After experiencing their best game of the season at home in the snow, the Buffalo Bills are heading out to Inglewood, CA for a matchup against the 6-6 Los Angeles Rams. Coming into Week 14 as AFC East champions is unbelievable to hear. Only one other team has clinched a playoff spot and that is the Kansas City Chiefs who aren’t guaranteed to win their division just yet.
Buffalo and Los Angeles last faced off against each other in the 2022 season opener where the Bills went to LA and destroyed the Rams, 31-10. That was the year the Bills had everything they needed to win a Super Bowl, but they slowly fell apart going into the playoffs.
Now standing at 10-2, and winning their last seven consecutive games, the Bills are in the hunt for the No. 1 seed. They will be able to have some fun these next five remaining games, but they will need to stay focused and hope that the Chiefs can lose atleast one game so that Buffalo and jump over them in the standings.
Going into Week 14, Ramblin’ Fan Site Expert Bret Stuter provided fantastic insights that Bills fans will want to know about the Rams going into this west coast matchup.
Bills vs. Rams Week 14 insights
1.) The Rams are currently in a battle for the NFC West at 6-6. Do you believe this game against the Bills could make or break their season?
I suppose that depends on the definition of 'make or break,' which is very important to where I draw the line in the sand. So I will start by saying that the Rams do have a path to the upcoming NFL Playoffs if they lose to the Buffalo Bills. But at 6-6, the team can ill afford to lose any more games. Even one more loss dictates that the team must win all remaining games left on the schedule, including a game against each NFC West Division rival. The Rams must for all intents and purposes win all of their remaining divisional games, and perhaps even hope for help to win the division.
2.) Do you believe the Rams will need to rely more heavily on running the ball or letting Matthew Stafford rip it through the air?
After Week 13, I am convinced that the Rams must lean more heavily into their running game. Curiously, the Rams do not dial up their 12-personnel package very often (two tight ends). But in the five games when they did lean into a 12-personnel offense by 15 percent of the offensive snaps or more, the team has not lost a single game. That's right, the Rams are 5-0 when they use two tight ends for 15 percent of their offensive snaps. So you might expect the Rams to use that tactic more often. No, it is one of the many mysteries that frustrates Rams fans.
While quarterback Matthew Stafford emerged from Week 13 with a slight ankle sprain, HC Sean McVay insists that it won't impact his Week 14 readiness. But a veteran and slightly injured NFL quarterback needs to have a dependable running game to allow him to pick his spots, keep the defense guessing, and take some of the pressure off the passing game. There is the additional benefit of exhausting the game clock by the offense, which helps out the defense as well. The Rams proved capable of rushing against the New Orleans Saints. They must establish the run to have any hope of winning against the Buffalo Bills.
3.) What is a weakness that the Rams have that they need to hope the Bills don't expose?
The LA Rams are an incredibly predictable team. They have a young and inexperienced defense, a slow-to-get-humming offense, and no confidence in the running game. That all becomes quite obvious if the Rams fall behind early, or make a mistake on either the offense or defense. Invariably, the team throws everything behind passing their way out of trouble. The problem with that strategy is that everyone in the NFL knows that it's coming, and wise defensive coordinators give the pass rushers a green light to cause chaos. Despite Matthew Stafford still possessing the capability of coming back to win games, the Rams place him into that precarious position nearly every week. And so, there is no magic left that defenses have not seen before.
The Rams cannot win a shootout if the Bills offense takes a commanding lead. If that happens, the Rams will respond as they always have. The running backs must remain an integral part of the offensive game plan and hope that it's the Bills that turn the football over or is forced to punt the football. If that happens, the game will be awfully entertaining.
4.) LA drafted two solid rookies in Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. Out of those two, who will make more of an impact against Buffalo's offense?
That is a very good question. And it is a tough choice. They are a pair of young defenders who are full of energy and so unpredictable that they can ruin the best plans of any offensive coordinator. But which player will be more impactful?
Braden Fiske is a young defensive lineman who makes the most of his opportunities. If he faces one-on-one or stunts to the offensive play, he will show up in a big way. But when it comes to outside linebacker Jared Verse, he creates his own opportunities. He is a powerhouse, a guy with an unstoppable bull rush who has his mind made up to get after the quarterback on his mind with every snap of the football. Because he typically lines up on the outside, he has a longer path to the quarterback. But he almost always emerges as the more impactful defender for the Rams' defense in any game.