remembers how important L.A. defensive tackle Aaron Donald was in that win, arguably the best player in the league who can change the game at any time.

Hopefully Rams DC Raheem Morris got it through to DT Donald that he has to play the game without double-wielding the opponents helmets the way he did in preseason practice, this future Hall of Famer getting help on the pass rush with DE A’Shawn Robinson and NT Greg Gaines.

The Rams D-Line will most likely focus on taking Bills LT Dion Dawkins out of the mix since he is the key to protecting QB Josh Allen’s blindside, this line battle one to watch since it affects how effective the Bills’ passing attack can be as their WR Stefon Diggs runs his deep routes.

Bills Key Player: (FS) Micah Hyde

A big part of the Bills’ top ranked defense last year was the contributions made by free safety Micah Hyde, an NFL veteran now in his 10th pro season who spend his first four years in Green Bay until coming to Buffalo in 2017, the same year he was first selected to be in the Pro Bowl.

Hyde earned a Pro Bowl nod last season as well and he is also a 2x Second-team All-Pro who has the size – 6’ 0” and 197 pounds – and the quickness – he runs a 4.56 second 40-yard dash – to cover the field, so far with 583 career tackles, 5 sacks, 59 pass deflections, and 22 picks.

Expect Hyde to be useful against the Rams in Week 1 since they have plenty of receiving weapons crossing the field – Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, Van Jefferson, TE Tyler Higbee – none a problem for this former Iowa standout who is now 31 years old and still ready to play.

Rams Key Player: (WR) Cooper Kupp

Last season was special for LA Rams WR Cooper Kupp, the culmination of a lot of hard work and above the net skill, earning the 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year award while getting a First-team All-Pro nod along with helping his team win Super Bowl LVI over the Bengals.

Look at Kupp’s 2021 numbers; the 6’ 2” 208 pound stellar route runner and pass catcher and tackler eluder with 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns while averaging 114.5 reception yards per game, all of those stats leading the league for the season among receivers.

Now the Rams QB has even more than Kupp to target, with WR Allen Robinson now added to the roster, so expect Bills CB Dane Jackson to most likely cover Kupp or the speedy Robinson since CB Tre’Davious White (knee – ACL) is still on the PUP-R list and won’t play in Week 1.

Check out our NFL Week 1 Picks Against the Spread and be prepared for all the games to come!

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How to Watch Bills vs Rams