This past Thursday marked the season opener for the National Football League regular season which took place in the home stadium of Super Bowl Champions Los Angeles Rams. Excitement buzzed through Sofi Stadium, coincidentally where the Super Bowl was hosted last year, as the Rams hoisted the Super Bowl banner and raised the Lombardi Trophy in front of their home crowd during their pre-game ceremony. Unfortunately, the Buffalo Bills, many who anticipate them to play in this year’s Super Bowl, stampeded into sunny Southern California and spoiled the celebration.
This game was particularly a special event for me since I was able to attend and watch my favorite team for the first time.
The media attention during and after the game naturally drew towards Josh Allen and the offense. Their efforts resulted in 413 total offensive yards, 9 out of 10 third down conversions, while spreading the ball around to 7 different receivers for 26 completions. Although 4 turnovers were committed, Buffalo managed to score 31 points with the cherry on top being a 53 yard TD caught by Stefon Diggs over Jalen Ramsey.
Shout out University of Maryland and Austin Dickey.
One aspect of this game I want to emphasize was the failure of the Los Angeles offensive line to protect QB Matthew Stafford. A world class performance by the newly upgraded defensive line, Buffalo found themselves in the backfield virtually every single play.
With new additions to the defensive line headlined by former Los Angeles Ram, and 2x Super Bowl champion, Von Miller, Buffalo quietly acquired quality pieces to bolster the depth with DaQuan Jones, Tim Settle, and Jordan Phillips. This allows for a healthy rotation of the new veterans listed above, to complement the young talent such as Gregory Rousseau, Carlos Basham, A.J. Epenesa, and Ed Oliver.
Pressuring the quarterback and blowing up designed rushing plays are the primary goals of each defense, therefore this consistent rotation provides the defensive linemen to rest between plays, alleviate pressure off a specific player to over perform, and return to the field energized.
Los Angeles ran 67 total offensive snaps on Thursday, of which no singular Buffalo defensive lineman played over 70% of them. The defense accumulated 7 sacks, 3 turnovers, 9 tackles for loss, and 17 QB hits; all without blitzing.
As a result of this strong defensive line performance, it forced Los Angeles to call plays that are designed to get the ball out quick. Poor offensive line play causes a reduction in time to throw, therefore limiting the types of plays an offense might call. In conjunction with an above average secondary, there are plenty of opportunities for offensive mistakes.
The Average Depth of Target observes the average number of yards down the field a receiver runs prior to the target. Sometimes skewed due to a small sample size, I only noted the receivers who had the opportunity to make an impact.
With less time to throw, the Rams were forced to narrow their playbook down to shorter passes in hopes of avoiding a sack. Cooper Kupp, Tyler Higbee, and Ben Skowronek were the only receivers I felt were collecting a fair amount of targets. However, one can see how a smaller ADOT leads to fewer yards, more plays called, and a higher average possession time: things teams cannot afford to endure while trailing late.
If we compare that to the likes of Buffalo receivers Gabriel Davis, Stefon Diggs, or Isaiah McKenzie, the difference is quite noticeable.
(The color selection on the chart can be confusing as both teams’ primary colors are blue. Buffalo is outlined in red and Los Angeles is outlined in yellow.)
Perhaps newly acquired Allen Robinson and second year receiver Tutu Atwell weren’t fully adjusted or prepared for this season opener. I know they’re deeply missing the presence of Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller right now. Regardless, I don’t expect Los Angeles to continue this as the season progresses.
Although Buffalo dominated by a large margin, 16 games remain in this long season. I expect to see gradual improvement from both sides of the ball, and I anticipate a Buffalo vs Los Angeles rematch in this upcoming Super Bowl.
Huge thanks to @mrcaseb for his NFL Packages that allow me to create these visualizations, and @rkangphoto for his incredible photos.
Sports Twitter: @bbakdata
