Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images Aaron Donald and the Rams will take the field in 2022 with an opening matchup against the Bills.
The Los Angeles Rams will begin their quest to repeat as Super Bowl champions with a Super Bowl-quality matchup.
The Rams will open up the 2022 season at home, hosting the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, Sept. 8. The season-opening matchup will close the book on the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl-winning season as they’ll raise their championship banner before the game.
There are many reasons why the Rams’ season-opening matchup against the Bills brings a lot of intrigue.
#Kickoff2022 is going to be UNREAL. 🔥👀
📺: 2022 NFL Schedule Release — 8pm ET on @nflnetwork
The Storylines for the 2022 NFL Season-Opening Matchup
While the Rams unveil their banner with the Bills in town, there’s a strong sentiment that the Bills could be doing their own banner unveiling in 2023.
Buffalo currently has the best odds to win Super Bowl LVII, sitting at +650 odds to win the Super Bowl in 2022 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Bills have good reason to be one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl this upcoming season. They’ve won the AFC East the past two seasons, falling to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game in 2020 and losing a dramatic Divisional Round overtime game to the Chiefs again in 2021.
A big reason for the Bills’ ascension is Josh Allen. The soon-to-be 26-year-old quarterback has already emerged as one of the league’s best quarterbacks through his first four years. Allen earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2020 and went toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes in the Bills’ playoff loss in 2021, throwing for 329 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 68 yards. A week earlier, Allen helped the Bills score a touchdown on every drive in their dominating 47-17 win over the Patriots in the Wild Card Game.
Buffalo didn’t see anyone major leave town either this offseason, welcoming some notable names. The Bills signed guard Rodger Saffold III and wide receiver Jamison Crowder to one-year deals. They also made a major splash by signing former Rams linebacker Von Miller to a six-year, $120 million deal.
Miller gets to face the team he helped won a Super Bowl last season to begin his Bills tenure. As he probably knows though, stopping the Rams’ offense won’t be easy. Outside of Miller, Los Angeles returns much of its Super Bowl-winning roster. So, that means Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp will look to repeat their magic from last season, which saw Kupp win the receiving triple crown before winning Super Bowl MVP.
Defensively, the Rams still got their three-time Defensive Player of the Year in Aaron Donald and one of the game’s top corners in Jalen Ramsey. While they lost Miller, the Rams might have made up for it by signing Bobby Wagner, who’s been one of the league’s best inside linebackers since he entered the league when the Seahawks drafted him in 2012. Allen and star receiver Stefon Diggs certainly have their work cut out for them in Week 1.
Other Confirmed Matchups for the Rams
In addition to hosting the NFL’s season-opening matchup, the Rams will also be hosting a Christmas Day game. Former Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson heads into Los Angeles with his new team, the Denver Broncos, on the holiday. Denver looks poised to make a playoff push after adding Wilson to its roster.
The rest of the Rams’ schedule will be released at 5 p.m. PST on Thursday, May 12.