Bills fans believe this is their year. They’re all in on this season, hoping it’s the year Buffalo breaks through and finally wins its first Super Bowl.
Knowing that, it really shouldn’t have surprised anyone that the Bills Mafia packed SoFi Stadium for the first game of the 2022 season on Thursday night. Bills fans always travel well, but they weren’t going to miss the chance to see their team face the defending Super Bowl champions in the opener.
They were loud, too. It was to the point that the Rams needed to use a silent count on offense, being unable to verbally communicate at the line. Matthew Stafford said the team prepared for it, saying the crowd noise didn’t have an impact on the Rams.
“No, we prepared for it,” he said. “We were prepared to be on the silent count at home again, but it wasn’t something that we haven’t done before.”
His coach, Sean McVay, seems to disagree. After the game, McVay was asked about the Bills’ constant pressure applied on Stafford, regularly beating the Rams’ pass protection to the tune of 15 QB hits and seven sacks.
McVay blamed himself for his play calling and situational awareness, but he also mentioned the fact that the Bills were able to jump the snap when the Rams were on a silent count.
“I think it’s a combination of a lot of things,” McVay said of whether the sacks were on the line or Stafford holding the ball. “I think first and foremost, I look at myself inwardly, ‘Did you give yourself a chance to settle into a rhythm or were they able to tee off?’ There were some instances where we’re on our silent count, they did a good job being able to jump the count. Bottom line is we’ve all got to be a little bit better.”
Even with all the pressure the Bills applied, they did so without blitzing a single time all night. That’s perhaps the most impressive part of the way they played on defense. McVay once again brought up the silent count, though not to use it as an excuse.
“Oh yeah, they didn’t rush five really at all tonight,” McVay said. “For them to be able to do that it’s a real credit to them. We’re on our silent count. Whatever I’m going to say right now is going to be an excuse. I think I put our guys in too many of those tough situations. Credit to Von (Miller) and their rush. They did an outstanding job. They’re an excellent defense, but we’ve got to be better and it starts with me.”
Stafford might feel like it didn’t hurt the Rams offense, but Bills fans were loud when Los Angeles had the ball. It should be the other way around, with Rams fans making life tough for the opposing offense, but they just don’t have much of a home-field advantage when fanbases like Buffalo’s come to town.
