Why Buffalo Will Roll in Southern California

The 10-2 Buffalo Bills will travel out to California to take on the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14. Buffalo is fresh off their beatdown of the San Francisco 49ers in the snow game in upstate New York. This Week 14 matchup should be a layup for the Bills if they are hoping to continue their push for the first-round bye in the playoff. Unfortunately, this top spot is out of Buffalo’s control and they will be dependent on the Kansas City Chiefs' performance over the final four weeks of the 2024 season.

Buffalo’s offense is humming at this point in the season, ranking second in points per game and third in expected points added per play. Quarterback Josh Allen is the betting favorite to win the NFL’s MVP and for good reason, having thrown the sixth-most touchdowns and only the fifth-least interceptions. Not that Buffalo should be looking past the Rams, but this Los Angeles defense is not anything too special other than a young pass rush. Hopefully, it will not cause too many problems for the road team, especially given that the Bills rank relatively average in pressure rate allowed.

On defense, Buffalo will have more of a challenge guarding the two-headed receiving attack of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. Cornerback Rasul Douglas will have his hands full, especially because veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford knows how to attack all kinds of defenses and blitz packages. Thankfully Buffalo’s defense allows less than 200 yards per game, so the team will not have to shift its focus to creating new ways in which they will want to command the game from that side of the ball. With athletic defensive linemen, Buffalo will be able to move from gap to gap effectively to control the zone running scheme that the Rams and head coach Sean McVay have made famous since his hiring in 2017.