No matter how good a squad is, what goes up must eventually fall down. The Buffalo Bills are on a seven-game winning streak and recently clinched the AFC East by defeating the 49ers 35-10. The Bills are now competing for the conference’s top seed after winning the division.
They’ll open a challenging two-week run in Weeks 14 and 15 against the Los Angeles Rams. Despite being 6-6, the Rams are no pushovers, and the Bills should expect to be tested.
Buffalo has had success against the Rams in recent years, but this is a week-to-week schedule, and the Rams may easily upset the Bills.
There are 3 huge concerns that Bills face when traveling to LA
Containing LA’s pass-rush
Even without Aaron Donald, the Rams have rebuilt their pass rush with young players such as Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, Byron Young, and Kobie Turner. Losing Donald to retirement wounded them, but the team has recovered by assembling a young, ferocious defensive line capable of wreaking havoc.
Young leads the Rams with six sacks, and Fiske follows closely behind with six as well. Turner is directly behind Turner with 5 sacks, while Verse has 4.5 takedowns. They have pass rushers all over the field.
The Bills’ offensive line has done an excellent job of protecting Josh Allen this season. He has only been fired thirteen times. This could be the Bills offensive line’s toughest test yet against the Rams.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(979x265:981x267)/josh-allen-buffalo-bills-120122-53e3b5e302e74e019091fbe87af68d8a.jpg)
Stopping the Rams’ rushing attack
Another week, another sense of worry regarding the Bills’ run defense. They only gave up 153 yards on the ground against the 49ers, and they did not have to face Christian McCaffrey in the second half. Buffalo’s run defense has been sloppy all season, and while they are gradually improving, it can take some time.
The Rams are not afraid to run the ball, having carried for 100 or more yards in six games, including 156 yards in Week 13 against the New Orleans Saints. Kyren Williams is just 74 yards away from reaching 1,000 yards and is averaging 77 per game.
If the Rams start their rushing attack early and often, it will impact the Bills, who already have to deal with players like Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua against the pass. Williams presents himself as a significant threat to Buffalo’s defense, and he will be hoping to keep Josh Allen off the field.
Playing undisciplined football
Now that the Bills are officially AFC East champions, they don’t have to worry about anyone catching them off guard and outperforming them in the division. They can now focus solely on playing Buffalo football and catching the Chiefs for the AFC’s top spot. It won’t take much, given that the Bills are just one loss away from matching the Chiefs’ record. After defeating the Chiefs in Week 11, Buffalo gains the tiebreaker lead.
However, the Bills are playing at a high level and have not lost since Week 5. It’s been a long time since they experienced heartbreak. If the Bills play sloppy football and allow the Rams to establish an early lead, it will take a miracle for the Bills to win at SoFi Stadium. Playing sloppy football is the last thing this squad needs right now.
Leave a Reply