Bills blow out reigning champion Rams in season opener

The Buffalo Bills have fallen short in enough playoff games in recent years to know the season is long and the opener doesn't mean much in January.

They still felt justified in their championship aspirations after going into the Super Bowl winners' home stadium and completely wrecking their banner-raising party on the NFL's opening night.

"We're going to make the plane do backflips on the way home tonight," Von Miller said. "We're going to celebrate this win, because you have to, but then we're going to go back to the lab."

Josh Allen passed for 297 yards while accounting for four touchdowns, Miller had two of Buffalo's seven sacks, and the Bills stamped themselves as a clear contender for the Rams' crown with a 31-10 victory over Los Angeles on Thursday night.

Gabe Davis, Isaiah McKenzie and Stefon Diggs caught TD passes as the two-time defending AFC East champions began the NFL's 103rd season by overcoming four turnovers and running away with a blowout win in the same arena where the Rams won it all nearly seven months ago.

Allen went 26 for 31 despite two interceptions. He also rushed for 56 yards, scrambling for a 4-yard TD when he stretched the ball over the line with 13:27 to play.

The star quarterback took his share of hits, but he also dished them out and showed off a mean stiff-arm while Buffalo's offense under new coordinator Ken Dorsey largely dominated the champs. The Bills went 9 for 10 on third downs and racked up 413 total yards, eventually pulling away after three first-half turnovers kept it close early.

"There's a lot to learn, but that second half, that's who we want to be, going out there and executing that way," Allen said. "We were 90% on third down. That's a recipe for success."

Matthew Stafford