Sunday, December 8 at 4:25 p.m. ET.
So-Fi Stadium, Inglewood, California.
Weather: Dome (per se.
Latest Line: Bills-3.5, over/under 49.5.
A note to readers: This is my 3rd full season doing these “Jimmy the Greek” style previews. At first I wanted to get mine out before reading everyone else’s previews, and was publishing Thursday or Friday. But a lot can happen on Fridays and Saturdays that affect Sunday’s game, and I don’t find myself reading predictions before Sunday morning anyway. Look for the Fedora Forecast first thing on Game Day morning going forward.
Once upon a time I was a middle distance runner, so I will use a Track analogy today. The Bills are sitting a close second as we round the final turn for the home stretch. Buffalo is running strong and looking relaxed, while the Chiefs are laboring and hearing footsteps. Experience tells me to bet on the runner in second. How much fun are we having during this winning streak? A snow game at home vs a West Coast team. followed up by a fun West Coast jaunt to the nicest venue on the planet…not bad! Can the Bills make it eight straight and keep the pressure on KC? The Rams are 6-6 and in far better health than the 49ers.
The Breakdown:
QB:
Josh Allen is on a roll like few we have ever seen. and all Bills Mafia wants for Christmas is for it to continue through February in the Big Easy. His right arm didn’t get much work last week; but now two warm dry playing fields await. Ironically, the Bills face both ends of one of the best trades in modern sports history the next two weeks in Stafford and Goff. Stafford is the best over 35 QB in the league, especially with Kupp and Nacua on the field. I would put Stafford ahead of 25/32 QBs at this moment in time, but not the NFL’s MVP. Advantage Bills.
Run game weapons:
The running backs might be the most evenly matched on this season’s schedule. Kyren Williams gets more work than James Cook, but their productivity is comparable. Ray Davis gets more work than Blake Corum but their productivity is comparable. But the Rams don’t have a Ty Johnson, much less the running ability of Josh Allen. Advantage Bills.
Pass game Weapons:
It looks like one more week until the Bills have the entire arsenal at their disposal, with Kincaid and Coleman still healing for the Lions game. The entire arsenal might be overkill; Shakir/Cooper/Samuel/Hollins/Knox is as good as any WR corps in the Allen Era. Healthy, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are in the conversation for the best pair of WRs in the league. Good enough to call this even.
Offensive Line:
A few pieces from the Rams Super Bowl OL are still there, but Andrew Whitworth retired and David Edwards is a Buffalo Bill. If you are too young to remember the Electric company or the 90s, this is the best Buffalo OL you’ve ever seen. Advantage Bills.
Run defense:
Looking just at the stats, I will phrase it this way: the Rams are worse against the run than the Bills. The phrasing implies both are below average in this category. But if you add in strength of schedule and recent form, Buffalo widens the gap. Advantage Bills.
Pass defense:
Buffalo shines here, LA struggles here. Jared Verse is in the running for defensive rookie of the year, but Greg Rousseau and AJ Epenesa and Von Miller are living up to lofty expectations during the winning streak. Christian Benford might be the most underrated defensive player in the NFL. If not him, I could make a case for another former Ram, Taylor Rapp. The mismatches at OL and Pass Defense are glaring this week. Huge advantage Bills.
Special teams:
I confess to have little or no knowledge of the Rams kicker Joshua Karty, other than he is a rookie from Stanford. Is there anything more stale than the takes about McDermott and Bass after week 5? Advantage Bills.
Coaching:
An NFL Head Coach needs a Super Bowl ring to ascend to the highest tier in the profession, but that doesn’t mean every Super Bowl winning Coach belongs on that tier. In the battle of Seans, I can’t pick a winner. But the sustained success of McDermott is not fully appreciated. Even.
Intangibles:
The Rams are alive in a winnable division and have won 5 of 7. We all get the feeling that the #1 seed that has eluded the Bills thus far will get them to New Orleans in February. Not the only path mind you, but the surest.
The Forecast: Six straight games of 30+ points! Make it seven!
Bills 34 Rams 24
The Pregame Plan:
Food:
The Indian Restaurant near me makes a nice goat curry, but eating ram might not work for a wide audience. I always learn something writing these, and this week it is that the French Dip Sandwich originated in Los Angeles. Bread choice aside, Buffalo knows good roast beef and Au Jus!
Beer:
After the Thanksgiving eating binge and before the Christmas eating binge, it’s a good time to cut back a bit on the carbs and calories. I like most of the domestic light lagers, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be Michelob Ultra.
Music:
His name doesn’t get mentioned enough when talking about musical artists that were gone too soon, so spotlight on Los Angeles native and Little Feat front man Lowell George:
- Time Loves A Hero.
- Six Feet Of Snow-for our friends in the lake effect bands.
- Two Trains-looking forward to the Lions.
- Dixie Chicken-see if you can find the version with Bonnie Raitt and Emmy Lou Harris doing backing vocals.
Would Charles Dickens be Bills Mafia? At least he would appreciate Buffalo sports fans, who are living the best of times and the worst of times. Go Bills!
Editor’s babble: I love Joe’s ‘Fedora Forecasts’. All you need to get ready for game time. We are grateful to Joe for all his contributions to our blog. You can also find Joe on Xwitter @joer869.
BuffaloFAMbase.com is sponsored by 26 Shirts
Every Monday, we launch a new two-week campaign of a limited edition t-shirt design. Every shirt purchase results in a donation to a local family in need. After the campaign ends, the shirt is retired. A new design is released, and a new family benefits from your fandom!
