The Los Angeles Rams are gearing up to face the Buffalo Bills in the season opener, and despite being at home as the defending Super Bowl champions, they’re not even favored. This is one of the toughest Week 1 matchups the Rams could’ve gotten and beating the Super Bowl favorites will be no easy task.
The good news is that Sean McVay has been perfect in season openers since taking over as head coach of the Rams in 2017. He’s never lost an opener and he doesn’t plan to change that this season, either.
Here’s a look at how the Rams have fared under him in Week 1 since 2017.
2017 vs. Colts: Win, 46-9
The Rams throttled the Colts in McVay’s head coaching debut, blowing out Indianapolis at the Coliseum, 46-9. It got the McVay tenure off to a perfect start and the Rams would go on to make the playoffs in Year 1 under the young head coach.
2018 at Raiders: Win, 33-13
For the second year in a row, the Rams blew out their Week 1 opponent, taking down the Raiders on Monday Night Football in 2018, 33-13. The defense played great in that game, forcing three turnovers, including a pick-six by Marcus Peters at the end of the fourth quarter to put the icing on the cake.
2019 at Panthers: Win, 30-27
2019 wasn’t a great year for the Rams, but they started the right way with a win over the Panthers on the road in the early 1 p.m. ET window. The Rams led the whole way, only allowing a late touchdown to make the score seem closer than it was.
2020 vs. Cowboys: Win, 20-17
To open SoFi Stadium, the Rams hosted the Cowboys on Sunday night. It was a close game throughout, though both teams were held scoreless in the fourth quarter as the Rams held on to win by three points.
2021 vs. Bears: Win, 34-14
This wasn’t much of a contest. The Rams scored first and never gave up the lead, throttling the Bears at home by scoring three second-half touchdowns. The defense was dominant, limiting Chicago to only 14 points.
