Now that the Rams' 2020 schedule is officially out, it's time to resume our offseason opponent breakdowns on theRams.com. Up next is Los Angeles' Week 3 road game against the Buffalo Bills.
2019
The Bills finished 10-6 to clinch their second playoff appearance in three seasons under head coach Sean McDermott, but fell to the Texans 22-19 in the Wild Card round of the postseason.
That success was in part due to the improved play of second-year quarterback Josh Allen. The former Wyoming standout completed 58.8 percent of his pass attempts for 3,089 yards with 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions after completing 52.8 percent of his passes for 2,074 yards with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions as a rookie.
Changes
In one of the biggest offseason moves across the league, Buffalo acquired 26-year-old wide receiver Stefon Diggs and a 2020 seventh round pick from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2020 first round pick, fifth round pick, sixth round pick and a 2021 fourth round pick.
Diggs, who amassed 365 receptions, 4,623 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns in five seasons with the Vikings, is coming off consecutive 1,000-receiving-yard seasons.
Defensively, the Bills signed former Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman to a one-year deal.
Head coach
McDermott enters his fourth season as head coach of the Bills, compiling a 25-23 regular season record through his first three years with the franchise.
What to watch for
Rams secondary vs. Allen's arm
Allen had one of the strongest arms in the league last season. According to NFL's Next Gen Stats, his average intended air yards of 9.4 tied with the Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson for third-most in the league. Air yards are defined as "the vertical yards on a pass attempt at the moment the ball is caught in relation to the line of scrimmage," and average intended air yards "shows the average Air Yards a passer throws on all attempts."
With that in mind, it's reasonable to expect that Allen won't be shy about testing the Rams' secondary by taking shots downfield.
