2022 NFL season, Week 1: What We Learned from Bills' season-beginning win over Rams on Thursday

in sports •  2 years ago  (edited)

Allen, Bills make statement. Technically, Josh Allen didn’t have a really perfect night. He took a sack and threw interceptions, after all. But all and sundry looking Thursday’s recreation is aware of that the primary one changed into surely at the receiver; chalk the second one choose as much as a tremendous play through Rams cornerback Troy Hill, who examine the throw beautifully. Before and after that, however, Allen changed into a machine. Once he changed into capable of use his legs extra withinside the 2nd half — each on scrambles and designed runs — the Rams had no solution for him. Through 3 quarters, there had been 0 passes of 20-plus air yards. Then on the primary play of the fourth quarter, Allen confronted a Cover-zero blitz and dialed up a deep ball to Gabe Davis for forty seven yards. Three performs later, he released into the give up region. How do you forestall him? Two selections couldn’t do it. Allen, everyone’s MVP favorite, is off to a blazing start.Is there purpose for Stafford concern? It’s smooth pickings to marvel if Matthew Stafford is absolutely healthy. After all of the offseason testimonies approximately his elbow, how should we now no longer? There had been instances in the sport in which he threw extra over the pinnacle than I can remember, however that’s infrequently evidence he’s by hook or by crook favoring it together along with his throwing motion. Stafford’s first interception seemed like a miscommunication with tight give up Tyler Higbee — tough to recognize who’s to blame. On the second one INT, Stafford attempted to dial up his Super Bowl magic with the no-look (3-quarters arm angle) byskip to Cooper Kupp, however Stafford changed into excessive and off-goal with it. Was it a quite outing? Not withinside the least. But the Rams’ blocking off problems and incapability to run the ball out of eleven employees made his task loads harder. There is probably a bodily detail to Stafford’s Week 1 struggles, however let’s now no longer simply default to that assumption after one recreation.Hats off to the Bills’ protection. Much of the communicate coming in changed into how the Bills’ younger corners may struggle. But freshmen Kaiir Elam and Christian Benford (a sixth-rounder who performed FCS ball a 12 months ago) held up extraordinarily well, and Dane Jackson had a choose. The Rams, tough as they attempted, simply couldn’t get the Bills out of these -excessive appears maximum of the night. When you can’t run the ball, that’s tough. It appeared to frustrate Stafford and Sean McVay from a huge-play standpoint — the possibilities had been few and some distance between. Bills shielding coordinator Leslie Frazier technically operates with an old-faculty mentality: make the offense matriculate down the sphere 8, 10, 12 performs at a crack. The wondering is that errors will happen. That philosophy panned out in a huge manner Thursday. The Bills were given desirable stress maximum of the night (mainly early) from Von Miller and what looks as if a far deeper shielding line group. The Rams helped them through byskip-protective poorly, and that they had handiest one power longer than 38 yards in the sport’s first fifty five minutes. But credit score is deserved for a Buffalo protection that hauled in 3 selections and 7 sacks. It changed into a wonderful effort.Dorsey has dazzling debut. Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey changed into in his bag early on in his first regular-season recreation as a play-caller. Those worries approximately dropping Brian Daboll are yesterday’s news (for now). Dorsey had Allen going for walks a few rollout performs that Cam Newton used to with the Panthers again while Dorsey changed into his QB coach. On the TD power that positioned the Bills up 17-10, Dorsey used Allen as a runner some instances, ensuing in his highlight-reel stiff-arm of Rams protection Nick Scott. Mix that during with the out of doors region toss performs — a Kyle Shanahan staple — that look like a brand new wrinkle and Dorsey changed into capable of hold the Rams’ protection off-kilter numerous instances. So, he’s drawing from different team’s standards even as additionally preserving the center of the playbook that Allen excelled with the beyond few years. It’s tough to argue with that formula.Where changed into Cam? The Rams used going for walks again Darrell Henderson considerably early in the sport — and on all 8 performs of the hole power — even as Cam Akers frequently sat. This changed into after Akers declared in advance this week that, “I recognize I'm healthy.” He added: “Everybody else will simply get to see (Thursday). I’m now no longer seeking to pass display everyone that I’m healthy. I’m simply going to play my recreation.” Akers’ first deliver got here a couple of minutes into the second one quarter, ensuing in a no-gain. He’d end with consists of for 0 yards. Is it too early to be concerned? Of course. It’s Week 1. The Rams have 10 days till they face the Falcons. Some of his utilization may be attributed to the rating getting a piece out of hand. Perhaps the soft-tissue damage Akers treated withinside the preseason remains barking a piece, too. But how the Rams use their backs early this season could be really well worth monitoring. Akers’ fable proprietors truely could be. Next Gen stat of the night: The Bills did now no longer blitz on any of Matthew Stafford’s passes Thursday night. The handiest different 0-blitz video games through a protection (withinside the NGS era) had been additionally through the Bills in video games in opposition to the Chiefs in 2020 and 2021.NFL Research: The Rams’ 21-factor loss changed into the second one-biggest all time for a protecting Super Bowl champion, simply one factor fewer than the Ravens’ 22-factor loss at Denver in 2013 (Peyton Manning’s first recreation with the Broncos)

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