NFL Week 1: Bills dominate Rams in season-opener

The NFL is officially back in action — but the defending-champion Los Angeles Rams didn’t see to get the memo. 

On the night that L.A. raised Its Super Bowl banner, the Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills came into town and walloped Aaron Donald and the Rams on Thursday Night Football, 31-10.

Here are the top plays from Thursday night’s action.

Buffalo Bills 31, Los Angeles Rams 10

Whose house?

The Rams were greeted with the warmest of welcomes from their home crowd to kick off the ’22 campaign.

The troupe burst on to SoFi Field while its 2021 championship banner descended from the rafters, and Nipsey Hussle’s “Last Time That I Checc’d” blared over the loudspeakers. The ceremonious moment signaled the start to their imminent title defense bid.

That didn’t take long

Josh Allen and Gabriel Davis picked up right where they left off from last season to get on the board in just over five minutes.

Allen froze the Rams’ D with a nasty play fake, and found a wide open Davis streaking down the right side of the field for Buffalo’s first TD of the season. Allen went 5-for-5 on the opening drive.

Stopped cold

Allen began the game with 10 straight completions and would’ve had 11, but Isaiah McKenzie was unable to reel in a hot rocket on a short slant. The ball hit McKenzie’s mitts, and found Rams LB Terrell Lewis’, stopping Buffalo’s promising drive right in its tracks.

Battle of the turnovers

The turnover chains began trading hands in the second quarter. Bills’ RB James Cook relinquished a fumble on the first carry of his career, but Buffalo got the ball right back courtesy of an INT from Dane Jackson.

Cooooooopppp

Should we expect anyone other than the S.B. MVP to score the Rams’ first TD of the season? Cooper Kupp’s made a career of acrobatic catches, and he graciously dragged his toes in the back of the end zone to complete the score for L.A.

Not on this Hill

The Rams were adamant to get Troy Hill back on their roster after losing him for a season, and he rewarded their wishes near the end of the first half with a big break on the ball to snatch L.A.’s second interception.

Matt Gay knocked in a 57-yarder to knot things at 10 at halftime.

Making a statement

Allen clearly put the pair of INTs behind him at the half. He stuck his hand in Nick Scott’s face to ward him off for a critical first down, before reigniting McKenzie — whose first-half drop led to an INT — for the go-ahead score.

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s …

… Josh Allen! The preseason MVP candidate doesn’t shy away from contact, and he gave the Bills a 24-10 lead by leaping past Rams LB Bobby Wagner to cross the pylon.

Woop, there it is

Ask the Bills if they care who the defending champs are. They’ve been picked to take it all this season, and their focus is solely on the present. 

Jordan Poyer came away with Buffalo’s second pick of the night, and three plays later, Allen hooked up with Stefon Diggs on a deep fly to put Buffalo up 21.

“Anotha one”

The Bills are showing why they had the top-ranked defense a year ago, coming away with their third INT of the game. Big Boogie Basham got his mitt on a Stafford pass attempt, and snatched the ball out of the air for the takeaway.