Buffalo Bills assert Super Bowl aspirations with emphatic 31-10 win over reigning champion LA Rams in NFL season opener

By Ben Morse, CNN

Updated 0958 GMT (1758 HKT) September 9, 2022

Josh Allen reacts after defeating the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on September 8.

(CNN)If there was any doubt about the Buffalo Bills' aspirations this season, they laid out an early marker on Thursday night in Los Angeles.

The Bills emphatically beat the reigningSuper Bowl champions, the LA Rams, 31-10 in their home stadium in the season opener to set out their stall — Super Bowl or bust. Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw three touchdowns, and ran for another, as they used a big second half to run away from the stuttering Rams. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs finished with 122 receiving yards and one touchdown, with Gabe Davis and Isaiah McKenzie also catching touchdown passes. While the Bills offense hummed, it was actually Buffalo defense which stole the show. Read MoreThey intercepted Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford three times as well as hitting him 15 times, including seven sacks. Want to sound smart about the NFL? Here's a glossary of terms and football jargon you'll need to fit inIt was a particularly meaningful victory for Bills linebacker Von Miller who, after winning the Super Bowl last year with the Rams, signed for the Bills in the offseason. Miller finished Thursday's win with two sacks and three tackles for a loss. According to the NFL, the 21-point loss by the Rams was the second-largest margin of defeat ever for a defending Super Bowl champion, just one point fewer than the Baltimore Ravens' 22-point loss against the Denver Broncos in 2013 in what was Peyton Manning's first game with the Broncos. And despite the emphatic win, Diggs said the team isn't getting too ahead of themselves just yet, pointing to mistakes made — including two lost