The Buffalo Bills head west to face off against Todd Gurley, and the Los Angeles Rams in a matchup of two teams having outplayed expectations to this point. The Bills come into the matchup at 2-2 one game behind the New England Patriots who they handed their first loss to a week ago. On the other side of the matchup the Rams are sitting pretty atop the NFC West at 3-1. Sunday’s matchup will feature two teams with very similar styles of play, as power running and dominant play, especially on the defensive side of the ball will be a constant theme.
“This week we face a new challenge against an opponent that we don’t know very well,” said Bills head coach Rex Ryan. “One thing we do know, they’re 3-1 and coming off three straight wins against some good football teams. A very physical football team, especially in their defensive line.” From this statement aside for the record it could almost be mistaken that Ryan is talking about his own team.
Coming off of a 0-2 start the Buffalo Bills had the look of a team that was spiraling in the wrong direction quickly. Following the changing of the offensive coordinator, some injuries, and going up against what were presumably two of the top teams in the league the Bills are looking up at 2-2 and appear to have no intentions of looking back. The Bills handed the Patriots their first loss at the hands of a dominant defensive performance as they shutout the Patriots at home for the first time since the 93′ season. Most notably the Bills were able to hold on to a 16-0 win without many of their top performers including the likes of Sammy Watkins, Marcel Dareus, Seantrel Henderson, and others.
Following there 0-2 start the Bills have gone on to outscore their opponents (the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots) 49-18. The strength of this team has been in its defense. A defense that picked off Carson Palmer four times in week three and held a Bill Belichick team scoreless. In particular the play of the line-backing core has stood out as it has truly anchored this defense.
“I think that when Zach Brown leads the NFL in tackles, I think that’s a great sign. I mean that probably exceeds expectations. We thought he’d play well, but I don’t think anybody expected he’d play this well. Lorenzo Alexander I believe is second in the AFC in sacks along with Jerry Hughes. And he’s doing a great job, and oh by the way, playing great on special teams,” explained Ryan. “We all knew he’d play great on special teams but at the beginning of the year, we did not see this role coming for him. But he earned it and he’s doing a tremendous job for us. You know, Corbin Bryant has always been a good football player. Every time we asked him to step in, he does a great job. And so I’m really not surprised by the way he’s contributed. But overall I think it would be ridiculous for me to not say that those guys combined had probably exceed our expectations.”
The Los Angeles Rams to their credit boast a top ten defense in terms of points per game through the first four weeks of the season. A defense that receives high praise from the rest of the league, including the Bills. “They’re a good team. They’ve got an outstanding player from Pittsburgh University, Aaron Donald, heck of a player. Better watch out for him. And they’re a fast group. Not very big, but they move all together. They want to get after the quarterback. They want to penetrate the run game. Heck of a group,” said Bills running back LeSean McCoy.
Returning from suspension in week four the Bills have their own menacing defensive tackle for the Rams to face with Marcel Dareus set to return. Dareus looks to improve a defensive line that has given up 96-yards on the ground per game so far this season good enough for thirteenth in the league. “I’m pretty eager. They can tell by the way I practiced, the way I was out there with the guys. I’m pretty eager to get out there. I have a lot of built up aggression, so I’m just ready to go. I can say that much,” mentioned Dareus.
The Rams are coming off of their own hot three game win streak at the quarter point to begin the season as the Bills look to piece together their own three game win streak. Continued success is key for the Bills as they look to move forward and show that there past two games weren’t just them catching lightening in a bottle. A win Sunday putting them over .500 would go a long win in helping prove that.
