Well, that wasn't the start the Los Angeles Rams were hoping for. Despite being the defending champions, LA was seen as the underdog against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. Nonetheless, fans expected a close, hard-fought game between two Super Bowl contenders. Instead, though, we saw the upstart Buffalo squad completely squash the reigning Super Bowl champs.
A big reason for the Bills' dominating win over the Rams was their front four completely shattering Matthew Stafford's offensive linemen. Andrew Whitworth's retirement left a gaping hole at left tackle. That was clearly felt on Thursday, as Von Miller seemed to be no match for Joe Noteboom. The stats tell the same story. (via Austin Gayle)
Matthew Stafford was under pressure on 19 dropbacks against Buffalo, per @PFF, which is more than any game for him all last season.
New left tackle Joseph Noteboom allowed a team-high eight pressures in Week 1. Andrew Whitworth allowed 20 in 18 games last season.
— Austin Gayle (@austingayle_) September 9, 2022
Despite his old age, Whitworth proved to be one of the most effective linemen for the Rams last season. He was a big reason why Matthew Stafford found success against the blitz last season: he had great protection. Noteboom had his moments against Miller, but the ex-Los Angeles edge rusher proved to be too much for him in the end.
The humiliating loss shouldn't discourage the Rams fanbase too much. Overreacting to a Week 1 loss is a mortal sin most fans commit, and it's often unfounded. LA has the coaching and the talent to overcome a loss like this. That being said… it's still worth it to look at the offensive line and see how to fix the issues that popped out in Week 1.
The Rams will next face the Atlanta Falcons a week from now. Hopefully, the team has figured out a fix for their issues by that point.
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