The NFL season is finally getting underway, and we start off with a Thursday night showdown between the defending Super Bowl Champions and the betting favorites to be this year’s Super Bowl Champions.

Buffalo Bills (0-0) at Los Angeles Rams (0-0)

Game Details:

Location: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA
Time: Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET
Channel: NBC

Betting Stats:

Spread: BUF -2.5
Over/Under: 52.5 points
Moneyline odds: BUF -133, LAR +112

This will be a blockbuster matchup with marquee names in all areas of the field. Josh Allen. Matthew Stafford. Stefon Diggs. Cooper Kupp. Von Miller. Aaron Donald. There will be impact players everywhere, so where do we really need to look in order to really understand what this game will come down to?

Top Matchups/Storylines:

How can the Bills’ secondary defend without Tre’Davious White?

This is undoubtedly the biggest storyline in the game. Cooper Kupp put together a record-breaking season last year, finishing with 145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s a threat at every part of the field, including the red zone, and is the primary weapon for any team to gameplan for. Only, the man the Bills would most likely use to cover him, Pro Bowl cornerback Tre’Davious White, is on the IR.

White tore his ACL in the Thanksgiving game against the Saints last year and simply wasn’t able to make it back in time for the start of the season. That will leave Buffalo with Dane Jackson, who moved into the starting lineup last year when White got hurt, and the pairing of rookies Kaiir Elam and Christian Benford. The Bills might also use It might call for nickel corner Taron Johnson to play a key role in covering Kupp as well.

But even if the Bills do find an answer – or a partial one – for Kupp, they will also have to contend with new Rams wide receiver Allen Robinson, who was signed away from the Bears in the offseason. While he floundered last year, Robinson remains a tremendously talented wide receiver who is more than capable of toasting rookie cornerbacks if the Bills don’t scheme right.

How healthy is Matthew Stafford?

Of course, part of the key to the Rams’ passing attack will be how healthy Matthew Stafford’s elbow is. Earlier in the preseason, Sean McVay mentioned that Stafford’s elbow injury was unusual for a quarterback, but late last week he mentioned that Stafford was playing with no limitations. We’re not entirely sure which one it is, but training camp reports seem to suggest Stafford is fine.

However, he also has a history of grinding through injuries that negatively impact his performance, so it will be something to monitor as the game begins. If this revamped Bills defensive line with Von Miller, Ed Oliver, Greg Rousseau, DaQuan Jones, and more are able to hit Stafford a few times, will that impact the elbow at all?

How healthy is Jalen Ramsey?

The Rams also have health concerns for their top cornerback as well. The $15 million cornerback had shoulder surgery in the offseason and has been limited throughout all of training camp. When he was at practice, the Rams limited the amount of contact he had, and put restrictions on how he used his hands while covering receivers. So while Sean McVay announced this week that Ramsey will play, it’s unclear what version of the cornerback we’ll see. Unfortunately for him, he gets a stiff test right from the outset since he will likely be asked to over Bills’ star receiver Stefon Diggs for much of the night.

Is the Gabriel Davis breakout for real?

While Ramsey will be keeping himself occupied with Diggs, the rest of the Rams secondary will have to stop Gabriel Davis. The last time we saw the third-year pro he was lighting up the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs for 201 yards and four touchdowns. With Emmanuel Sanders no longer on the team, Davis has stepped into the number two role and made last year look like no fluke so far.

If Davis proves to even be a fraction of the threat he was in that playoff game, it could be a major headache for the Rams secondary. A breakout for him would also be helped by a breakout from slot receiver Isaiah McKenzie who was re-signed and put into the starting lineup to replace Cole Beasley. When given the opportunity, McKenzie has proved to be dangerous with the ball in his hands, so between him, Davis, tight end Dawson Knox, and veteran Jamison Crowder, the Bills will have tons of weapons to throw at the Rams.

Can the Bills block Aaron Donald?

Isn’t this the question when anybody faces the Rams? Aaron Donald is an all-world defensive player who wreaks havoc on the opposition, even when he’s not wielding helmets as weapons. The Bills have one player who is very familiar with Donald since this offseason they signed left guard Roger Saffold, who played with the Rams for nine years.

Given the Bills are starting second-year-pro Spencer Brown at right tackle and first-year-starter Ryan Bates at right guard on Thursday night, it would seem likely the Rams attack with Donald there. The Bills will likely want to double-team Donald or use fullback Reggie Gilliam and tight-end Dawson Knox to add extra bodies on the line of scrimmage.

Notable Injuries:

Tre’Davious White – CB, Buffalo: ACL (Out)
Jordan Poyer – S, Buffalo: Shoulder (Probable)
Tommy Doyle – OT, Buffalo: Foot (Questionable)
Van Jefferson – WR, Los Angeles: Knee (Doubtful)

Prediction:

Rams 27, Bills 23

At the end of the day, I believe these are two really evenly matched teams and two strong defenses which will keep this game under the Vegas total. I also believe that the loss of Tre’Davious White will be too big a hurdle for the Bills to overcome given how dynamic this Rams’ passing offense can be. In the playoffs, this may end differently, but the Bills coming into Los Angeles on Thursday night short-handed is a tough spot to open the season.